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Bloomberg just published an editorial that suggests fighting inflation by, among other things, letting your pets die of cancer. The author is Teresa Ghilarducci, who’s the Director of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at the New School for Social Research and the Irene and Bernard L Schwartz Professor of Economics and Policy Analysis (wherever that is—quite a mouthful of titles).
I’ve had 2 dogs die of cancer and my husband and I didn’t withhold medical care. We knew the prognosis was terminal, but we bought ourselves some time to say goodbye and then let them peacefully go with euthanasia.
But who are these people to give us advice on what is best for us and our pets? She clearly has never owned one.
While I certainly don't agree with the author, it was an editorial (mere opinion), not factual reporting. Wouldn't put it past this rag to publish it just to raise some hackles and inflate readership. There are reasons I rarely if ever bother to read OP-ED pages.
Last edited by Parnassia; 03-21-2022 at 04:16 PM..
‘It may sound harsh,’ she lectured. ‘But researchers actually don’t recommend pet chemotherapy — which can cost up to $10,000 — for ethical reasons.’
Here's an article about it. I can see her point. It's not like she was suggesting that you save money by not getting Fluffy vaccinated or by denying medical care if the animal gets hit by a car.
It's a case-by-case thing, I think, and there's more to consider than just money. Paying thousands of dollars to keep a pet alive for a few additional weeks months seems more in the best interests of the humans rather than the dog, especially if the animal is suffering.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 03-22-2022 at 04:49 PM..
Not for financial reasons. But, depending on the health and age of the animal chemo might be more grueling and cruel than putting the animal down. I'm not sure I want to go through chemo myself and I doubt I want to put an aged, very ill beloved pet through that (that does not understand what is happening and only perspective is moment to moment life). They do not understand their treatment plan, etc., etc.
Not for financial reasons. But, depending on the health and age of the animal chemo might be more grueling and cruel than putting the animal down. I'm not sure I want to go through chemo myself and I doubt I want to put an aged, very ill beloved pet through that (that does not understand what is happening and only perspective is moment to moment life). They do not understand their treatment plan, etc., etc.
There is much in this post to listen to.
I used to work for a (human) cancer agency, and chemo is not pretty. Losing one's hair is the least of it; chemo leaves you feeling like crap, constantly. Yes, for every healthy and happy patient who appears on TV commercials asking for donations to the Cancer Society, there are probably 10 or more who say, "@#$% me blue, what the hell did I get myself in for with this chemotherapy? Maybe I should just go with the six months the doctor gave me."
Cancer treatments can work, but there are no guarantees. And our pets do not understand what is happening to them, nor can we explain it to them. Sometimes, the best solution is to give them the best possible life they can have, until they can no longer carry on.
Let your dog die from cancer???? You can not stop your dog from dying from cancer.
Like all decisions regarding pet health, you consider what their quality of life is and what are the chances that treatment will save them. There is very little reason to keep a dog living in pain for 2-3 extra months. It might be a different decision if treatment will give them several more years of a normal life. Some of the cancers in dogs are not treatable no matter how much money you throw at them and it isn't really a good decision to bankrupt your family to give the dog a few more months of pain and suffering.
It's amazing how many aren't truly hearing what the opinion piece writer is saying. Then again, this is in the wrong forum, because the "message" is far beyond "put your pet down".
I've outlived many cats and I learned lessons about hanging on too long for my own sake. I've been more proactive with each subsequent cat once the changes are obvious and ongoing, or if there was solid diagnosis, and will no longer spend a lot of money to prolong things. Most of them lived to be 14-19 but I lost one to cancer at age 9. Meds kept him comfortable as long as he could do the catty things he enjoyed but once he started having trouble getting around and stopped eating I knew it was time to let go. I thought I might be loosing my current 14 yr old cat but thyroid meds helped her bounce back and she's been doing great for over a year now. Still, she's not getting younger and I'm prepared to say goodbye if/when something more serious comes up.
Chemo and surgery for cancer, especially on an older pet, just isn't in the cards for me.
Three wolves, as the OP didn’t provide a link to the article I didn’t read it. I have spent thousands on young dogs for surgery that would give them a normal life span. But the reality for pets as well as people is that there’s a time to let go. I wouldn’t do cancer treatment for any age pet. Unfortunately, there’s millions of healthy pets waiting for homes that will be killed by shelters for lack of space. I always adopt another in my past pet’s honor.
I've had three dogs diagnosed with cancer of the nine I have loved in my life. The first one was diagnosed with a tumor near her heart at 12 years old. They told us it was inoperable and she had 6 months to live. She lived 2 1/2 more years. She was happy until 2 days before she told us it was time to go.
The second dog had a tumor in her stomach. She never let us know there was any problem until she quit eating. The scan showed her tumor had blocked her intestine and she could no longer eat. She was suffering. a complete shock. We put her to sleep 2 days later. She was 13 years old...
I have a dog now who has cancer and inoperable. She also has arthritis controlled with pain medication. She is 16. She is eating and happy. Until she tells me it is time to let her go, I will love her and spoil her.
Many of my younger dogs have had surgery for ligament injuries, hip deformities, teeth extraction, lipoma removal, etc. Treatment cost lots of money but they could recover and live long, happy lives. But when my elderly dogs had cancer we decided not to put them through painful surgery when there was/is no hope for recovery. I'd never want anyone, including me, to live longer or only a few months with no quality of life.
Last edited by texan2yankee; 04-17-2022 at 06:47 PM..
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