As I spent the morning at home with Sophie, I thought about the age old discussion regarding when do you decide that a pet needs to see a veterinarian, how much money is the right amount to spend on a pet and so on. I know there are many different view points and everyone's situation is unique and personal. I thought I would share mine (right or wrong), as the thoughts were tumbling around my head the last couple of days.
Sophie is my first dog. Dogs, given that they are out and about in the world (all of my cats have been indoor cats), seem to get into more trouble than cats. Especially Border Collies. Trouble such as: cuts, bruises, sprains, scratched eyes, and their affinity for eating the most disgusting, inedible things they come across. As I have gotten more experienced in the arena of canine ownership, I am becoming better at identifying which ailments will pass and mend on their own versus which ones required the expertise of a veterinarian. In any case, if I am even slightly unsure, I choose to take Sophie to a vet.
The reason I choose to take her is because of the cost of maybe. If I take her to the vet...maybe she would have gotten better on her own or maybe she did need the treatment. If I do not take her to the vet...maybe she will get better on her own or maybe she will get worse without treatment and not recover. In the first scenario, the biggest cost of maybe is that I could lose some hard earned dollars out of my bank account for no reason as she would have healed on her own. But in the second scenario, the biggest cost of maybe is that I could lose everything. I could lose Sophie. And that is simply not a price I am willing to pay.
If I had the choice between $10, 000 in the bank or one more day with Sophie....I can say, with perfect certainty, that my only choice would be which trails we would hike that day. And there is no maybe about it.
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15 comments:
Oh...poor little Sophie Bophie! Hope she is feeling better soon.
Glad she is feeling better. Yall have a peaceful weekend.
Poor Sophie. Glad she is feeling better. It is so easy to say "maybe if",and you are right, everyone is different, but I believe like you, and you chose the right maybe.:)
Give Sophie a sweet hug from me.
I am so sorry that she is feeling under the weather. You can really see it in the photos. I do hope she recovers quickly.
I agree with you wholeheartedly "maybe" can be too high of a price to pay.
Send her our well wishes.
Jen
Sophie is lucky!!
(Speaking about dogs eating disgusting stuff: my sister's dog has eaten plastic bags which worked their way almost out..... with plastic hanging out of her bum... so my nephew had to pull the plastic bags out!! NOt fun)
oh that poor little thing! I hope she feels better soon!
we've only had to take Koda to the vet a few times for a "sick" visit; one was when we first moved down here to So. Calif. and he got stressed from the car ride (20 hours in the van I was stressed too); we knew he needed to be seen because he didn't want to have anything to do with food; he's a corgi, they live for food; we knew he needed special care we couldnt' give him (bland diet and fluids and he was better in a few days); another time was when he was limping and favoring a paw of his for more than a day (sprained cartilage).
its kind of like I asked the pediatrician's nurse years ago about when to bring my kids in to be seen and her advice "If they are sick but still doing their normal routine, eating okay, sleeping okay, playing okay, chances are they don't need to be seen", but "if they aren't sleeping good, don't want to eat, are listless, bring them in". I followed that advice for the kids and tend to do it for Koda; if he seems to be acting okay, I watch him; if he worries me, I take him in
I think you were wise to take Sophie in!
betty
Our #1 agrees with you. She also says we are very lucky because we have a vet who is a friend and whom she trusts absolutely. So, she never hesitates to pick up the phone and talk through any concerns, even if we don't actually go over there in the end.
We hope your Mom is all better soonest!
Tom and Tama-Chan
I've spent what others would deem to be far too many dollars on bringing my cats back to health over the years. I could probably fund a nice vacation for a family of four with what I've paid out but I wouldn't hesitate again, lest I knew it was hopeless and painful. Pets are worth every penny. And you learn quickly enough which ailments will mend nicely on their own.
You will have the same decisions when a child is involved. It matters not to an animal lover that "it is just a dog" because that phrase just doesn't exist in an animal lover's vocabulary. You do what you have to do to get your pet better and worry about the rest later.
Oh, I hope she feels better too. I currently spend a small fortune on Scrappycat's thyroid and heart meds. And Smudge has been in so many fights, we've probably spend thousands on him.
I think you did the right thing, but you will know about these things in time. There are books out there and I read alot online about cats and dogs. Sophie, hope you feel better soon!
I, too, would chose the dog (or cat, or kid or husband) What is money without those things?
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpres.com
So sorry to see how bad Sophie feels in the photos. I hope by now she is feeling much better. Please let us know.
Sure hope she is feeling better by now. Hugs for Sophie. Janie
There is no such thing as "just a dog" or "just a cat".
When my Boo Kitty jumped out of a tree and dislocated his shoukld and broke his leg, my ex said not to fix it if it was over $100.
Well, I just about maxed out my Mastercard, but it was well worth it, in my book!
A pet who loves you unconditionally is worth ANY price!
I'm so glad that Sophie is feeling much better!!
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