There was a moment late last month when I thought that what was wrong with Clunk might merely be expensive. That was when, after roughly $400 of tests, I agreed to a $600 surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized tumor from his elbow. The bill for this turned out to be $1,600.
There have been many brutal moments since then, the most wretched of which was when it became clear that what was wrong with Clunk was not only expensive but also fatal.
Even before the news came that Clunk's cancer had metastasized, while I was weighing a $7,000 course of radiation therapy, everyone around me began asking the same question: When should I say no to the next medical bill?
Even if Clunk's life could be prolonged, when would it be time to put away the credit card and admit that it's over, that I can't afford to save him even if he could be saved?
Given that Clunk, a Great Dane-German shepherd cross, has four legs and not two, written into his battle with cancer is the option of euthanasia.
What makes the decision so tricky is that Clunk doesn't have a vote, and if he did, I dare say it would be to live. Clunk has never bitten anyone (even when attacked). His eyes still shine at the prospect of a pat on the head, and he's in great shape, except for the rear hind leg riddled with tumors, where a well-meant operation has now left a festering wound.
And dare I say it of a dog? I love him. I love Clunk as much as I've ever loved anyone or anything.
Surely experts would have an answer, I thought, so I started dialing.
Loran Hickton, executive director of the North American Pet Health Insurance Assn., offered some perspective. Evidently, vet bills have become more expensive because pets are living longer than ever before.
"Fifty percent of golden retrievers that live over the age of 10 will now experience some form of cancer," he said. "With the continuous release of human-quality care for the pet market, it means what used to require going to a specialist or university center can now be found in greater metropolitan areas all over the U.S."
In other words, most owners of the estimated 72 million pet dogs in this country live near places that can charge huge sums to provide ever-more expensive and sophisticated veterinary services. However, according to Hickton, only 2% of these dogs, not including Clunk, are insured.
