Last week, I took Gracie to vet for a dental cleaning. At her annual checkup last fall, the vet
recommended that her teeth be cleaned.
Well, it is expensive, and I admit I put it off. While we were on vacation, I noticed that dry
kibble seemed to be a problem for her.
She rolled it around her mouth as if she had a sore tooth. I decided I had waited long enough and made the
appointment.
She did indeed have a problem with her right fang
tooth. It had decay underneath the tooth
that caused some bone loss. The vet
worked her magic, though, and corrected the situation. Fortunately, the tooth was still viable so no
extraction was needed.
Seeing Gracie after the procedure broke my heart. She whined for the rest of the day, subsiding
later in the evening into deep, pitiful moans.
She was disoriented from the pain medication. She clung to me like Velcro, desperately
needing reassurance. She could not
jump. My usual firecracker was in
misery.
Fortunately, she was more like her usual self later the next
day. For the last week, she has enjoyed
a wet dog food only diet. It will be fun
switching her back to the mixture of wet and dry food she usually has.
I am now resolved to brush her teeth. It will be an interesting challenge but one
that is necessary. After seeing the
results of NOT doing it, I cannot bear to put Gracie through trauma again.
I will keep you posted as I attempt to implement a dental
care regimen. It is something we all
know that we need to do for our dogs. If
we are honest, most of us just do not do it.
I must suck it up, though, for the greater good. Gracie cannot brush her teeth – and Kiki
definitely will not assist!
Stay tuned. The next
training adventure begins.
Rescue Mommy
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