Dog seriously ill, due to go to Australia on Sunday

Me too

The vet needs to pay for his new car & his expensive holiday, that's why they want to operate.
It's cruel to put an animal through all that.

For me, it depends on your bond with your dog. So I have several dogs, and one of them I had from a tiny pup many years before I met my OH. If it was him in this position, I couldn’t go. He’s like a little duckling bonded to me. I would never do it to him, and the guilt would eat me alive. The other dogs we had when they were older as rescues and I would argue they are more bonded to my OH than to me. I would probably go away if it was either of them, simply because I know they would not be more distressed by my absence and they would feel reassured with my OH.

You can really tell your ignorance about this from this post. Why bother commenting on something you obviously have no experience in?

OP, as someone who has dogs and who does know something about this unlike @TheBoysAndTheBallet dogs are incredibly bonded to their families. You being there will make a huge difference.

Shit timing but we choose for them to be in our lives and we’ve got to be there for the heartbreak as well as the good times,

Speaking as an animal lover I couldnt go.. Australia will always be there, your dog wont be

I think she means the six months of salary is for the trip and all the costs for her dog's operation and treatment.

I’m so sorry OP but I’ll try to be detached.
Objectively (and I am a cat lady who has had to travel a lot and has lost a couple of my companions) how old is your dog and where is the tumour?
I’m sorry to say but vets may give you much better odds than are realistic, especially if DDog is older.
Your travel and pets insurance won’t cover the holiday cancellation, will the pet insurance even cover the surgery and aftercare fully?
Is your DP pushing one way or the other - is it that they don’t want to deal with sick DDog?

Will the dog not be kept in for a while afterwards anyway?

Our dog recently had spinal surgery and was kept in the vet hospital for about two weeks afterwards. We couldn't visit so you being away may not make any difference anyway.

I would be going.

OP, I'm also confused about the partner situation. If you're going all the way to Oz for a big birthday trip, per your OP, without your partner, have you split up?

If the dog's other owner is looking after him, it's more understandable for you to go. But only you know how you feel.

I would go .I own a very nervous 14 year old rescue dog who won’t leave the house even for a walk .she recently had to have an op for her few days of recovery she only wanted my husband completely ignored me which was very unusual for her as she’s normally my shadow ..Your dog is familiar with your partner and will be well looked after go enjoy your holiday and try not feel guilty xx

If it were my dog, I wouldn’t have spoken to the insurance company. I’d have read through the policy details and only phoned them on Saturday afternoon after hours of D&V. Those bugs can hit out of the blue and they’re highly contagious.

Australia may not be there in the future. OP is spending six months of her salary, she may never be able to afford to go again.

PS is it a splenic tumour? If so, they often recover really well from this.

OK, so your dog has a tumour which sounds like it's probably cancer. In that case, I think if you go, you'll feel absolutely miserable. The money is spent, and whether you go or not, you won't get it back, so it's a sunk cost whatever you decide. (Unless you can sell the holiday.)

Also, by not going, you will save all the money that you would have outlaid for meals, trips, drinks, incidentals, etc. while there.

At the end of the day, it's only money. I actually cancelled a holiday last year at short notice for personal reasons. I lost the money but it was the right decision not to go, and I have not regretted it. It was a relief.

Australia will be there in the future.

I agree. Many pets go through difficult operations and recovery and only live a few months after recovery.

I'm in Australia. Its alright but a long way away, especially with your poor pup so ill.

I wouldn't go. But, its a very personal choice and noone should judge whichever decision you make.

this is someone with no pets, then, presumably, and utterly joyless people in their life

You’ve said the operation is to remove a tumor and without it she would only have a month to live. If the surgery goes perfectly, what would her life expectancy be? How long will the post op care be - when she might need to wear the collar of doom, be on restricted exercise and have healing wounds? If the operation buys her a good amount of quality time, taking off the recovery period, it’s worth it. If it doesn’t, it’s worth thinking about whether it’s the right option for your dog.

I think I would have put in the op that the person looking after your dog is their other owner - your partner. That changes things for me. I was born in Australia but live in the uk - I said good bye to my dying grandfather over the phone which sounds horrific to some but I was so pleased I was able to talk to him one last time. If your dog is going to be cared for by his other owner than I don’t see why you can not go unless you don’t want to.

If it was such an obvious decision for a loving pet owner, she wouldn't be on here asking what to do though would she?

I'm not a pet lover though, so it's pretty clear cut for me!

How much so you want to sell the holiday for? What airport and hotel etc ? Maybe one of us could buy it from you ?

Just read that you can leave the dog with your partner in which case you should go if you trust your partner to be there for them :)

@77788r is it your dog? Or a joint dog? Only if it's just yours I can imagine your partner being ok about managing a happy healthy dog alone, possibly with the help of dog walkers, but a sick one which is going to need much more looking after/meds/regular vet visits is a whole different ball game.

It's a crappy situation. I think I'd stay with my mutt though