I fully understand taking a deep breath and then telling a vet to go ahead with whatever treatment is needed. Our previous dog, which was a rescue, we got as a puppy and had her for 14 years before cancer took her. She was mixed breed and part Shar Pei which was the cause of a lot of vet visits, that breed has thin or fragile skin so she easily found things to test that and I lost count of how many stitches she required over the years. But she was a member of the family and and an excellent traveling companion so we could do no less. When we got our current little rescue I debated getting pet insurance but I could not find a policy that covered more than routine office visits without costing considerably more. So we are again rolling the dice on vet care costs and so far have been on the winning side.