How Far Should We Go to Save Our Pets?

By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, July 10, 2008.

Today on Word of Mouth we look at our unflagging dedication to our pets. Americans spend $20 billion a year on healthcare for our pets. We treat them like family - 70 percent of pet owners sleep with their dogs and three-quarters of married pet owners say they greet their pet before their spouse when they arrive at home.

Writer and passionate dog owner Vicki Constantine Croke visited animal treatment centers where dogs are having brain surgery, cats are getting kidney transplants, and ferrets and lizards are getting cancer treatments. Her article, "How Far Should We Go to Save Our Pets?" will be featured in the Boston Globe Magazine on Sunday. She’s also co-author of "Dogology: What Your Relationship With Your Dog Reveals About You," which will be out this fall.

Croke joins Word of Mouth from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where a two-year-old goose named Boswell is undergoing chemotherapy.

We also speak with Dr. Joerg Mayer, who is treating Boswell.

(Photos by Mark Wilson/Boston Globe Staff)

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I had a wonderful dog named Lupe that I found when she was 5 months old. She was my first dog. Lupe was with me through the worst times of my adult life, through a divorce, through major career changes, through the death of my mother, through a major financial crisis. I sold my house and everything in it and moved into a tiny apartment and Lupe was with me through it all. Actually, she was the one constant in my life for many years. Lupe went just about everywhere with me.

When she was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, a rare and untreatable form of blood born cancer that attacks the internal organs. It attacked her spleen first and she had surgery to removed it. After the surgery, the vet referred me to a veterinary oncologist who recommended chemo. They said the chemo would buy us three months, maybe four at the most. But I never even weighed the decision. There was no question in my mind that we’d move forward with the chemo. It was terribly expensive and I had to do some fancy footwork to keep up with the bills, but in my mind, Lupe was more than worth it. We had three months of time together that we wouldn’t have had if we hadn’t done the chemo and those three months were completely glorious. I spoiled her rotten.

It turned out that Lupe had no negative side affects from the chemo. She never missed a beat. She was the same ball of energy right up until the last day of her life. If I had to do it over again, there would be no debate, we’d do the chemo.

Submitted by Abby on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 14:39.

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Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show looks at our fascinating and ever-changing world, and puts the latest ideas under a microscope. Word of Mouth investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture. The show airs Monday through Thursday at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.