Considering economic euthanasia

thecolour

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I am considering having my 16 year old cat put down, primarily because I cannot afford all the treatments she needs.

She limps badly (unknown issue but vet thinks probably onset of arthritis), has some unusual dental condition which is not properly understood (but which has already resulted in three teeth being removed and possibility that all her teeth may have to be removed at some point), and recently has been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid and is now slowly but steadily losing weight.

I have already spent about £1000 in the past month getting her various treatments and estimate that it will cost me upwards of £2000 per year for her to carry on living. 

She lives (and has lived) a good life, and as far as I can tell she is pain free, although with cats it's difficult to know.

I don't know what to do - I can't afford everything she needs to continue on and if I can't afford it then her health may well continue to degrade and her quality of life would suffer - she will have to adopt a completely new dry diet for the thyroid problem and she dislikes dry food.

She lives outside in the back garden (has a heated kennel) and food is her greatest enjoyment in life. She has no social life to speak of (humans or other cats). This winter just gone she hardly came out of the kennel except to eat and to chase off neighbouring cats.

I feel that if I took her to be put down then I would be saving that money and also I would be saving her from suffering during her twighlight years. 

Any advice or guidance greatly appreciated. 
 

AbbysMom

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Have you discussed this with your vet? They may be able to work things out with you so the treatment could be more affordable.

Also, I don't understand the dry only diet for thyroid. :dk: There are daily medications out there that manage it well with no change in diet.
 

feralvr

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Hill's does make the thyroid diet in canned http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-yd-can-canned.html and there are medications to treat that condition as well. With her dental problems, dry might be the last thing she needs. So sorry about this dilemma and this is a very hard decision to have to deal with. It is really hard and most of us here have senior cats and that seems the time when they need the most medical attention which can be very costly. There are ways to pay for these medical expenses via Care Credit (no interest) and I think you should talk with your vet about all of this and try to make the best decision you can for yourself and for your cat. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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misty8723

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I am considering having my 16 year old cat put down, primarily because I cannot afford all the treatments she needs.

She limps badly (unknown issue but vet thinks probably onset of arthritis), has some unusual dental condition which is not properly understood (but which has already resulted in three teeth being removed and possibility that all her teeth may have to be removed at some point), and recently has been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid and is now slowly but steadily losing weight.

I have already spent about £1000 in the past month getting her various treatments and estimate that it will cost me upwards of £2000 per year for her to carry on living. 

She lives (and has lived) a good life, and as far as I can tell she is pain free, although with cats it's difficult to know.

I don't know what to do - I can't afford everything she needs to continue on and if I can't afford it then her health may well continue to degrade and her quality of life would suffer - she will have to adopt a completely new dry diet for the thyroid problem and she dislikes dry food.

She lives outside in the back garden (has a heated kennel) and food is her greatest enjoyment in life. She has no social life to speak of (humans or other cats). This winter just gone she hardly came out of the kennel except to eat and to chase off neighbouring cats.

I feel that if I took her to be put down then I would be saving that money and also I would be saving her from suffering during her twighlight years. 

Any advice or guidance greatly appreciated. 
Maybe you could find someone who does rescues who could take your cat.  My vet does that often for clients who can't afford treatment for their cat.  She has a clinic full of them, and a lot more at her personal house.  One of the cats she rescued a couple years ago is around 16 and he's still chugging along.  I think it's very sad when people feel they have no other choice than to do away with their pet for lack of money.  
 
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