Daisy's a little woozy, so I won't check out her new Cover Girl smile. She spent the day at the dentist, a long-overdue item on our list of her health priorities. She came to us with black-and-yellow tinged teeth, the plaque built up like cement. Judging from that and her reaction at the sound of a cellophane bag opening, we figured she had survived on a diet of potato chips and candy. Certainly not dog biscuits -- we'd give her one and she'd take it gingerly, then set it down carefully and walk away. Don't even mention those Greenies -- she hates them.
We did take her to the dentist once already, but she came back with the same yellow-coated teeth. We thought perhaps the situation was permanent, but lately we've gotten to wondering what kind of dental work really went on during that visit. Today, armed with a "wellcare plan" from Veterinary Pet Insurance, we sent her back for another try. The plan covers dental cleaning up to $100. Daisy's bill? $487.15.
We missed her all day and worried about a possible extraction, or two or three. Those back teeth looked baaaaaaaad. But fortunately, she came back with only a few negatives on her dental report card: staining and root exposure/gum recession. Not ideal, but better than losing one or more of those big teeth! Daisy was not as happy as we were. She spent the evening letting out little cries, as if she were reliving the horrible dental visit or, maybe her mouth just ached. A couple of aspirin didn't help.
The dentist had sent Daisy home with an oral rinse and instructions to brush every day. "Most dogs and some cats will actually learn to enjoy this daily ritual," the Linda Mar Veterinary Hospital wrote in its handout. Right.
"The paste should be pressed down into the bristles so the pet doesn't lick it off the brush. Start by brushing just a few teeth at a time. Hold the toothbrush at a 45' angle so the bristles go under the gumline. Only the outside surfaces of the teeth need to be brushed at first. Try to use a circular motion with the toothbrush if at all possible."
The handout included a photo of what looked like a Sonicare electric toothbrush just like the one in our bathroom. Maybe we all three could use it! But no, it turns out there are special electric toothbrushes made just for dogs. There's the Complete Pet Dental Kit by a company called Keep it Clean and Hartz makes electric toothbrushes, too. But as another handout warns, this only works if you can "successfully condition your dog to tolerate a whirring, jiggly thing in his mouth." Not likely.
I was glad that I had become an expert at trimming Daisy's nails. "I'm the nail technician," I told Tom. "You'll have to handle the teeth."
No comments:
Post a Comment