I have not not written on this list until now, but felt a need to write in
support of Laurie's comment.  Health is what is important, not age.  There
are many vets who would agree with this.  I have been volunteering at a
vet clinic for over 8 years and we routinely do surgery on elderly
animals, who go on to have quality of life.  The only time that a life
saving surgery may not be done, would be if their health was already
severely compromised, and even then the choice may be that it is worth
the risk.
 
I know that these are personal decisions that we all make, but I would
never hesitate to do surgery at any age if it was felt that it was to the
benefit of my pet.  I used to think that age mattered, but have seen too
many success stories to still hold to that belief.  I have done it with
my ferrets, cats and dogs, and have even had tumors removed from elderly
rats.  One of those elderly rats, Anastasia, had a hysterectomy, which
gave her 6 months of quality life, that in the grand scheme of things is
a long time in the life of a rat.  For me the feeling is that my pets
have given me the best part of their lives and the least I can do is make
whatever time they have left the best that I can.
 
And, yes these are my family members!
Take care,
Steph, Mikey, Frodo and the gang
[Posted in FML issue 3663]