Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Doggy "surgery"

In a little while I'm going to take the dog to the vet to have her teeth cleaned. For those of you not familiar with the process, this is not a simple half-hour checkup with the dentist. It's an all-day thing, and expensive, due to the fact that they put the dog under general anesthesia while they're doing it.

Her tartar has actually gotten much better since we got her--at first, her mouth looked like one of those "before" photos, and now she doesn't have that much tartar--but it's still not great, and tartar can cause diseases, so we're going to have them cleaned and then continue with the hard food, the chew toys, the dental treats, and the tooth-brushing to make sure that the teeth cleaning does not become a regular thing.

We would have had them cleaned earlier, but she was only just spayed in January and the vet recommended waiting a few months before putting her under anesthesia again.

The fact that she was spayed without a problem makes me feel better--but I still worry about her. It's funny--I hardly worried about my OWN surgery, because a) I was convinced, for whatever reason, that it would be fine, and b) I figured that if I died on the table, I'd never know about it, so no harm done TO ME (yes I recognize that my husband and loved ones would not feel this way about me dying but I absolutely believe that it is much easier to die, especially in a painless way like just not waking up from surgery, than to survive the death of someone you care about).

And it's not like I think Montana's going to die. She's young, she's healthy, she's been under anesthesia before, tons of dogs do this every day and they all come through it fine, I KNOW ALL THIS. But I just worry. Possibly more about her than about people. I just suspect that the testing before anesthesia isn't quite as thorough with dogs as it is with people.

She's just such an amazing dog. She not only fetches now, but she has also learned to swim! And the way we got her to swim was by throwing her tennis ball into a pond. A week ago she wouldn't even LOOK at a tennis ball, and now it's enough to get her to brave swimming into the middle of a pond! AND she has recently started doing this thing when we leave the dog park where she looks at me walking toward the gate with her leash and deliberately sprints off in the other direction. This is in direct contrast to before, when she would stick to our sides like glue as if she were afraid that we would leave without her.

Clearly, something has changed over the last week. She has become more comfortable and she KNOWS we aren't going to leave her behind, anywhere. Which is FABULOUS to see. And I love watching her personality come out more and more as she gets increasingly comfortable with us.

I know she'll be fine and that getting rid of excessive tartar buildup is really important to her long-term health, which is why we're doing this. But still. I'll be glad when the day is over and the vet calls to say that she's awake and fine and ready to be picked up. With nice shiny white teeth. I just want it to be over.

My poor doggy.


19 comments:

  1. Oh the physical, financial and emotional hoops we'll jump through for our canine friends. =)

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  2. Aw, those post-bath photos of Montana are adorable. That is great that she has learned how to swim & mastered fetching so quickly! It sounds like she is letting her fun-loving nature show through more and more.

    I think worrying about her is just a sign of how much you love her. And I think extra worry is rather unavoidable when it comes to surgeries, etc. -- it is not like we can explain to our pets what is happening to them, or they can let us know how they are feeling, etc. Or at least that's what I tell myself in when I do it, because I'm exactly the same way!

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  3. GOOD JOB in getting her teeth cleaned! I've been in and out of the vet world in a variety of capacities for years, and many people don't realize how important dental hygiene is for dogs and cats too! I've seen tons of cases of fatal heart disease caused by years of dental neglect in dogs. It's so sad. Thankfully you're right and it's a pretty easy procedure. Montana will thank you with her pearly whites :)

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  4. Good luck to Montana! And good for you guys getting her teeth cleaned.

    We desperately want to have Abby's teeth cleaned, but it's literally just her back two teeth that have tartar, and she is 14 years old and doesn't handle anesthesia well, so I just don't want to risk it. She does enjoy chewing on the toothbrush and eating the toothpaste though (the few times I've been brave enough to risk it). :)

    I can't believe the great personality changes in Montana - she totally trusts you guys now!

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  5. I know exactly how you feel. I have literally cried when taking my dog to the vet before. She's like my child. I worry about her way more than most people.

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  6. She is so cute! She will be just fine and come home with pearly white teeth.

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  7. montana is considerably bigger than our cat, but we do not want to put him under just to clean his teeth. this is based on our experience when he was "fixed."

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  8. Aww I'm sure she'll be just fine! You'll have to let us know asap though, ok?

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  9. I totally understand! I never get it when people just drop off their dogs for surgery like it is no big deal. My goodness, I would be pacing like crazy!

    Speaking of anxiouslness, we just put Buster on doggie-prozac yesterday. Mom and pup are on meds and therapy! HA HA HA!

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  10. oh, so know what you mean! i SOBBED in the little vet examining room when i agreed to let them do the surgery on oliver. it's hard, even if we know they'll be ok..!!

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  11. This reminds me that we have yet to clean our cats' teeth. It's so freaking expensive! I have to wonder what cats and dogs did back in the 70's and 80's before teeth cleaning was an issue?

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  12. Ugh - I completely understand. My puppy had to be sedated a few weeks ago so the vet could flush her ears and treat an infection. I was a mess. She was fine though, and much less groggy than she was after being spayed (I think they use a different kind of anaesthesia, or at least a small quantity, so it affects the dog less.)

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  13. Awww poor Montana. We haven't put Fuzzy Britches under for tartar control....we just give her weekly Greenies and put tartar mouthwash in her water daily. It's working!

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  14. Such cute pictures. Wow I had no idea it was that involved. I don't even like going in for a cleaning!

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  15. I so get it,people treat the puppies they love like their own children so of course any puppy owners will be that worried. She looks tough despite her cuteness, I'm sure she'll be fine :) She'll look even cuter with the new look of her teeth later.

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  16. I love that moment when your dog realizes that she's got a home with you. Molly (our dog from the Humane Society) is so relaxed and stuff now, you'd never know she was the same dog!!

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  17. I was so nervous when Data had to go under to get his teeth cleaned! I worried about him all day long. I made my husband drop him off because I couldn't stand to do it. I am happy to hear it went well for Montana and that she is becoming more comfortable at home!

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