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Practical and quality-of-life concerns with our dog's medical treatment

davejay — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:23:16 -0800

My dog's been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease, and our vet (whom you are not) wants to do an MRI to determine the course of treatment. I have two questions about this. To get it out of the way, here are the three pieces of info you're probably curious about:

First, he's a small dog, about fourteen years old, and every vet (including the current one) is always shocked by his good health, saying that if they didn't look at his teeth and see certain age-appropriate behaviors, they'd swear he was [half his current age].

Second, his symptoms are sudden, rapid weight loss, and some peeing in the house, but otherwise he seems in good spirits and does the things he normally does.

Third, we are indeed getting a second opinion from another trusted vet who has a history with our dog, before proceeding with treatment.

Now, then: the diagnosis of Cushing's Disease due to a pituitary gland tumor is a confident one, and the next step is an MRI to assess tumor size and whether it's operable.

My two questions:

1. Is $750 for such an MRI an unusually high fee? I just want to sanity-check the cost before we commit to having it done at this facility.

2. If you have been through this with your dog, what treatment did you pursue and what was the outcome, with specific interest in your dog's lifespan and quality of life moving forward from the treatment selection?

Ultimately we know he's an old dog, but that doesn't mean we're not going to aim for giving him the longest high-quality life possible. Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Beijing or Shanghai

michswiss — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:35:36 -0800

This is something of a follow up to this question earlier this year. I've spent most of the last year working in China but haven't moved yet. Question is, Shanghai or Beijing? It's basically my option. I've spent a lot of time in both cities and both have qualities I can appreciate. What are your opinions, which city is more livable, and why.

Is longevity the curse of happiness?

artdrectr — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:50:42 -0800

Know any happy 80-year-olds? An 85 year old friend, who is still a practicing artist, told us she wouldn't wish anyone to live as long as she has. We were startled, and very sad.

My wife and I (mid-lifers) were surprised to become aware that nearly all the folks we know or have known over the age of 80 are/were quite unhappy. Each is unique and pleasant to be with, have different backgrounds, different types of families, different financials, but almost all are deeply unhappy with their quality of life (and degrading health of course, which may be the overall theme of this question).
It seems a rather ominous fate to look forward to.

Tell me about some truly happy octogenarians you personally know.