November 21, 2008
Beagle doings
A few weeks ago I mentioned that Lance had been feeling poorly. His habit had always been to scarf down his food as if he were vying for an eating competition title, but suddenly he was turning up his nose at everything I offered.
Lance is almost eight years old and has never had his teeth cleaned. He was born with a heart murmer, so he can’t have the anesthesia that is required for a tooth-cleaning. He has terrible tartar build-up and awful breath. When he quit eating I surmised that dental pain was the source of the problem. The vet concurred but offered no solution. Yesterday I spoke to a different vet in the same clinic. She mentioned a man who does dog and cat dental cleanings without anesthesia. He’s a free-lancer and offers his service at vet offices and grooming salons around the island. I wasted no time in contacting the nearest clinic he frequents. Lance has an appointment to see a vet at that clinic this afternoon. If the doc is in agreement with my own vet, Lance will have his teeth cleaned next week! He will probably have to have a valium to relax him for the procedure. Because of his heart condition, this is being treated with as much caution as major surgery would warrant in a healthy animal. A vet will be standing by in case even the mild effect of a single dose of valium interfers with his heart rhythm. I’m pushing all of that from my mind right now. The hopeful outcome is that Lance will get the gunk cleaned from his teeth, his gums will be allowed to heal up and his appetite will soon be back to normal. I won’t even have to put him on Propadrol to bulk him up.
See how important teeth are? This simple procedure could buy Lance many more years of happy and comfortable life. We tend to think of dental health as separate from other health issues, but it’s all really part of the same package. Bad teeth can have as big an impact as a heart murmer or a broken bone, so I’m really, really pleased that Lance’s teeth are finally getting the attention they need.
[tags]beagle, canine dental health, dogs[/tags]
Posted by skeet @ 10:20 am • Health & wellbeing, Home & Family
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November 21st, 2008 at 3:18 pm, Susan Says:
Hope everything goes well with Lance’s appointment. Teeth are such a big deal for animals and people, and his teeth could even be affecting his heart health. Good luck and give him some extra kisses for me!
November 21st, 2008 at 5:39 pm, Jade Says:
I feel the stress! Willow lost a lot of weight over the last few months even though her appetite was just as steady as ever–as of Tuesday she’s been diagnosed as my diabetic kitty! I’m still freaking out about whether or not we’ll get her regulated. I hope he feels better!
November 21st, 2008 at 5:43 pm, Donna Says:
I hope Lance does well and gets to feeling a lot better real soon.
November 30th, 2008 at 10:40 am, skeet’s stuff » Lance gets dental care Says:
[…] told you a week or so ago that Lance was having some dental problems. On Wednesday I took him to Ewa Beach Animal House for an appointment with James. James is not a […]