Sick pet.. Cancel trip?

[JillyBean]

Has anyone had to cancel a trip due to a sick pet? We are supposed to leave this Saturday, May 11 for a week at CBR. One of our cats stopped eating and is currently at the vet. They are force-feeding her and giving her fluids. Blood work points to liver issues but it will be $$$$ more in testing, ultrasound, biopsy, etc. to find out the root cause. Virtually impossible to leave her with a pet sitter if she is not eating and drinking on her own. Not sure we can afford to hospitalize her for the entire week. She is only three years old.

Just sick to my stomach trying to make this decision and looking for some support.

 

[ses1230]

Has anyone had to cancel a trip due to a sick pet? We are supposed to leave this Saturday, May 11 for a week at CBR. One of our cats stopped eating and is currently at the vet. They are force-feeding her and giving her fluids. Blood work points to liver issues but it will be $$$$ more in testing, ultrasound, biopsy, etc. to find out the root cause. Virtually impossible to leave her with a pet sitter if she is not eating and drinking on her own. Not sure we can afford to hospitalize her for the entire week. She is only three years old.

Just sick to my stomach trying to make this decision and looking for some support.

Aw, so sorry. Are there any vet techs at the office that would be willing to take her for the week? I hope it gets sorted out soon!

 

[Seeker615]

Do you have any other family that could take care of her?

That is a real bummer. Poor kitty.

 

[bwang123]

human = yes
animal = no

 

[rwdavis2]

human = yes
animal = no

Agreed.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Has anyone had to cancel a trip due to a sick pet? We are supposed to leave this Saturday, May 11 for a week at CBR. One of our cats stopped eating and is currently at the vet. They are force-feeding her and giving her fluids. Blood work points to liver issues but it will be $$$$ more in testing, ultrasound, biopsy, etc. to find out the root cause. Virtually impossible to leave her with a pet sitter if she is not eating and drinking on her own. Not sure we can afford to hospitalize her for the entire week. She is only three years old.

Just sick to my stomach trying to make this decision and looking for some support.

Sorry to hear about your kitty. we have a very sick 9 month old kitten right now.
I am forcefeeding him at home and he does not like it. They think he has a red blood cell eating parasite and the antibiotics don't seem to be helping him much.
If I wa supposed to leave in a few days for wdw i honestly do not know what we would do. I do have a very good friend who is a vet tech so I guess I would leave him in her care.
Hope you kitty feels better soon.

 

[taylor3297]

Has anyone had to cancel a trip due to a sick pet? We are supposed to leave this Saturday, May 11 for a week at CBR. One of our cats stopped eating and is currently at the vet. They are force-feeding her and giving her fluids. Blood work points to liver issues but it will be $$$$ more in testing, ultrasound, biopsy, etc. to find out the root cause. Virtually impossible to leave her with a pet sitter if she is not eating and drinking on her own. Not sure we can afford to hospitalize her for the entire week. She is only three years old.

Just sick to my stomach trying to make this decision and looking for some support.

Talk to your vet and see what he/she suggests. Is your cat at home or still at the vets?

 

[kayemgi]

Find the money to board her at the vet. That way they can keep an eye on her, and you will have peace of mind.

Our cat got very sick this past fall, and he ended up needing surgery -- the week before our wedding and honeymoon. He basically needed 24/7 care anyway, so we boarded him at the vet, medical boarding (which is different than regular boarding). He was scared and unhappy, but I felt a lot better knowing that they would be watching him for any signs of trouble, all the time. I actually was glad we were going on vacation, because if we weren't we wouldn't have really had a reason to board him, and I would have been sick worrying that we were missing a sign of relapse at home. The vet will ask you about the level of care you want given to her before they have to call you, you can specify a dollar amount or you can say, do everything up to surgery, or everything up to CPR, or whatever. Our cat is also only three, and we had pet insurance (didn't cover the boarding but luckily covered a lot of his medical care), so we told our vet to do whatever they needed to do to save him (if necessary) while we were away, since we would be in a foreign country and difficult to reach. Everything worked out fine, and they didn't need to do anything medical to him while we were away, but I felt soooo much better knowing that he was under their care.

If money is truly a huge issue, talk to your vet about it. They want to help our pets as much as we do, and they will usually try to work something out with you, like a payment plan, if necessary. There is also Care Credit, which can be extremely helpful in these types of situations. Good luck to you and your kitty. I know exactly how you feel and how difficult this is.

 

[Magic3forme]

human = yes
animal = no

absolutely agree!!!

 

[Alice1386]

I am so sorry to hear about you cat...

I know if one of my boys was sick (by "boys" I mean my dogs), I would worry the whole trip and would be devastated if the worst happened. Therefore, I would postpone my trip.

With that being said, I have other animals and if one of them got really sick, I would do my best to make sure they were cared for, but wouldn't freak out so much. Therefore, I would still go.

I guess it just depends on whether or not you will worry and that will ruin your vacation... If you would worry, anyway you can postpone it?

Regardless, I hope your cat gets better soon!!!

 

[DisGirl819]

I would try to pay for medical boarding. I would hard to leave my sick kitty but knowing they were in the care of a vet would help.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

The "animal = no" posts aren't really helpful. Regardless, she needs the care and a decision about what to do with her needs to be made. I would talk to the vet about it and see what they suggest...I would try to come up with the funds or do care credit as well. Not sure what the "no" people suggest you do...

 

[robinb]

I'm so sorry about your kitty! I have had two cats who were in that state of illness. I did leave the first one at the vet (she was on intravenous fluids but eating) and she died while I was gone on vacation . I still regret not being there for her when she died. I would not have even considered leaving my second kitty when he stopped eating and drinking, but he was my {{heart}} kitty if you know what I mean. He was in very serious condition on intravenous fluids and also had a stomach tube for feeding. I ended up having to put him down .

I guess it really depends on your kitty's treatment. I know with my second cat I had to wake up every 4-6 hours to medicate him, feed him, give him fluids, etc. If you can't afford to keep her under veterinary care then I think you should probably stay home. I do have to warn you that my kitty's care cost me thousands of dollars so you may have more than one reason to cancel your vacation.

 

[Disneylvr]

Talk to your vet and ask their opinion. We had to make this decision several years back about our dog. We kept her in medical boarding, expensive yes but it was the best thing for our Daisy. Our vet said do not cancel your trip. They took good care of her and we called twice a day to check on her condition. I know it isn't an easy decision. My pets are my babies too! Good luck and I hope your kitty will be okay.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Depends on the type of person you are. No one can answer that for you.

Originally Posted by bwang123
human = yes
animal = no

See... for me, this would not work. I would postpone my trip in a heartbeat (and maybe not even a whole beat). But my animals (2 cats and 1 dog) are very much like my children. I would spend the entire time worrying about them, and would not be able to enjoy my vacation, and if something DID happen and especially it was something like that where it's possible that my being there might have made a difference, I would never forgive myself. Although I trust my vet implicitly, and if he was able to watch them, I would trust him to do so.

I stll haven't forgiven myself because when my other dog was sick, she seemed stable and I went out to a movie on a date. When I came home she was gone. there is nothing I could have done by being there - she had heart disease as we found out later... but that never really made it easier for me and that was 3 years now.

But, I am not most people. So again, it depends on what type of person you are and what your relationship with your pet is.

I will give you this advise: Follow your heart. If you are seriously doubting that you should go on your vacation, you probably should postpone. If you are more worried about how to do your vacation while the cat is sick, find a solution for someone to watch the cat.

Either way, don't beat yourself up (like I do) over the decisions you make. We all do the best that we can given the information we have.

Peace to you and a quick recovery for your feline.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

If that were my one of my Pommies, I would stay home. I brought them into my family to take care of and they are my responsibility. I see them as my furry children. I wouldn't leave my own children at home sick while I go enjoy myself, so I would stay to take care of my dog-sons, too.

However, if you have somebody who can assist with your fur baby while you go on holiday, then you could still go and know that she is in good hands.

 

[TheShea's]

The "animal = no" posts aren't really helpful. Regardless, she needs the care and a decision about what to do with her needs to be made. I would talk to the vet about it and see what they suggest...I would try to come up with the funds or do care credit as well. Not sure what the "no" people suggest you do...

Aren't the animal = no answers on topic? The question was "has anyone ever had to cancel a trip due to a sick pet?"

On that note, I'd have to agree with some of the others. Would not cancel trip due to sick pet.

 

[quagmire0]

I would see if the vet or another vet can board it/treat it while you're out of town. Honestly, if its needs are that great already, it may be the best for it anyway.

 

[mom2rtk]

Would you being at home make a difference in the outcome? If not, then I would go on with the trip but make sure the cat is boarded at the vet's. My cat was boarded at the vet's for its last week of life just out of medical necessity.

So sorry you're having to deal with this.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

Aren't the animal = no answers on topic? The question was "has anyone ever had to cancel a trip due to a sick pet?"

On that note, I'd have to agree with some of the others. Would not cancel trip due to sick pet.

Think the point is being missed. She can't just leave the cat home to die with no care.