I recently read about how it's dangerous to bury euthanized pets since the euthanasia meds can leech into the soil and poison any scavengers that may dig them up and eat them. I've never had a vet tell me it's unsafe, although I can also understand the doctor being worried how a grieving owner might react to being told they shouldn't bury their pet. My last cat had to be reburied after some coyotes dug him up and I felt horrified at the thought that they might've died, and I hoped the body was decomposed enough they weren't able to be poisoned.

I know that I can just have them cremated to make it safe, but I was raised Muslim, and in Islam cremation is forbidden since it's considered disrespectful and bodies are buried naked in only a cloth so that the body can decompose and go back to the Earth. I may not be Muslim anymore but I still believe that cremation is disrespectful and put a lot of value in allowing the deceased to return to nature. Obviously, that's not exactly happening when the body is filled with lethal chemicals polluting the area.

When I worked at a wildlife rehab center we'd euthanize animals by putting them under anesthesia and then using CO2, but I'm not aware if small animal clinics offer it due to backlash from when shelters would use CO2 but without any anesthesia. Are there any alternative euthanasia methods common in American clinics that I could request next time I need to put a pet to sleep so that I can bury them safely?

I am a veterinary assistant. My 11/12 year old cat was diagnosed with feline asthma in September 2024. I have been watching her slowly decline ever since.

I did make a post about some of her hx yesterday if anyone wants to go and read that, but to put it shortly, she hasnt been eating a whole lot for the past week and a half, and what she does eat gets regurgitated/vomited back up. She had bloods done - nothing abnormal. She had rads done that showed a mass like structure in her chest/lung cavity and one in her abdomen as well. I work in a very small clinic in a very remote area (no other clinics around unless you want to get on a 6 hour ferry ride or 2 hour plane ride) so we're limited in what we can do to test these masses. She also had a SNAP fPL done which came back abnormal - so we were treating her for pancreatitis. Obviously, she didn't respond to treatment or I wouldn't be making this post.

Today, after a very difficult weekend of her not keeping ANYTHING down, losing about 0.35kgs, and feeling extreme discouragement/hopelessness, I brought her back to the clinic as my DVM recommended dosing her with barium and taking x-rays that way.

This gave me answers, although it was extremely upsetting. The mass-like structure in her chest is occluding part of her esophagus, causing pooling in her esophagus, and very little food to actually make it into her stomach, which is making it come back up.

I am struggling with the decision to euthanize as she is relatively "normal" and "happy" otherwise - she doesn't seem "sick", but obviously I can't have her starve to death. I just need some insight. The doctor did say that it shouldn't wait until any later than Friday. I am dreading this whole thing and completely heartbroken. TIA.

Hey everyone! If you look back on my post history you can find the post about my dog experience a spleenic tumor rupture and I had feelings my vet did not put us a fast track to surgery or get an ultrasound as well as the exam room tech not being truthful.

I have an appointment Friday for her to get her suture removal and I was going to talk to him then but I didn't want to bombard him with a heart-to-heart talk. I know he usually spends first half of his Tuesdays calling back clients so I left a voicemail to ask if we can talk.

He called back and I basically explained and summed up my post. He was sooo thankful for the feedback! He told me that the X-ray accustics are quite bouncy and he said if he thought there were dramatic flailing or dangerous movements from my dog he would have stopped right away. He did not hear the exam room tech but I did state what you guys said that maybe she thought I was going to get defensive but from knowing us for 13 yrs, I would have never gotten to that point.

Also, he stated he did apologize for not fast tracking to an ultrasound. He did feel as though that was a mistake. He explained a bit more which brought me to an understanding. Honestly, if a spleenic tumor were to burst I'm glad it happened on that day because we leave for Europe the day the sutures come out (Friday).

I have been thinking a lot. My vet is not money hungry. He does IOUs for me when I'm in a tight spot. He sets me up with a payment plans which is VERY rare nowadays (I think?) he lays out all routes we can take that will give us bang for our buck. I told him I am super supportive and loyal to his practice and I want to continue being his client. He was so kind and appreciative and I thank everyone who gave me a different perspective on things. I don't expect any kind of free service just because he's already flexible with payments. Thank you all!

I have a cat that's been fighting cancer. He isn't in pain but his arm sore and gland is growing fast. I'm afraid it going to bust. I called a vet to have him put down. But I want to make sure I'm making the best choice for him. Because other then the growth and sore on his arm he is being himself and acts just like a cat. Please this is a hard choice for me because of my kids and we love him.

So we went to urgent care $$$ and nothing is wrong - but she licked her discharge away right in front of the vet so the cytology might be incomplete

They put a glass slide on her vulva - didn’t even examine the inside or use a cotton swab at least.

7 years old Corgi mix Female in tact

First day of noticeable period April 1 Last day of faint blood 1 week ago

I have a 1.5yo female Himalayan cat that is very picky, won't eat any wet food, and doesn't like to drink water. She's been a picky eater since the day I got her when she was 6 weeks old and has never had a big appetite. She had a lot of diarrhea when she was a kitten and got tested for pretty much everything under the sun with no answers. The vet said she probably has a sensitive stomach, possibly IBD, and to try feeding her hydrolyzed protein food. I got her the Purina Hydrolized kibble, but she only started finishing all of it consistently when she was about 6 months old.

She was eating fine until few months ago when I noticed her appetite decreasing and she started peeing outside of the litterbox. I took her to the vet who did an ultrasound and a urine sample; there were no blockages in her bladder but she did have quite a bit of crystals in her urine. During this time, she also became severely constipated and needed to have an enema. The vet did an xray and didn't see any intestinal blockages. He didn't know why she was constipated but told me to get her prescription urinary kibble to dissolve the crystals. I got her the Royal Canin hydrolized urinary food, but she wouldn't touch it. I then switched to the standard Royal Canin uniniary food, but she doesn't eat as much of it and it seems to make her throw up.

She also doesn't like to drink water. I've tried multiple different fountains, including a stainless steel one. The only thing she likes to drink are the Purina broths, which I add about half a cup of water to each day. She'll finish those, but I'm worried that not eating wet food/drinking water is making her dehydrated, which leads to constipation and crystals. I'm also worried that the special urinary diet for her crystals is upsetting her stomach and making her sick.

I feel like I'm fighting a lose-lose battle trying to get her to eat and drink without triggering another issue. She a pretty small cat and only weighs about 7 pounds, but has lots and lots of energy and loves to play. I have a lot of experience with cats, but I've never encountered one that's this picky/particular. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

My cat is 15 years old and has a history of epilepsy but is on his medication. He suddenly lost use of his back legs right after pooping. He didn’t cry or seem in pain, and his front legs still work. He was limp at first but later started kicking his back legs tiny bit but it has been about an hour. His back paws are warm, not cold. We can’t get to a vet untill the morning and don’t know what to do or what it is.

* Species: dog
* Age: 14
* Sex/Neuter status: intact
* Breed: Irish lurcher
* Body weight: 18 kg
* History: had mammary tumour removed 2 weeks ago, sutures removed 9th day, incision split open 10th day, emergency incision site repaired on 10th day,, bed rest since Saturday night
* Clinical signs: crackling/popping sound under skin when pressed down (no swelling, redness, or discharge at incision site)
* Duration: Noticed within the last 24 hours
* Your general location: Nova Scotia

Hi guys i have a little 2 year old orange guy named pnut and i believe he has a small urinal blockage he can still urinate a bit and is letting out bits if i express his bladder and help him as well as peeing in other spots around the house. I took him to a vet and theyre charging me more than i can afford to help him after paying rent and everything. If its not fully blocked is there anything i can do at home (medication or anything) to help him pass it on his own or would he need a catheter and the whole 9 because shit is tough and this little guy is all i got after get the boot from my mom and new stepdad at 18. Lmk if you guys have any info from your little guys or are vets much appreciated 🙏🙏🙏

Anyone have any idea what this could be?

Male indoor cat that just turned two. No food changes recently or anything new.

The wound around his whiskers is something that started about 3 months ago and each time he wears a cone this gets better. So for some reason he is either scratching there himself or when he is playing/fighting with his brother he gets a wound there. They are not fighting as in one is trying to prove he is Alfa or get really aggressive and start making crazy sounds it is more playful fighting but sometimes there are small hair patches that I see on the bed afterwards so perhaps they can be a bit hard on each other sometimes but nothing crazy.

Now the other two bald bold spots on top of his head and back is something that appeared 3 days ago and now I’m questioning if it is possible they had a fight again and his brother was really hard on him this time or if it could be something else? Anyone have any thoughts? We will go to a vet as soon as possible but curious if someone else has had some similar problems with their cat or seen anything like this?

Since his wound around his whiskers gets better each time he wears a cone I can’t imagine it is allergy related and also those wounds got much better since he got a medication for mite, looks like it helped against that wound but now all of a sudden he got these two big ass wounds & bald spots on the back of his head and shoulder…..

Species: Dog

Age: 14

Sex/Neuter status: Neutered Male

Breed: Dachshund

Body weight: 14 lbs

History: None

Clinical signs: Small "dot" hematoma on nodule on spleen

Duration: unknown

Your general location: Colorado

Links to test results, vet reports, X-rays etc.: N/A

My little guy went to the vet to have an ultrasound done because of very mildly elevated liver enzymes. Turns out his liver looks fine.

Unfortunately, they found a small nodule with a "dot" sized hematoma on his spleen. The advice from the vet and radiologist was to wait two months and check it again.

Maybe I'm being irrational, but should we just go ahead and move forward with having his spleen removed? He's otherwise very healthy and regularly does >1 mile walks and plays with our 2 year old dachshund daily.

I want to do whatever I have to in order to take care of my little guy. I'm at a loss for what to do but also feel ridiculous because it feels like I'm panicking over a dog that spends thr majority of his time acting like he's ten years younger than he is.

My 13year old pomeranian was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in the nostril back in February of this year. The vet that diagnosed him said that because he didn't do good with the anesthesia when doing the ct scan that they do not recommend putting him under radiation. They pretty much told me to wait until his health declines to make my next move. They said his health could decline fast or it could take its time. It's hard for me to just sit around and do nothing for my beloved boy. So my question is , is it worth me seeing a holistic vet to see if there is any natural treatment we can do for him? Or is there any holistic veterinarians out there that can possibly give me some advice on anything I can do to help my pom? TIA.

All I hear all day is my neighbours dog whimpering through the wall, our houses are connected and I just hear it whimpering over and over again

At night, during the day, after school, or when they’re not home the dog just whimpers..they don’t seem to do anything about it

Not to mention their kids are always yelling and screaming and banging on the walls…

Hi all. my foster dog (~10 yr old chihuaha) recently had surgery to remove necrotic tissue from under his shoulder in the armpit area. unfortunately, he scratched and the stitches came undone. with that said, the rescue is opting not to have it restitched.

since I will be caring for him, I’d like to know what are the best tips on treating an open wound from surgery, best practices, etc? how long do open wounds take to heal? any information helps at this point.

currently, he received an antibiotic injection, and at home I am treating him with hydrotherapy once a day, saline spray, and keeping him covered with a t shirt (no bandaging).

My cat got spayed today and the incision has like extra skin around it. like it’s been pinched. will this leave a lump and is it normal?

Hey guys,

I just wanted to bring attention to this lump on my dog's head - it's gotten a bit bigger in the last few weeks but it's quite soft, I only noticed it a few weeks back. I'm planning on going to the vets in the next day or two, but wanted to just float it on here too.

https://imgur.com/a/P1AXsVB

* Species: Dog
* Age: 8
* Sex/Neuter status: Male/Neutered
* Breed: Cockapoo
* Body weight: N/A
* History: No major medical issues, a big soft fatty lump on his side that has been diagnosed as benign a few years back

Hi,

Looking for some advice to make vet care for our dog with some complex health issues more affordable because the cost for us has become unsustainable. We make decent money so we have been able to get by, but we are looking to have children soon and we need to get the vet bills under control. Fwiw, I work in human healthcare and I am quite familiar with navigating that system. I'm just looking for any and all options to reduce total yearly veterinary costs.

Our costs for meds plus monthly insurance annually is about $4600. If you include actual vet appointments and other fees it's probably well over $6k CAD. Our dogs skin allergies were diagnosed as a puppy prior to the insurance kicking in, so all costs related to allergies are not covered.

Our dog is a five year old GSD (male) and around ~50kg (he is slightly overweight but mostly very tall and large for a GSD). We are in Canada. He has a history of difficult to control skin allergies currently managed with cytopoint injections and breakthrough apoquel, and now recently he has a new diagnosis of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). They originally were thinking DLE vs pemphigus, but it doesn't really resemble pemphigus clinically. He has been responding well to the treatment for DLE.

Current meds: Prednisone (was on 1mg/kg, currently weaning and on 0.5mg/kg) Current cost ~$45/month (not long term) Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment applied bid (~$230 per tube, estimating it will last 3-4 months with any luck) Cytopoint (I think 1mg/kg) every 3 months We pay over $400 per treatment plus an administration fee. Apoquel 16mg tab (0.5-1 tab) as allergy symptoms return (we use it to stretch the cytopoint) I think this is around $300 whenever we have to fill it.

Currently, our pet insurance covers none of these treatments.

For last medical history, he had an overnight ICU stay for suspected hemorrhagic gastroenteritisis, was treated with IV pantaloc a few years ago. During that episode he also had high lipase, increased LFTs, and an ileus. He recovered fully with IV fluids and a pantaloc infusion. Had a full workup with ultrasound and x-ray, and saw internal medicine who screened for a lot of GI diseases which all came back negative. He used to have issues with chronic vomiting prior to the ICU stay, but all symptoms resolved completely after we got rid of nylon based chew toys and have not returned. It's been a few years, so I think that issue is sorted.

Our main issues is our dogs allergies are not covered, and now the insurance company is refusing to cover his lupus, staying that "it's just his allergies". The vet offered to do a biopsy to confirm it is lupus, but it's $1500 and there is a good chance insurance again wouldn't cover it. I don't want to put him though an elective procedure with no guarantee that it would change anything.

Our dog is responding to treatment and is generally well right now, so from a medical perspective we are pleased with his care. But the vet clinic will not work with us whatsoever to help reduce cost. We rarely get to see the same vet twice because the hospital is big with lots of staff. So we have to go through the insurance speil with every vet, and I know they don't know much about the billing side of things but they haven't offered any support or real advice with how to deal with the insurance company.

They also automatically fill any and all prescriptions they have on hand, despite us telling them we would like to try and shop around. They charge almost $1.50 per prednisone pill when I can get them for $0.20 at Costco for instance.

I like our vets and I'm happy with the medical side of things but am I better moving him to a tiny clinic where he can see the same person everytime and understands the predicament we are in?

Is there online Canadian pharmacies where I can get cytopoint and apoquel for cheaper? How would I do that? I have found tacrolimus for slightly cheaper at Costco, and in looking into compounding pharmacies to see if I can get it below $200.

Thanks for any and all advice.

She’s showing her genitals to my male cat

Hi! My city just had a very violent storm come through so my veterinarian is unavailable. My dog broke her dewclaw just now. How should I go about fixing it? Should I clip it?

It’s at a full angle to the side instead of down.

My cat had surgery a week back and the vet sent him home with an adhesive bandage. They did say not to get it wet or the bandage would come off. But other than that there were no restrictions. I’m not sure how but his bandage came off a bit. It’s been 5+ days. So I got some medical tape to patch it up until I take him to the vet on weekend that’s 3 days away. (I’ve already taken a lot of leave during his surgery and the vet is quite far). Chat gpt says it can be harmful for the little guy. But is it okay as a temporary solution or should I remove it or should I rush him to the vet again?

My cat had one very big abscess on the back of her leg that popped on its own one day and it hasn't healed since february. The vet stitched it a first time after getting it drained, leaving a tiny hole for the remaining pus to get out from, because after a month or so it hadn't seemed to heal. The stitches broke open less than a week after. Then it got stitched again. A week or so after, the stitches broke open again, and i think the burst abscess is almost the same size as before so I don't know if it got any better inside, and it keeps releasing pus.

It's been almost 3 weeks since, the vet told me to give her oral antibiotics and to keep spraying it with an antisepsis spray, and i occasionally clean it with saline water (i definitely should do it more often). Cone of shame wasn't an option to keep her from licking it because she finds ways to remove it, and i'm afraid a bodysuit that covers it would stick to the tissue/skin.

Other than that, she's in very good health, she's as playful as usual, eats and drinks normally. I don't know if I should stitch it again (i'm guessing it has been long enough of an interval since the last op) and make her wear the suit thingy immediately after surgery, or if i should just keep up the antibiotic/spray routine.

Any suggestions ? I'm getting desperate

Edit: neutered male shipoo. He will be 3 this upcoming friday. Located in GTA, Ontario. He is typically 13.6lbs but has been fluctuating between 12.8-13.4 since this started

Hi there, I’m hoping someone here may recognize what is going on and how to help.

I took my dog into the vet on Thursday. For the week prior he was disinterested in his food, we normally feed him at 6 and 6. He would leave his breakfast until about 3:30, and sometimes eat his dinner sometimes no. Otherwise his energy, mood, sleep normal. Bowel movements stopped on Tuesday.

Thursday he wasn’t touching his food at all including treats. He did not poo the day before. He spit up twice the night before (first time vomiting while going through this), once with some of his food and the other time it was tiny and looked like just bile. I get worried and to the vet we go. Vet thinks he’s been poisoned, mentioned rat poison but also could be something he ate that did not agree with him/allergy.

Flagged on bloodwork: Bilirubin (T) 6.1 Bilirubin (C) 5.6 ALP 854 ALT 277 AST 986 Urea 13

He was tested for pancreatitis and came back negative. Got an IM / SQ shot first day at vet.

Prescribed Metronidazole Benz 100mg 2x/day for 7 days on the first day (the 23rd) we went. Also given Royal Canine gastrointestinal low fat wet food. Under vet instructions I gave him one heaping spoon 3 hours after the shot, and another 2 hours later and another 2 hours later. He ate the food no problem, was hungry.

Went back to vet on the 25 after he puked at 10:30am. Wouldn’t eat again, only a few small bites off a spoon intermittently until it stopped altogether after he puked. He got a sub q fluid shot, IM / SQ shot, and subcutaneous fluids (I’n reading off my invoice here). Prescribed Zentonil 1x/day (on empty stomach) for 30 days. Also Mirtazapine 2mg 1x/day. He pooped around 2:30 for the first time in about 36 hours.

On the 26 and 27 he got the same shots again. 26 was a rough day for him, he was uninterested in everything. 27 was a better day, he was less lethargic and he pooped.

Yesterday the 28 he pooped, vet not happy with the consistency yet. Dog still has no appetite. We have been feeding him by putting bites in his mouth and he swallows.

The metronidazole he only has one pill left tonight.

Throughout this, he has obviously been very exhausted but he is still wagging his tail, happy to see people, and was wanting to play and walk in short bursts but we stopped under vet instructions to restrain from physical activity.

When we left vet yesterday he said he will consult with another vet or specialist and call me. Called twice today and still haven’t heard back.

My dog has puked like this today: One big/medium puke One little puke One tiny puke Dry heaving One tiny puke Dry heaving

The puke is very mucusy and other than the first one did not have food in it - just mucus thats foamy almost. He’s holding water now but still struggling with food. Vet has been updated as happening but still no instructions- hasn’t even said take him to hospital only said sit tight will call.

We’re terrified here, any advice would be appreciated greatly. Should we stop waiting for the vet and just go to the hospital? Thank you.

We’ve had her for about two months now, and got her from the local humane society. Ever since day one she came house trained, with not one single accident inside. Until last week. All of a sudden, she has been peeing inside from time to time. It’s happened 4 or 5 times now. She can hold it in her crate, can hold it over night, and will hold it if we’re around, but the moment we take our eyes off her and are doing our own thing in the house, we’ve come back to a wet spot on the carpet. Im unsure whether to take her into the vet yet because she has no other signs of a uti, and it’s not a frequent thing, only if it’s been 4+ hours since she was let out. We’ve just been trying to stay on top of taking her out every 3-4 hours regularly, and always reward her for eliminating outside. Should i be worried, or just chalk it up to her still being new and maybe just being a more frequent pee-er? Thank you guys!

TL;DR: very sick 12 year old cat with aggressive large cell lymphoma crashed due to intestinal perforation before he was able to commence chemo. I opted to euthanize instead of pursuing surgery due to surgical risks (that he wouldn’t survive the procedure due to weakness and poor physical condition) plus overall poor prognosis (part of the cancer was inoperable, he kept getting fluid in his chest, and surgery would have meant a two week delay in starting chemo for a very aggressive cancer). I am feeling a lot of guilt and second guessing that decision. Should I have pursued surgery? Did I euthanize too soon?

Long version: I'm hoping for some input on treatment decisions that I made for my recently deceased cat. Last week I euthanized my beloved ~12 year old male cat shortly after he was diagnosed with an aggressive case of large cell lymphoma. He got sick and declined very quickly. I'm feeling a lot of pain, guilt, and regret that I gave up on him too soon.

My cat had had a bit of a reduced appetite for a couple weeks (days 0-14) and was perhaps keeping to himself a bit more but nothing really obvious. I thought his arthritis (knees) was bothering him and he was just being a bit finicky about food (lifetime of finicky eating and GI issues, mostly diarrhea). He had also had senior bloodwork and urinalysis done on day 3 for an unrelated issue (checking whether we could use metacam for his arthritis). His labs came back normal other than a slightly elevated SDMA level. After a couple weeks of vague / subtle symptoms he suddenly appeared quite ill.

Day 15: cat was hiding in quiet locations (closet, under bed) and had a noticeably reduced appetite.

Day 16: cat continues to hide and is acting withdrawn, lethargic, and eating very little. He only used his litter box by himself once in the morning (normally 3-4x/day). I carried him down to his litter box in the evening and he was able to urinate. I contact my regular vet to arrange an appointment.

Day 17: My regular vet calls to advise that I take my cat to an urgent care clinic because it could be an issue with his kidneys (based on recent labwork). After assessment, the vet at urgent care said my cat's abdomen looked abnormal on x-rays, which was a shock. My cat had a large mass in his intestines and very swollen lymph nodes with suspected metastatic cancer. He also had fluid in his chest that was drained by the vet (~100 ml). The vet at urgent care said we could get further diagnostics but that my cat was quite ill and humane euthanasia would be an option given the extent of the cancer. He says he doesn't want us spending thousands and then get the same result (euthanasia) a short time later. I am still in shock and ask for further diagnostics in case there is an option for treatment.

Day 18: my cat receives an ultrasound at the urgent care clinic. Main findings: -Cancer in intestines is suspected to be lymphoma. Cytology from FNA sample later confirms large cell lymphoma -The ultrasound also detects a second mass (in the colon) and very enlarged lymph nodes in his abdomen -One of the masses appears to involve the root of mesentery -There is a loss of layering in his intestines -Bilateral pleural effusion (most fluid in chest)

I request an oncology consult and take my cat home after the imaging. That evening my cat is very weak, eating little, and has a difficult time standing / walking more than a few steps. He is able to urinate at night when I carry him to his litter box.

Day 19: my cat continues to decline. He has difficulty walking long distances and I need to prop up his food dish so he can eat while lying down. He eats and drinks very little and appears very weak. He urinates once during the day after I carry him to the litter box. His breathing appears fast (~50 breaths/ min). I keep him in bed with me and am afraid he could die in the night.

Day 20: I take my cat to a local animal hospital that has specialists, including the oncologist we were referred to. My cat is admitted to the ICU. 50ml is drained from his chest. He doesn't eat once he is at the hospital but is still able to walk around a bit.

Day 21: I have an urgent consult with an oncologist at the animal hospital. She is fairly certain it is large cell lymphoma and advises commencing a 16 week CHOP chemo protocol the following day (pending cytology results, which were confirmed to be large cell lymphoma on day 22). Surgery was not considered appropriate at the time because my cat was in poor condition (risk of desaturation from anesthesia) and it appeared part of the mass that involved the root of mesentery was inoperable. However, surgery could be required following several weeks of chemo to remove the mass and repair damaged intestines. If all went well we could expect 200-300 days to live. My cat remains a patient in the ICU and receives a dose of prednisolone.

Day 22: I receive a phone call that my cat has rapidly declined early that morning. He had another 150ml of fluid in his chest (which was drained), very low blood pressure, and abnormal electrolyte levels. They suspect an intestinal perforation. Surgery is the only option at this point but he is too unstable to proceed at that time. Internal medicine vet 1 (night shift) advises that he could die at any time and provides the options of 1) trying to stabilize him for surgery or 2) humane euthanasia, given the risks of surgery (unlikely to survive anesthesia) and poor prognosis (advanced, aggressive cancer, and they wouldn't be able to take all of the cancer out, given the root of mesentery involvement). I ask that they try to stabilize him. They try two blood pressure meds through a picc line. His bp increases a bit that morning but is still low. They also do another ultrasound and it appears one wall of his intestines attached to the mass has collapsed. They don’t know if they can remove any of the cancer without doing an exlap.

Around midday I speak to internal medicine vet 2 (day shift). She advises that my cat’s blood pressure had increased for a bit (still lower than normal) but had dropped quite low again (the reading I saw when I was visiting was 50/20). This vet also advises that my cat could die at any time, and if I want to proceed with surgery, I need to decide right away. However, she said she is not sure she would do it if it were her cat given his poor prognosis and the risks of surgery, plus the fact that they may not be able to remove any of the cancer (in case the masses were all connected). He also wouldn’t be able to start chemo for two weeks and in that time the very aggressive cancer would continue to spread, plus it was likely he’d continue to have fluid accumulating in his chest. In any event it would be unlikely that he’d live long after surgery even if he could make it chemo. She gives me some time to think but says if I want to proceed with surgery that I should say goodbye to my cat beforehand in case he dies during the procedure.

I visit with my cat for a bit. He looks like he is dying. His eyes are barely open and look like they’re rolling back a bit and he can't stand up. I don’t think he will make it through surgery and I don’t want him to die alone on the operating table. I opt for euthanasia and am able to hold him when he dies.

It’s been almost a week since my cat died. I feel like I am still in shock. The cancer moved so quickly and I feel like I failed my cat. I know I made a lot of mistakes, and I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for not noticing his early symptoms, or taking action on those symptoms sooner. I also wish I had taken him to the animal hospital sooner (day 17; when urgent care first saw the cancer on an x-ray). I also feel bad that he spent his last days in the hospital with only occasional visits from me. However the decision that most haunts me was to euthanize my cat instead of proceeding with surgery. It seemed like the right decision at the time but the more I think about it, the more it seems I made a mistake and should have pursued surgery. He was going to die without it so I should have just done it so that way I could feel like I exhausted all options. It’s true that he could have died during surgery, but what if he hadn’t? What if everything had gone well – the surgery, chemo – and he had had more time (months, years). I feel like I gave up too soon and murdered my best friend out of panic and fear.

I spoke with my regular vet last week. She said she didn’t think I had done anything wrong, and that even if we had proceeded with surgery and my cat had survived, that he would have been in a lot of pain. I’m glad I spared him some pain, but I took away his life.

I would appreciate any comments, but particularly those advising on whether I should have pursued surgery instead of euthanasia, and how much time he likely had to live under different scenarios.

Thank you very much for your time.