My pug Drea was a petite 18-pound, feisty pug that made me laugh for 13 happy years until cancer consumed her. From diagnosis to saying goodbye, she lived seven months. This is her story.
Learning the Horrible Truth
Giving Drea a belly rub one night, I felt a hard substance. It wasn’t there before and I was immediately concerned.
Our first visit to the vet was tearful. Upon examination, he told us Drea had something in her mammary glands and needed X-rays. I didn’t have a good feeling about it, although Drea didn’t seem concerned. She trotted off to the lab to show them what a movie star she could be.
The X-rays revealed small masses. A sonogram was needed for greater clarity. The initial visit was $125, X-rays were $285 and the sonogram was $420. The total was $830.
Scheduling the Surgery
Our vet was patient and kind to explain the options. He said that, although there were no guarantees, the tumors appeared to be small and self-contained. Therefore, Drea had a good shot at recovery – if everything could be successfully removed. It was not a hard decision; she was scheduled for surgery the next day at a cost of $1,182.
The vet was happy – the tumors were easily removed and not embedded in tissue. He hoped he got it all – but reminded us there were no guarantees. It was just a matter of seeing what happened in the next few months.
Making Hard Emotional and Financial Decisions
Unfortunately, we didn’t get months. The pathology report came back as cancer and within five weeks, the tumors grew back – this time bigger and harder than the original ones. It was difficult to believe it could happen that fast – but, it did.
Another round of X-rays and tests revealed the entire mammary area had been invaded by cancer. The bill for this was $588 and the prognosis wasn’t good. The cold, hard fact was the cancer was back and spreading rapidly. The vet gave us options. We could do another expensive surgery and chemotherapy to see if she responded. However, she would go through much pain and suffering without much hope of a good outcome. The truth was the cancer was going to take her from us, no matter what we did.
The alternative was to keep her happy and comfortable for as long as we could. The doctor said she could live three weeks or three months; it was hard to know which. But, high-powered pain killers could take away her pain, without making her drowsy, for a while. The medications ran $156 a month and the vet said we’d know when they stopped working for her. They worked for seven months and a total of $1,092.
Saying Goodbye
For seven months after Drea’s initial diagnosis, she was a happy, energetic ball of fire – like most pugs. She didn’t know she had a problem – even though the tumors got so big, they created gaping holes in her little belly where they were trying to push themselves out. I dressed them every day with a healthy portion of antibiotic ointment and little t-shirts to keep dirt out of the openings. The salves and t-shirt changes cost about $45 a month; another $315 spent.
Then one night, Drea tried to lie down on her belly and she yelped. She tried and yelped again. The pain killers stopped working. It was three in the morning when we took her to the emergency vet to put her to rest. After a tearful goodbye, she went to sleep in my arms. The final bill was $585 – including the burial we selected.
Dealing with the Debt
Needless to say, none of this was planned; it all went on a credit card. At about 9% interest for two years, the expenses of $4,592 increased another $800 for interest as we struggled to pay for the painful experience.
The truth be told, I would gladly pay over $5,000 again just to have her back in my arms. I miss Daddy’s Little Girl Drea.