moral question on topic

it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far its
either been high normal or borderline, and so far no medication... in the
event I will need to provide treatment for this I have been thinking about
quality of life issues for tiger. So far I have considered the following.-
-Tiger can't be away from us long enough to get the radiation treatment, he
was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3 days, the
vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him into eating so
being away from us that long and out of his environment is just out of the
question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably closer to
15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does not
involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at taking any sort
of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes everywhere, he gets so
upset he even sometimes wets on himself... giving him a pill on a daily
basis does not seem to me to be a very good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he would be,
and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of life would be
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have a
suggestion I have missed,

Lee

Stormmee wrote:
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have a
suggestion I have missed,

To me, it's always going to be about the quality of life of the cat.
Look deep in your heart, and you will know what you need to do. Are a
few days of serious discomfort worth the best treatment? Are a few hours
of discomfort worth the other option? Do you know if he's in pain? Those
are the questions you need to answer, and nobody but you can answer
them. We can only offer our purrs.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

he is right now not in any discomfort at all but since he gets these blood
test every few months I always think about this, I know the one treatment
where he has to be away for at least a week will not work, he was refusing
to eat and pulling out his hair and all of the other cats were with him, so
that one is out, the surgery has the plus of being over and done with, the
down side is that at his age he might not wake up, but pilling him I am
afraid would make him not want to wake up, and you are absolutely right
here, it is totally about his quality of life, and I was really hoping
someone would think of something I haven't, thanks so much for reading and
your support, Lee
Victor Martinez wrote in message
...
Stormmee wrote:
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they
don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have
a
suggestion I have missed,

To me, it's always going to be about the quality of life of the cat.
Look deep in your heart, and you will know what you need to do. Are a
few days of serious discomfort worth the best treatment? Are a few hours
of discomfort worth the other option? Do you know if he's in pain? Those
are the questions you need to answer, and nobody but you can answer
them. We can only offer our purrs.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

"Stormmee" wrote in message
...
it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far its
either been high normal or borderline, and so far no medication... in the
event I will need to provide treatment for this I have been thinking
about
quality of life issues for tiger. So far I have considered the
following.-
-Tiger can't be away from us long enough to get the radiation treatment,
he
was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3 days,
the
vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him into eating so
being away from us that long and out of his environment is just out of
the
question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably closer
to
15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does not
involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at taking any
sort
of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes everywhere, he gets so
upset he even sometimes wets on himself... giving him a pill on a daily
basis does not seem to me to be a very good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he would
be,
and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of life would be
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have
a
suggestion I have missed,

Lee


Have you ever tried Pill Pockets for him? I would never have believed it
but Jake actually likes them. (I wouldn't even write or say such a thing
lest evil hear me, but I can pill him fairly easily if he decides not to
like them anymore)

Jo

have not tried them but it would be worth a shot, because if he could take a
pill with small stress this would be safest for him and the best quality of
life, thank you so much, Lee
Jo Firey wrote in message
t...

"Stormmee" wrote in message
...
it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far
its
either been high normal or borderline, and so far no medication... in
the
event I will need to provide treatment for this I have been thinking
about
quality of life issues for tiger. So far I have considered the
following.-
-Tiger can't be away from us long enough to get the radiation treatment,
he
was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3 days,
the
vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him into eating so
being away from us that long and out of his environment is just out of
the
question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably closer
to
15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does
not
involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at taking any
sort
of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes everywhere, he gets
so
upset he even sometimes wets on himself... giving him a pill on a daily
basis does not seem to me to be a very good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he would
be,
and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of life would be
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they
don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have
a
suggestion I have missed,

Lee


Have you ever tried Pill Pockets for him? I would never have believed it
but Jake actually likes them. (I wouldn't even write or say such a thing
lest evil hear me, but I can pill him fairly easily if he decides not to
like them anymore)

Jo

Stormmee wrote:
it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far its
either been high normal or borderline, and so far no medication... in the
event I will need to provide treatment for this I have been thinking about
quality of life issues for tiger. So far I have considered the following.-
-Tiger can't be away from us long enough to get the radiation treatment, he
was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3 days, the
vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him into eating so
being away from us that long and out of his environment is just out of the
question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably closer to
15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does not
involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at taking any sort
of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes everywhere, he gets so
upset he even sometimes wets on himself... giving him a pill on a daily
basis does not seem to me to be a very good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he would be,
and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of life would be
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have a
suggestion I have missed,

I don't know if I have any useful sugestions, since you are the one who
are there and knows Tiger, but both Frank and Nikki had hyperthyroidism
the last few years of their lives (neither one died from it).

What I did was crush the pills and mix them into something they loved,
usually just a teaspoon of sour cream. They used to look forward to
their 'treats' and Frank even used to remind me if I was late with their
meds. I take thyroxin pills myself, and the recommendation is to chew
them so they are absorbed more easily, and they are nearly flavourless -
just slightly sweet. Though the hyperthyroidism med is the opposite of
what I'm taking, I suspect they are just as bland and the cat may not
even notice it if mixed into something. I also used sardines and tuna
every once in a while.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

"Marina" wrote in message
...
Stormmee wrote:
it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far its
either been high normal or borderline, and so far no medication... in the
event I will need to provide treatment for this I have been thinking
about
quality of life issues for tiger. So far I have considered the
following.-
-Tiger can't be away from us long enough to get the radiation treatment,
he
was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3 days,
the
vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him into eating so
being away from us that long and out of his environment is just out of
the
question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably closer
to
15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does not
involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at taking any
sort
of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes everywhere, he gets so
upset he even sometimes wets on himself... giving him a pill on a daily
basis does not seem to me to be a very good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he would
be,
and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of life would be
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have
a
suggestion I have missed,

I don't know if I have any useful sugestions, since you are the one who
are there and knows Tiger, but both Frank and Nikki had hyperthyroidism
the last few years of their lives (neither one died from it).

What I did was crush the pills and mix them into something they loved,
usually just a teaspoon of sour cream. They used to look forward to their
'treats' and Frank even used to remind me if I was late with their meds. I
take thyroxin pills myself, and the recommendation is to chew them so they
are absorbed more easily, and they are nearly flavourless - just slightly
sweet. Though the hyperthyroidism med is the opposite of what I'm taking,
I suspect they are just as bland and the cat may not even notice it if
mixed into something. I also used sardines and tuna every once in a while.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

Lindy's thyroid is low, and she has medication twice a day. I was able to
get her medication in liquid form. She doesn't like it, but doesn't hate it
nearly as much as she does pills. Also, unlike pills, once you get the
liquid into their mouth, you know they have gotten the medication. You
aren't going to find it on the floor later, as you may a pill.

Joy

thank you, if it were flavorless enough and crushing it wouldn't hurt the
medication factor, I could get him to eat it in butter or sour cream, Lee
Marina wrote in message
...
Stormmee wrote:
it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far
its
either been high normal or borderline, and so far no medication... in
the
event I will need to provide treatment for this I have been thinking
about
quality of life issues for tiger. So far I have considered the
following.-
-Tiger can't be away from us long enough to get the radiation treatment,
he
was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3 days,
the
vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him into eating so
being away from us that long and out of his environment is just out of
the
question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably closer
to
15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does
not
involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at taking any
sort
of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes everywhere, he gets
so
upset he even sometimes wets on himself... giving him a pill on a daily
basis does not seem to me to be a very good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he would
be,
and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of life would be
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they
don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you have
a
suggestion I have missed,

I don't know if I have any useful sugestions, since you are the one who
are there and knows Tiger, but both Frank and Nikki had hyperthyroidism
the last few years of their lives (neither one died from it).

What I did was crush the pills and mix them into something they loved,
usually just a teaspoon of sour cream. They used to look forward to
their 'treats' and Frank even used to remind me if I was late with their
meds. I take thyroxin pills myself, and the recommendation is to chew
them so they are absorbed more easily, and they are nearly flavourless -
just slightly sweet. Though the hyperthyroidism med is the opposite of
what I'm taking, I suspect they are just as bland and the cat may not
even notice it if mixed into something. I also used sardines and tuna
every once in a while.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

I have no idea why I didn't think it would be available in liquid form,
thank you, Lee
Joy wrote in message
. ..
"Marina" wrote in message
...
Stormmee wrote:
it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far
its
either been high normal or borderline, and so far no medication... in
the
event I will need to provide treatment for this I have been thinking
about
quality of life issues for tiger. So far I have considered the
following.-
-Tiger can't be away from us long enough to get the radiation
treatment,
he
was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3
days,
the
vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him into eating so
being away from us that long and out of his environment is just out of
the
question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably closer
to
15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does
not
involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at taking any
sort
of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes everywhere, he gets
so
upset he even sometimes wets on himself... giving him a pill on a daily
basis does not seem to me to be a very good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he
would
be,
and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of life would
be
fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to see if they
don't
bother him, but my gut says they will, what would you do, or do you
have
a
suggestion I have missed,

I don't know if I have any useful sugestions, since you are the one who
are there and knows Tiger, but both Frank and Nikki had hyperthyroidism
the last few years of their lives (neither one died from it).

What I did was crush the pills and mix them into something they loved,
usually just a teaspoon of sour cream. They used to look forward to
their
'treats' and Frank even used to remind me if I was late with their meds.
I
take thyroxin pills myself, and the recommendation is to chew them so
they
are absorbed more easily, and they are nearly flavourless - just
slightly
sweet. Though the hyperthyroidism med is the opposite of what I'm
taking,
I suspect they are just as bland and the cat may not even notice it if
mixed into something. I also used sardines and tuna every once in a
while.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

Lindy's thyroid is low, and she has medication twice a day. I was able to
get her medication in liquid form. She doesn't like it, but doesn't hate
it
nearly as much as she does pills. Also, unlike pills, once you get the
liquid into their mouth, you know they have gotten the medication. You
aren't going to find it on the floor later, as you may a pill.

Joy

Stormmee wrote:
it will soon be time to take tiger for his thyroid blood test, so far
its either been high normal or borderline, and so far no
medication... in the event I will need to provide treatment for this
I have been thinking about quality of life issues for tiger. So far
I have considered the following.- -Tiger can't be away from us long
enough to get the radiation treatment, he was
boarded for 5 days a couple of years back and refused to eat for 3
days, the vet finally bought him some really junky food to con him
into eating so being away from us that long and out of his
environment is just out of the question.
-surgery is questionable to me as he is at least 11 and probably
closer to 15 so the age issue plays in here.

-The pill solution is the one that gives me the most trouble, it does
not involve separation or anesthesia but he becomes so upset at
taking any sort of pill he literally foams at the mouth and hurkes
everywhere, he gets so upset he even sometimes wets on himself...
giving him a pill on a daily basis does not seem to me to be a very
good quality of life for him.

so far I have considered, either not treating him or going with the
surgery... if I don't treat him I am not sure how uncomfortable he
would be, and if he has the surgery and makes it then his quality of
life would be fine, and I have also thought we might try the pills to
see if they don't bother him, but my gut says they will, what would
you do, or do you have a suggestion I have missed,

Go with your gut. If it is clear that whatever you do, the rest of his
future is filled with pain and suffering from one source or another, you
know what what decision has to be made.

I think I'd try the surgery if it was likely to be successful, but it it was
overly risky,then perhaps I'd just let Tiger live out the rest of his days
in aloving and peaceful atmsphere, and pay very close attention for the day
he *asks* to go.

One of my deepest anxieties is that I think Shmogg asked me to let him go
the theBridge several months before I got up the guts to do what he wanted
me to do. I still worry I let him suffer needlessly out of my own
selfishness.

Yowie