Dog seriously ill, due to go to Australia on Sunday

Good grief! There's an awful lot of silliness in some of these posts!

Pet animals are not "fur babies", nor are they anyone's "daughter"!! This type of rampant anthropomorphism is inappropriate - and utterly weird.

Some people have said that some posters shouldn't have pets because they are not treating the pets as if they were human. I contend that it's actually the other way around, i.e. anyone who is incapable of differentiating between an animal and a human and who projects human emotions, and feelings onto animals, probably shouldn't have pets.

If you go and anything happens to your furry baby, it will haunt you for the rest of your life and you will regret going. My dog was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was given 2 months to live. I had to travel for work the day after she was diagnosed. I had no choice but to go. She didn't make the 2 months and died 10 minutes before I arrived home, I was only gone for 3 days. :'(
I would never choose a holiday over my pet if my dog was gonna have surgery to save their life. It was bad enough that I had to choose my job which I will never ever do that again.
I think you already know the answer to your question. It's in your heart and no matter what comments you get it won't change how you feel. You sound like you really love your dog. Your furry baby will need you. You and your furry baby will be in my heart and I will say a prayer for both of you. Praying all will be well.

You obviously do not have any pets and if you do, you shouldn't be allowed to. You lack love and compassion towards not only our four legged furry friends but also humans. I will pray for you.

What a horrible situation to be in.
I went to Tenetife a few years ago now and our dog took ill before we went. He was with the vet, BiL was going to look after him for us and we did choose to go because we thought he'd come over the worst of it, even the vet said he was very confident. He died while we were on holiday and I have always regretted going. I let the people we were going with talk me into it when I should have listened to my gut and stayed.
There is no right decision but make sure that what you choose is right for you. I hope he pulls through ❤️

I haven't read the entire thread, but it might be worth calling your travel insurance and explain the circumstances, they may do a partial payout?

My dog is my fuzzy daughter. I would stay. Your pet needs you like a child would. I can bet if you put the tickets up or have family who would pay for the tickets to go they would pay you. You can take a vacation anytime. Your dog is o ly here for a short time. If the vacation is more important to you. Then I really hope you never own another pet. You dog is going to be scared then you are not there so total traumatizing and feeling abandoned.. I'm sorry but I would stay. See if the tickets can be put to another time or sell them to someone. My dog has been loyal and there for me through thick and thin and every hard time I have had. No human will ever be that. It's your choice. But don't get anymore pets if you are not caring enough about them to be there when they need you. They have always been there when you needed them. Loyalty is nothing to scoff at. If you go please never get another pet to put in that scary situation. You just need to not own an animal. That's my opinion. Sorry for my bluntness. But my pets are more important to me than anything. They are always loyal and do not lie. They will never let you down. People are nothing like that

Yes, for me it would be totally different if it were just a holiday or if it were to visit relatives.

I would not, obviously, be happy to lose a large amount of money but, again to me, that is just one of the likely downsides of having a pet.

@mydogisthebest I may have misinterpreted the birthday trip as being OPs and not to celebrate a loved one's abroad. I'm glad to see that you have enough empathy to distinguish between a holiday and a special visit to loved ones in the circumstances outlined.

However, the OP is human, and the vast amounts of money involved are (to me) staggering!

I have been wondering what you chose to do, OP. Hope you found a choice that felt right 🙂💐

I don't see that the OP says the trip is to be with those she loves for a special gathering. Her post says it is for a holiday for a big birthday which I assumed was hers.

If she is going to see relatives that she has not seen for a while that makes it different and while I would still very much struggle to leave my dog I would want to see a relative especially an older one such as a parent.

I do care very much for the humans close to me but I also care very much for the pets I have chosen to bring into my house and look after for as long as they live.

When I previously replied I didn't realise the relative was DP, presumably living in the same home as the dog. Can't believe s/he is not supporting the OP to have their lifetime holiday.

The dog has a 75% success rate of making it through this op. Why would you have it pts....🤔

Go on the trip knowing that your dog is with your partner - its other owner. This sounds like an important trip for you and you need to get away and put your needs first. Staying with the dog will not change the outcome. If the dog recovers, you will see it on your return. If it is sadly time for it to go, you know you have done everything for it and have given it the best life. Your partner should be encouraging you in this. Our dogs are important and they are family but they do not have the understanding that humans do which is why we treat them differently and end their suffering when they are terminally ill. Dogs have relatively short life spans. We lost ours after 16 years, just before Christmas. Everyone was upset but we took comfort in the life she had. This is the nature of life with pets.

From much of what I'm reading, seems that those who are practical but not unsympathetic to the situation are considered cold and without any empathy.

I'd suggest that those who criticise the practical replies might need to look out for their human selves, and connect with humans on the very same basis as they care for their dogs.

The OP (if she stays) is denying herself the trip of a lifetime, to be with those (humans) she loves for a very special gathering, losing lots of money that could be spent on enhancing her own life (holiday cost + six months salary for aftercare of dog??). I do wonder sometimes, although I am not unsympathetic.

I would go. Humans and loved ones far and near should trump animals any day. Those who do not agree must have a warped sense of humanity TBH or cannot connect with humans to the same level they can with animals.

I am not amazed. Some people (many thankfully) love their dogs and their lives are enriched by having that dog.

Me and DH have not gone on holidays when our dog was ill and lost the money the holidays cost. We don't regret our choice at all.

I would not personally even think for 1 second of going to Australia and leaving a dog behind that is going to have an operation. Whether the dog lives or dies I would want to be there.

No shooting down from me. I would probably do the same.

I'm amazed by how much some people sacrifice (financially and otherwise) for the sake of pet animals, putting themselves into debt, cancelling holidays, spending all their savings on veterinary treatments and operations etc.

Shoot me down in flames. I would have the dog put to sleep and go on holiday to recover.
Sorry. Harsh but thats what I would do. Yes I've had dogs plenty. And I would still do that with the odds you have given.

She isn't sick though so that would be fraudulent

What type of tumour? My staffy had multiple mast cell tumours removed and was fine.

If I were you I would go on the holiday. Your dog will be with your partner, her family.

If you want to be there, can surgery be booked for the day you're back? It sounds time sensitive, but is difficult to give an opinion without knowing a bit more detail.

I agree with you.

@TheBoysAndTheBallet Clearly you don't have any understanding of animal's emotions or even human emotions. What an uncaring thing to say.

I feel for you OP, that is really tough. If I think about it and my darling dog I don’t think I could leave them when they were ill, it would ruin the trip for me — and the guilt if anything went wrong and I wasn’t there. Money can be replaced, but your time with your beloved pet can’t.

Your relatives who you are relying on are telling you not to go so I don't see how you can. It's not fair to them to have to go through the possibility of your dog not surviving. I used to board dogs and had a customer who brought their dog to me seriously unwell and literally ran out of the door to catch a flight to Australia before I could stop them. The poor dog deteriorated rapidly and despite seeking vet support I had to have her PTS. The customer delayed their consent to this for several days causing me considerable anguish.

Not true at all. It was over 30-years-ago when my Rottweiler bitch suffered 3 major surgeries for cancer because I was young and didn’t have the confidence to stand up to a money grabbing Vet who kept telling me the right thing to do was more surgery. It was too much for her and I have bitterly regretted it ever since. I finally stood up to him and insisted he came to the house and put her to sleep in my arms. I find modern vets much more amenable to sensible discussions about what is best for the animal. It’s usually the owners avoidance of their own grief that leads to too much, or inappropriate surgery. As I said above, in 2012, my Standard Poodle bitch had a tumour removed from her foot, once the Vet had established as far as possible that the cancer had spread nowhere else. I was clear that when the cancer returned (as it would inevitably in an older animal), there would be no more surgery, only palliative care for as long as she had a good quality of life and I stuck to that. She was 11 when she had the surgery. It was 18-months before another tumour. That is a decent length of time in a dogs lifespan.

This makes my heart fill up a bit because my Weimaraner has no interest in strangers to the point that she won’t even take food from them if I’m there ❤️