How much is that doggie in the window?

Those of a certain age may remember that Patti Page had a number one hit in 1953 with the novelty song titled above. You can give a listen here.

Anyone who has ever had a dog can tell you though that the purchase price, if there is one, is a minor expense. Even a thousand-dollar purebred will cost far more than that over the course of its life in food, shelter and vet bills. Many years ago we spent over $3K for back surgery for Toby, our eleven-year old Lab mix. Before surgery he could not move, and even carrying him to the car made him whimper in pain. The surgeon worked wonders and within a day Toby was on his feet; within a couple weeks he was his rambunctious self. He lived to be 16.

Three thousand dollars was a lot of money but we didn't balk, we didn't even talk about it. Toby was our child; there was nothing to discuss. As with a two-legged child who needs surgery, you get it done and worry about paying for it later.

Today we're in a similar situation, though this one is far worse. Tasha, our eleven-year old Chow mix (pictured) is seriously ill. She was diagnosed with diabetes three months ago and has been on insulin twice daily. She was doing well for ten weeks or so but then her blood sugar skyrocketed; she spent most of Friday at the vet and then I took her to a pet hospital where they can monitor her 24/7; she's been there since.

Her diagnosis is confusing and I am overwhelmed with information that I struggle to make sense of. She seems to have pancreatitis, though they're not ruling out pancreatic cancer. She also has a newly-formed heart murmur. Her blood glucose zoomed to over 600 and has ranged between 200-400; normal is 80-150. She has not eaten in 72 hours and is being fed intravenously.

As I said, she's eleven. Life expectancy for a diabetic dog is two years from diagnosis.

And how much is this particular doggie in the window? Seven thousand dollars so far, and counting.

This time, we will discuss. I cringe to think it, but the truth is we need to talk about what to do next, and what to do next time, with the next dog. We love our dogs, but this episode has made me really wonder: is there a price too great?

For example, I think anyone would balk if they were asked to spend, say, $10,000 to keep a dog alive for four or five days. The question is, when do the numbers make sense? If that $10K bought you a year, would that be worth it? What about half a year? A month?

I hate this. I absolutely hate that I am even thinking these things. But we're not rich; we struggle every day to keep afloat – our house has actually lost that battle; it's been underwater for a couple years.

How much is that doggie in the window? How much is too much?