This week we brought Tundra in to have his teeth cleaned. We did this with him in 2016 or so, but at his last check up the vets were concerned about his teeth again.
So we saved up (it took a few months!), set up an appointment, and brought him in this last week.
I called twice to check whether he should eat beforehand or not, and what time to come. They told me 7am both times, and no eating because of the anesthesia.
We were there at 6:55am sharp.
They didn’t let us in the door until 8am. My husband was… upset. See, usually I fudge the time so I can ensure we’re on time. But this time, he was present for the phone conversation, so I couldn’t!
He thought I had.
I didn’t.
It was cold, and Tundra was Very Upset about the lack of breakfast.
They took blood samples to check and see if he’d be safe for the procedure – that was an ordeal for him. Not only did he not get breakfast, but we couldn’t bribe him with treats to put up with the pricks. Everything came back fine though!
Anyway, we hung around town until he was done. It’s half an hour to drive home, and the last time we did this he woke up badly, and we had to rush back into town because he was aggressive towards the vets.
This time he was fine, but better to be there we had decided.
He spent an hour or more in recovery before we could see him, and we could hear him whining, whining, whining. He was displeased.
And afterwards he was THE saddest puppy and full of half asleep sulking.
You can see where they shaved his legs to do the IV and whatever. We had to spray them with bitter apple to keep him from licking.
We set up on the couch like we did last time, but this time I cuddled with him. Last time my husband cuddled, and it was adorable, but he doesn’t like me posting pictures of him so I can’t show you.
He drooled all over and slept with his head resting on my arm. It was adorable!
He’s a big dog, and I think this photo shows it pretty well!
But he’s recovered fully now and is up to playing just like normal. *smile* They gave us a gel to put on his teeth since he won’t let us brush them, and hopefully that will delay having to clean them again. And he did have a bit of gingivitis, so he’s on an antibiotic. We put it on liverwurst for him and he snarfs it right down.
Why do we pay to have his teeth cleaned?
My first malamute, Tess, never had any dental care, and she got an abscessed tooth that nearly killed her. She was miserable for weeks, lost weight, and had to have emergency surgery to deal with it.
On the way home, half drugged, she peed in my car out of spite. Like, I had the door open, was helping her get outside to pee, and she squatted in my backseat while glaring at me and Would Not Be Budged. Then she hopped out and was fine. Spite.
But my husband and I decided we didn’t want to go down that road with Tundra, even if it IS expensive.
So that was our excitement of the week! *smile* How do you provide dental care for your pets? Do you have any tricks or tips? Inquiring minds want to know!
