To be aggressive or not?

[pll]

This is a difficult and emotional predicament. My opinion won't make me popular, but here it is... bear in mind that I love animals, especially cats and dogs. The aspirin regime seems benign and affordable enough. From what I gather of your finances (the fact that you would work overtime to pay for the $400 test), I would not do the test, nor look into what might be potentially an expensive drug regime. Those $400 are best saved for a rainy day. Your cat's life might be shorter, but you also need to consider unexpected changes in your situation (health, employment) that you cannot predict and that require financial slack.

@badger: The comparison to a clutch is not a fair one. You mentioned you might changed the clutch because you had to... No car, perhaps translates into no means of transportation to work and replacing the clutch is a cheaper option to replacing the car?

[XMcShiftersonX]

pll - I should clarify, my husband and I make a good amount of money. I would work overtime to pay for this because we are paying off our debt aggressively while also saving for a house. So, we could pay less on some of those debts or put less in savings every month if we had to. Or, I could work some overtime and it wouldn't affect our financial situation at all, it would just be extra income. Also, with my husband not necessarily agreeing on doing this, I see it as my responsibility if I wanted to do it. I do see your point on how it may be better kept in savings for a rainy day though, and that certainly part of what makes this a hard decision.

[Aggie_Ama]

I did something similar for my dear Maggie Bear, the Schnauzer we lost last year. There was a lot of indicators that she might have Cushing's Disease and although the test was very pricey (I think $250 or so) I couldn't bear to not rule it out. She didn't have it but if she had and I didn't know it she would have a terrible quality of life. I am the worst to ask, we spent about $1,500 when her kidneys began failing hoping for a miracle and getting a precious four extra months. Would I do it again? Yes, I got to have more love and she was the sweetest dog ever, we fought to help her. However when she went blind and all tests would do is explain if a nerve separated (my vet's guess) we opted not to do it, we couldn't fix her vision. So if you can afford the test by making some sacrifices I would, my pets have helped me through many bad days so I do the same for them.

As for not trusting vets.... My DH's roommate in college became a vet. He explained to me (as has my own vet) the science is sometimes their own enemy. It is becoming more and more advanced, they have so many more options and so much more knowledge. It seems crazy what they have discovered, my vet is amazing in he will lay out the odds, the costs and what they know now. So yes sometimes I does feel like the are always grabbing our wallets but I truly believe my DH's friend and my vet that they just have so many things to offer that once were just not done.

[divingbiker]

I would ask the vet what the ongoing medication plan would be, and go to the pharmacy or check online to find out the costs, just so you know what you're getting into.

I adopted AJ two years ago knowing he had chronic heart disease (he died a week and a half ago.) Every year he had to go to the cardiologist for an echocardiogram. It was over $500 just to walk in the door. In the end he was on about six heart and blood pressure medications. I was afraid to add up the cost. Between the heart disease and his other ailments, it cost me thousands of dollars in the two years I had him, but I could afford it so I did it.

Bailey had chronic kidney disease for 7 years. He ate special food and took meds. Again, the specialist vet cost a bundle.

Personally, I couldn't ignore my pet's health problems. But dealing with chronic illness is draining, emotionally and financially.

[ccnyc]

Some info on heart disease, murmurs, etc. in cats and how to treat.
http://www.holisticat.com/hcm/All-Pages.html
HTH

[badger]

@badger: The comparison to a clutch is not a fair one. You mentioned you might changed the clutch because you had to... No car, perhaps translates into no means of transportation to work and replacing the clutch is a cheaper option to replacing the car?

I actually used that argument in my head when I was deciding to get Morley treated with radioactive iodine. I've had numerous bills relating to my older car, and I hated spending money on it but felt I had to. Sure, I could get rid of the car completely, but that's the cost of owning a car. Same with the cost of having pets. You have to realize that sometimes they can be costly, and you have to keep that in mind when you adopt one.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to force people to do things they don't want to, it's completely their personal choice. My choice was to spend money to buy a few more years with my beloved cat. It wouldn't be everyone's choice, and I'm fully aware of that.

[marni]

I had a cat who was diagnosed with a heart murmur when he he was four. We had a scan to confirm it and then treated it with meidaction mixed with his food. We never did anything to restrict his activity but hwe was an indoor cat and defintely a lap sitter rather than a roustabout.

He lived until he was 14 and then we had him euthanized. He started having difficulty breathing, had lost weight and was not homself. He died in my arms.

Whatever you decide, do it with love and respect . My cats have always been a partof my family and I would not begrudge medical treatment if I thought it would make their life more tolerable. Death is a gift we can give our animals, as is an extension of life. LIsten to your heart and then your brain.

marni

[bmccasland]

XMc - What about putting your kitty back on food he likes, and the baby asprin, then see how he's doing in a month? Hold off on the ultrasound for now.

Not sure about kitties, but I had a dog diagnosed with a heart murmur around age 4 or 5 that her vet never suggested treatment because otherwise she was healthy. She had a good diet, silky coat, played hard without shortness of breath, and went for regular walks. It wasn't until the winter of her life, at age 15 that she started coughing and having the shortness of breath I was warned about, that she was finally put on heart meds.

Good luck. Your kitty is young, which is on your side. With food he likes, he might turn around. Or even some nice treats?