Is a Leg Worth Four Thousand Dollars?
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Have you lot e'er come home to the terrifying realization that everything isn't ok? That was me, on Monday. When I got home, my domestic dog Coyote was acting odd. He wouldn't come up out to greet me, simply kept barking at me from the living room. Weird. When I got to the living room, I noticed my periodical ripped to shreds. Ugh, Coyote had gotten it again. I thought this was why he was interim weird. But when I went upstairs, I realized how incorrect I was.
The Firm
Our house is super one-time, and we bought it knowing at that place were some things that needed to be fixed. One of those things is a slightly uneven floor. When we first moved the furniture up there, we noticed that the dresser was a tad fleck wobbly, but both Brian and I shook it (pretty hard) and it seemed stable enough then we thought information technology was fine. We were incorrect.
The Scene Upstairs
When I got upstairs, the commencement thing I saw was the huge dresser (the tall kind, chest of drawers?) was toppled over, drawers down. Cleopatra, 1 of my babies, was sniffing around it. My get-go thought was terrified panic – what if someone was crushed underneath?
I went into super-woman adrenaline mode and lifted the thing right up! Thankfully, there was no one underneath, but Impaired-Impaired and Caesar (the absolute best true cat ever!) were still unaccounted for.
A Word nigh Caesar
I know its wrong to play favorites. But I can't assistance it. Caesar is, and has ever been, my favorite. He's my spoiled little brat darling little angel. He gets away with crap that no one else would even try to become away with. He gets a trivial bowl of milk whenever I take cereal. Nosotros chase each other around the house. He comes to me whenever I call him. Even Brian'southward eight-year sometime daughter makes fun of me for spoiling him so much!
Caesar has literally saved my life. When I was struggling with depression and contemplating suicide, thinking that Caesar would be left out in the cold was i of the principal things that stopped me. I know it sounds odd to alive for a cat, but when you lot are that low yous should live for whatever you tin can. Whatsoever keeps you going is what you live for. In those dark moments, information technology was him. I'm in a much improve place now, but Caesar yet holds that special place in my heart. He's my babe.
Finding Caesar
Since I had already been downstairs and seen Iris and the ii dogs, I knew the nearly likely place I'd find Dumb-Dumb and Caesar were upward in the attic. As soon as I got up there, Dumb-Dumb came running to me. Caesar was in the far corner, laying on the floor, looking upwardly at me. Thank god they were all alive! I started calling out to Caesar, but he wouldn't get upwards. He just howled at me. I knew something was wrong.
I went over to him, and he nonetheless didn't move. And and then I noticed his leg – his poor little right hind leg jutting out at on odd bending. My infant had broken his leg.
A Trip to the Vet
He didn't just interruption his leg though. He fractured it in three different places. The femur had 2 split fractures, and at that place was a third in the socket of the brawl & socket hip articulation. The vet said that there was also virtually likely (merely undetermined) a fracture in his terminal vertebrate, which may have damaged the nerve leading down to that leg. That'south a rough break for a cat.
I also think this is a peachy spot to add together a shout out to the vet. I went to Promise Veterinary Clinic in Malvern, PA (right outside Philadelphia) and everyone in that location was amazing. Give thanks you lot for being and so nifty to my baby!
The Options
The vet said it was possible to save the leg. It would crave intensive surgery with rods, pins, and screws. It would as well crave at least 8 weeks of being bars to a crate (merely most likely 10 or more than), and a few follow upwardly visits to ensure everything was setting and healing correctly. The list of possible side furnishings was long and included improper fusing, a higher take a chance of developing arthritis, possible hurting due to nerve damage, and possible improper healing due to his historic period (he'southward 11). There was also the possibility that they wouldn't even be able to set up the fracture in the socket joint. Caesar would be able to walk with that fracture, but he'd always have a little bit of pain.
The other choice was amputation. The list of side effects was far shorter -the only negative the vet stressed is "what if he losses his other leg" and I really promise I'm never in this type of situation once more. The recovery fourth dimension is far shorter, and he'd only take to spend one nighttime away from home.
The surgery to fix the fractures was estimated at vii thousand dollars, while the amputation was estimated at 3 grand. That's a four-thousand-dollar difference.
Is a Leg Worth Four Thousand Dollars?
So now we get to the 4-grand-dollar question: is my babe's leg worth four thousand dollars? Absolutely information technology is! Just I can't just look at the cost of each process. I have to take my baby's quality of life into consideration. The vet said that cats practice extremely well with three legs, peculiarly when they lose a hind leg. He said that most cats suit and are just as fast, agile, and energetic equally they were with four. He also said that it was a very real possibility that saving the leg would slow him down and even crusade him pain – due to all the complications listed above.
The recovery fourth dimension also played a part in my decision. Caesar is an energetic and rambunctious little dude. I couldn't imagine keeping him cooped upward in a crate for viii-10 weeks. He'd be miserable!
I'm not going to lie. This was a harrowing conclusion. All I want is what is best for Caesar. Information technology'southward horrible to have to brand a decision for someone who tin't decide for themselves. I think I'd want to go on my leg, despite the complications. But then again, I don't have three more, and I can tell the physician if I'm feeling weird and he can fix information technology. Caesar doesn't have that choice. Would I fifty-fifty know whether he was in pain or not? Would the stress of farther vet visits and operations due to complications be besides much for him? Is the thought of losing a leg worse for me emotionally than it would exist for him physically? I honestly don't know the answer to that.
I think as pet owners; nosotros have to do our best to make decisions that are best for our pets. I know losing a leg will be an adjustment for him, simply I do think that in the long run, it was the best selection with the fewest complications. I hope I made the correct decision for him
The Means to Decide
I am extremely thankful that I'thousand in the financial position to be able to ponder whether a leg is worth iv thousand dollars or non. Many people would have no choice but to amputate, considering they couldn't beget the extra four grand. That'due south a huge corporeality of money!
Just I'grand painfully aware that other pet owners may not fifty-fifty be able to afford the three thousand dollars for amputation. I'm so thankful that I've had the ability to save money, build skillful credit, and non live paycheck to paycheck so that when situations similar this arise, coin is not a factor in making the best conclusion for my babe. Having options is one of my chief reasons for pursuing financial Independence, just I never in a meg years thought these would be the options. Life definitely likes to throw us curve assurance. We take to be as prepare for them as possible.
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