AboutPatti Expertise To date, I've owned 7 dogs, all of which have lived into old age.
Having cared for them in all stages of life, I feel I can offer sound advice to other pet owners, and people considering getting a dog.
I am knowledgeable about the AKC (American Kennel Club) dog breeds, training and exercise, caring for sick and elderly pets, feeding, as well as many holistic treatments pets can benefit from.
My only request is that you write me using standard English and punctuation.
Experience My life experience in this field is more like "on the job training" rather than an actual degree in animal welfare. You may benefit from my experiences over the past 30 years.
Aside from the dogs I've owned, I'm also involved in "breed rescue" and have fostered several dogs, all of which have been adopted to wonderful "forever homes".
I find helping people who want a dog very rewarding.
Question My husband’s 12 1/2 year old mixed dog needs surgery to remove a malignant growth on her behind area. Our problem is that this cost 800 dollars and we have yet to come up with this money. The only way we could come up with it is if we let our power get shut off which is really not an option since we have 4 children. I had her on a waiting list for funding and when her case got looked at they denied it saying they don’t fund emergencies.
Over the last 2 weeks she, for the first time in her entire life, has been peeing on the floor were my kids play. We started taking her water dish up after 7pm but that didn’t help it seemed it made her worse. Now its so bad that I can not leave to get the mail or go to the store with out her doing it. I always make sure she potties before I go any ware. (She still does it even if i leave for 5 minutes.) I don’t know what to do period. Should I take her to the pound because we can not afford her problems? Do I let it go on like this possibly making her worse? Please help!!!
Answer Hi Tricia,
There are options for affording veterinary bills. The simplest way is to talk to your vet about paying the bill off over an agreed upon period of time. Many vets are open to this, if it's discussed before treatment begins. Another option is to apply for CareCredit. Care Credit is a line of credit you apply for thats used specifically for medical or veterinary care. Read more about it here: http://www.carecredit.com
Have you asked family members for a loan to put towards the vet bills?
Ask your veterinarian to submit an assistance request to the American Animal Hospital Association's (AAHA) "Helping Pets Fund." In order to qualify, your animal hospital must be AAHA accredited. To learn more about the program visit the AAHA web site. To find an AAHA accredited hospital in your area, search online at: http://healthypet.aahanet.org/eweb/startpage.aspx?site=HealthyPet
Check with veterinary schools in your state to see if they offer discount services to the public. You can find a list of veterinary schools in the Education section of the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) website, www.avma.org.
Yet another option would be to contact your local animal shelter or Humane Association. Some shelters operate or know of local subsidized veterinary clinics or veterinary assistance programs.
I can't say if the peeing in the house is related to your dog's malignant growth, or if it's a separate issue. It's not uncommon for female dogs to develop urinary tract infections. This should be brought to your vet's attention, surgery may need to be postponed until the infection is cleared up.
Another cause for more frequent urination are kidney problems. If she's having a kidney problem, preventing her access to water can complicate the condition. Rather than not letting her drink after 7pm, give her more frequent opportunities to relieve herself outside. When you can't be monitoring her, and over night, confine your dog to an area (with the help of a child gate or two) . This area should have a thick layer of newspaper on the floor. Do not punish or reprimand your dog for these accidents, she probably feels bad enough already.
If you take your dog to the pound, she will be destroyed. There are very few people looking to adopt a 12 1/2 year old dog that has cancer, and animal shelters do not have the funding to treat her. Your dog would languish, spending her last days on earth being frightened and confused. As a member of your family for over a decade, she deserves much better.
If you can't find a way to fund her surgery, and can't find an adoptive family, you should talk to your vet about having her put to sleep. The malignant growth is not going to go away on it's own, and putting her to sleep is better than having your dog suffer, since malignant growths can be painful, whether or not your dog is showing outward signs of pain.
Hopefully, it won't come to that. $800 is not too much to pay back over time.
