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]