I think if you take on the responsibility of a pet, you do need to make sure that the quality of care you provide that pet is humane. You must also be able to financially afford to keep that pet healthy, within reason. And I think you have done an excellent job.
However, in the course of an illness or sickness of the pet, you will come to a crossroad: Cost of keeping the pet healthy or alive vs the quality of life the pet owner has to lead. A decision must be made within the "family" unit when that fork in the road meets.
It is my opinion, that while a pet is precious and cherished, a family cannot go into the "black hole" of debt for that pet. I think there are many things to consider about the well-being of the "family" and how spending more money on diagnosing and treating the sick or injured pet will directly affect the quality of life the "family" is leading. I don't think you need to feel guilty when you set the "line" of what is affordable and no longer affordable for you. (whatever that line is, is subjective and every family has their own "line" that they draw and no one can speak to what your "line" is or should be)
I hope I don't sound unloving or uncaring, because, I don't know how much I would spend on my Millie to "fix" her before I gave up. But I am pragmatic and I am capable of making the hard decisions when I have too. Or I would hope that my husband would be objective and make me come to my senses if I was going overboard or causing serious detrimate to our human family.
Good Luck. I think half the problem is that there is no firm diagnosis yet and there does not seem to be an end to all the diagnostic testing. I think it would be easier to deal with if you knew what was wrong with your baby and you were on the course of treatment and NOT just on the course of trying to find out what is wrong! |