What to do when your elderly pet gets sick
Choosing a treatment means weighing the physical risks of putting an older animal through procedures against the reality that you probably cannot afford expensive options like MRIs or surgery. This leaves people holding off on care and placing heavy weight on asking the vet what they would do if it were their own pet.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Getting a second opinion from another veterinarianDid this help you?
- 2Checking for easily treatable alternative causes like ear infections or UTIsDid this help you?
- 3Focusing on palliative care and monitoring daily quality of life metricsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Vet made it seem like there was nothing to be done about it, because she’s elderly it would be too much to put her through to get an MRI and possible surgery.”source ↗
“Another question is can I afford the treatment, the answer to which is, probably not.”source ↗
“Given that, I’m wondering if vets hate it when families ask what they would do if it was their pet?”source ↗
“Do vets feel a lot of pressure when asked that question, because I put a lot of weight on their response?”source ↗
“Years ago we had an elderly dog who started tilting her head and also seemed like she had neurological issues.”source ↗
“We’ve held off of getting her dental because she’s elderly and didn’t want to put her under for cleaning.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 15How to decide on cancer treatment for a terminal pet
- 3Coping with a pet's terminal illness right before a major life event
- 75Should I be in the room when my dog is put down?
- 10Why is my gray kitten turning orange?
- 4What to do when vets can't figure out your pet's ongoing illness
- 51How to handle unexpected pet medical bills