Advances in veternary medicine

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   The new dog of the family just turned a year old. It looked like it had potential to be a pretty good bird dog. She is a half choc lab/boarder collie mix. The "hearder" instinct in her is one of her problems. She doesn't mix well with our horses. We had a guy stop over with a trailer to pick up one of our horses to get saddle broke about a week ago. The horse and dog were sparring as usual. To make a long story short the dog ended up getting run over while chasing the trailer. By my wife's insistance and $2400 later we now have a surgically repaired dog that may or may not ever have the use of one of it's hind legs and is sure to suffer from arthiritis. Twenty years ago a smashed pelvis, dislocated hip and  multiple lower leg fractures would have meant putting the dog down. My question is where do you draw the line? New tech in prosthesis will soon enter the world of animals from the developments learned in limb loss from the war in Iraq. What's next? Organ transplants, keeping pets alive on life support until all the realatives can show up to say good bye? The era of the bionic pet is near. The Six million dollar man will soon have a 2 million $ cat as a partner. What are your thoughts?

DD

Edited by deaddog

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deaddog Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Administrator AKA The Flying Gun Joined: 23 April 2004 Location: Svalbard Status: Offline Points: 991201	Post Options Post Reply Quote deaddog Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Advances in veternary medicine Posted: 18 June 2007 at 03:09
	The new dog of the family just turned a year old. It looked like it had potential to be a pretty good bird dog. She is a half choc lab/boarder collie mix. The "hearder" instinct in her is one of her problems. She doesn't mix well with our horses. We had a guy stop over with a trailer to pick up one of our horses to get saddle broke about a week ago. The horse and dog were sparring as usual. To make a long story short the dog ended up getting run over while chasing the trailer. By my wife's insistance and $2400 later we now have a surgically repaired dog that may or may not ever have the use of one of it's hind legs and is sure to suffer from arthiritis. Twenty years ago a smashed pelvis, dislocated hip and multiple lower leg fractures would have meant putting the dog down. My question is where do you draw the line? New tech in prosthesis will soon enter the world of animals from the developments learned in limb loss from the war in Iraq. What's next? Organ transplants, keeping pets alive on life support until all the realatives can show up to say good bye? The era of the bionic pet is near. The Six million dollar man will soon have a 2 million $ cat as a partner. What are your thoughts? DD Edited by deaddog
	Endeavor to persevere.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 June 2007 at 13:40
	You actually answered the question....."where do you draw the line?" Vets can and will do any medical procedure you want. I've seen leg and hip prosthesis placed on horses (New Bolton Center Vet, Philadelphia). We each must draw the line. Many couch potatoes will spend $10, on their poodle. An that is fine for them (and the vets). When I was a kid we got dogs at the pound and never took them to a vet, ever. I take my dogs and cats to vets. Right now I have a 16 year old cat that I give 150 ml of fluids to every week, drip bottle takes about 15 minutes after spending 1 hour chasing the sick cat. Last trip to the vet was $400 for tests only. Kidney failure. I told my wife that is the last trip, too much $$$$. So yes for me it is a cost thing. Cat will be on its own after the remaining 3 drip bags (500 ml) are gone. I don't even like the cat, but pets are a commitment. My commitment has expired. We have the same thing with "put to sleep". I do it my self. Except my 16 year old lab...too many hours in a duck boat together on that one. Wife took it to the vet for me. BEAR