File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Hey /an/,

Sad story here. My dog has cancer. I'm aware of it, and knew she's had skin cancer for a good while, but I found a lump on her underbelly and a few smaller ones on her side recently.

I took her to a vet and they want $5,820 to operate on what "could" be cancer without confirming it via biopsy. (but she definitely has a small patch of 100% confirmed skin cancer, so..)

I can't afford this, but I can't put her down. She's still healthy weight, she still eats, she still wants to play and cuddle. She's 12 years old, which is quite far up there.

I need advice, /an/. She's not suffering, but I can't afford to help her..
>> Anonymous
Borrow money for the surgery. If you have a steady job, it's not that tough to get a loan approved. Any other solution and you clearly don't love your pet.
>> Anonymous
>>231546
this
>> KZN
>>231546
If OP's not a troll, then this.
>> Anonymous
>>231534

... and how much does it cost when confirming via biopsy? Do you know if the cancer's already spread to other areas? If these lumps are the cancer spreading, then you have to put the dog down, end of story. Skin cancer often breaks off in bits, and can end up anywhere else on the body.

However, in the event that the lumps are some other things and both you and the vet are sure that it's not spreading to other areas, then you should perhaps operate, not just for the dog but to save your own conscience.

If you really truly can't get a loan approved (which usually IS the case: what kind of stupid bank would approve a loan that doesn't even seem to work for itself?), have you considered selling lemonade, baking lamingtons, asking the local church old ladies group/animal welfare group to help out? Heck, even homeless people just sitting there in busy cities net a fair bit of money. (If living in Ausfailia, remember to get a busker's licence from local police station first).

Alternatively, you could ask around other vets who are willing to go through a payment program.
>> Anonymous
>>231546
I'm a college student with a shitty credit score and a huge loan out already. I can barely afford food. I couldn't just get rid of my dog when I finally left home, I had to take her, and this is really hard for me.

I honestly don't like seeing my best friend in such a fix.. and the biopsy would cost about $400 just to confirm that the cancer is cancer. It's stupid.

But -- like I said, she's not suffering. She's so happy, so full of life, yet so old. =(

I live in a pretty small area in Pennsylvania, there's only one vet within reasonable driving distance. Sigh..
>> Anonymous
>>231560

Wish god was real,he/she would have save your dog.

go to church, it might help!
>> Anonymous
Get a rifle and do it the manly way.
>> Anonymous
>>231534

honestly, if your dog is happy, playing and eating fine, and isn't in any pain or distress then leave it.

is it worth seeing your dog being pulled around and operated on when it's so old and not in pain anyway?

i had a cat a few years back, she was 18 and had a cancerous growth on her neck. it didn't look nice, but, she wasn't in any pain, was happy, still played and ate. we considered surgery, but in the end it wasn't worth it, just to get rid of a disease on a very old, but, more importantly, happy animal.

in the end it's your choice. some people can't stand to see sick animals so they would reccomend surgery anyway. and that's fine too.
>> Anonymous
Don't try to live beyond your means.
>> Anonymous
Our last dog had lumps all over her body and we had to get quite a few removed because it was more than possible that they were cancerous. They found one lump in her jaw/neck area which was impossible to remove without a high risk of nicking the artery.

Well, after all of this and months and months of her being sick and recovering from the surgeries (she was still quite active before the surgery) they found cancer in her lungs and not just a little cancer but it looked like there was more cancer than lung...

Personally, I would want to make sure that she needs major surgery before it happens because, especially with such an old dog, it's really going to effect her quality of life.
>> Anonymous
You really do have to consider the quality of life question when there's going to be surgery. If you could be guaranteed they'd get all the cancer and she'd be in great shape, fine. However, she's 12 and you don't know what they'll find. Sometimes surgery actually hastens the progress of cancer.

When you know she's in pain, take her in and see what the vet says.