Early Euthanasia?

[emilyodette]

my 1 year old cat lily was diagnosed with asthma a month ago
sunday, trouble breathing, vet says she likely has congestive heart failure. needs echocardiograham and ekgs done (can’t be done until thursday) to know the best treatment and more accurate prognosis.
she has syrup to get the fluid out of her lungs and a medication for her heart. yesterday i could see all the veins on her back paw pads and she felt hot and was twitching in her sleep and when she woke up. rushed to the vet and they said she was completely stable. i had them do another x ray and her heart has gotten worse. there’s an enlarged vein that was normal sized before. they gave her more syrup and said she really needs to see a cardiologist and not to consider euthanasia yet...

here is where i’m conflicted. if she does have 6 months - 1 year left, that time could be alright quality but would also be filled with emergency vet visits if something seems off, x rays all the time, meds with side effects, etc.
i feel in my heart that she won’t have a good prognosis because 1. she is so young 2. this developed within a month or less (x ray 1 month ago, exam 2 weeks ago) 3. she got worse within a day.
the vet said she got worse bc she needed higher doses of meds.
the main thing i am considering is that she’s at a very high chance for an extremely sudden and painful death. her last moments may very well be me dragging her into the car trying not to pass out and not even making it to the vet in time while she screams in pain. i feel that the chance of all these things happening is not worth sacrificing a peaceful end for her.
we are seeing an internist thursday because the only cardiologists are far away and mostly booked up. they still recommend i take her to a cardiologist ASAP and i am trying to..

one other factor is that if this is genetic, there is a small chance that her sister has the same condition but milder. so her sister will also need x rays, internist (closer), and cardiologist visits ASAP. add all this up and the costs are quite astronomical. my dad wants to do everything we can and keep trying. the vets say to keep trying. but my heart is telling me there is too much working against us. last year my baby had a very sudden and painful death at the vet and if i could take that back i would.

 

[kittyluv387]

You have to do what you feel is right. Yeah its early euthanasia but quality of life is more important.

 

[surya]

It sounds like you need a second opinion from another vet. It's such a hard decision to make. I'm sorry you are going through this.

 

[sevenwarlox]

So sorry for this. Hard decision to make.

 

[inkysmom]

There are vets that travel to your home, both for regular and palliative care. And for euthanasia. Might keep her comfortable and they show you how to monitor her vital signs and they give you medication, both for treatment and for comfort.

 

[animallover07]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I would personally wait until Thursday to see what the tests say and make my decision from there. Losing a friend is never easily, no matter how old they are. It is sad when a younger one passes but when put up against the thought of them having to suffer it makes the choice much more simpler. It still doesn't make it easier or hurt any less though. I would also ask the vet if they think the sister could possibly have inherted the condition and if so keep an eye on her for possible symptoms in the future. I wish you the best. <3

 

[Jem]

I followed your other thread about Lily, and I still think you should find out what can be done for her before making any decisions.
Is there no way that your vet can't send the information, test results and imaging to the cardiologist for a "virtual" visit / consultation? That is what my vet did for us, we did not have to go to the cardiologist ourselves, simply because they wanted to see Hank "in person". It seems if they are insisting that YOU try, THEY should also try to make it possible for you to get the help you need. Maybe if they are unwilling, you could have your file transferred to another vet who may be willing to consult "virtually" with a cardiologist.

 

[FeebysOwner]

My neighbor had a Chihuahua (although much older than your cat), Zoe, that was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, almost a year ago. She was put on meds, which increased over time, and had her good days and bad days. On her bad days, my neighbor would carry her around the block, as Zoe used to love to walk around the block when her owner came home from work.

She just recently passed away, but all I can say is that her owner was very grateful for every day she had with her.

I know you have to make the decision that is right for you, but I just thought I would share my neighbor's perspective.