More than five hundred bucks? Put em down. They are animals for petes sake. Spending thousands to prolong the life of an ancient pet is silly.
This thread is painful for me to read. I've lost two of my three beloved cocker spaniels in the last 6 months, and I cried my eyes out as we put them to sleep. It was the right decision both times, as inoperable conditions arose that were causing them pain and impacting their quality of life. But I still wake up in the middle of the night and call out for one of them to jump on the bed for pets... the one that's left happily obliges, but I terribly miss the stampede of love that occured almost every night. I hope that if there is an afterlife, they'll be waiting for me. Whoever belittles the impact that a pet can have on your life and the shared bond of love that exists has no soul, in my opinion.