November 30, 2008
Lance gets dental care
I 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 member of the Animal House staff. He free lances his services as a dental technician through several veterinary clinics and grooming parlors. The vet I usually go to had been telling me for ages that nothing could be done about Lance’s teeth because he has a heart murmer and cannot have anesthesia. Neither she nor any of her staff were willing to do a dental cleaning without anesthesia, so poor Lance’s teeth were in terrible shape. When I discussed it with her two weeks ago I was pretty much coming unhinged. Lance had quit eating. After lengthy discussion I told the vet we had two choices: find a way to take care of Lances teeth or put him down, as I would not stand by and let him starve to death. Only then did my vet mention James’s service. I can only assume that, like many professionals, she did not want to be seen as endorsing “alternative services.” I quickly called Animal House and made an appointment. Dr. Hatt and the staff there are wonderful. The doc examined Lance and agreed that dental problems were the likely source of Lance’s avoidance of food. Her staff made an appointment with James for us and that brings us to last Wednesday.
James met me in the lobby of the clinic shortly after he arrived. He sat and talked with me for about ten or fifteen minutes, all the while petting Lance and talking soothingly to him. They were old pals when it was time for them to go to the treatment room. I fretted and paced for a while, then went outside to walk off my nervousness. I hadn’t heard any pitiful beagle-sounds coming from the back and no one was sounding the alarm about a dog in cardiac arrest, so I was pretty sure things were going well, but was still on edge. I headed for the bathroom down the hall after coming back inside. It was then that I discovered that the treatment room half-door was open and I could peek in. I was amazed to see Lance lying calmly on his back with his head on James’s lap. The soothing talk continued as the nasty coating was scraped way from Lance’s teeth. James apprently has some “dog whisperer” talents and had convinced Lance that tooth care is a good thing. I didn’t want to break the spell with the sound of my voice, so I watched for a moment, then crept away. I had been told that the cleaning might take about two hours, but less than an hour later the work was done. In addition to the cleaning, James had pulled a loose tooth that was apparently the source of Lance’s pain. Lance was even wagging his tail, so painless was the process! Some follow-up care will be needed. There’s only so much that can be done in a single visit, so James left deep pocket cleaning for a future date.
Lance is still not eating well. I think he associates food with pain now. I’ve offered him hard and soft foods, but he mostly just sniffs at it. I’m assuming he’ll get hungry enough sometime soon to risk chewing, at which time he’ll discover that eating no longer hurts. He ate three bites of toast this morning, so I’m hopeful that he might be good and hungry tonight and willing to try something a little more substantial. His spirits are good and he’s playing his little beagle games - chasing cats up onto the fence and playing fetch with me several times a day - so I know he’ll be his old self again soon. I’ll add some diet supplements to his intake if need be, but I think he’ll probably be fine without that.
If you live on Oahu and are searching for veterinary services or would like to set up an appointment for no-anesthesia dental care, call Ewa Beach Animal House. Everyone there was courteous and professional in their dealings with me and concerned and gentle with Lancie. If I were staying in Hawaii I’d be switching to them for Lance’s routine care in addition to ongoing dental care.
[tags]beagle, canine dental cleaning, dog tooth cleaning, Lance, no-anesthesia canine dental care[/tags]
Posted by skeet @ 10:40 am • Health & wellbeing, Home & Family
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November 30th, 2008 at 10:55 am, Julie Says:
Awww, what a pleasant experience for you and Lance. I have a special place in my heart for people like James. His caring and understanding of animals needs is a true gift.
November 30th, 2008 at 10:58 am, Susan Says:
I have a cat with major mouth issues. We feed him canned cat food mixed with milk in a blender, and he laps it up. Maybe you could find something liquid to blend with Lance’s food in a blender just as a re-introduction to food, at least to get nutrition in him. Maybe some chicken or beef broth blended in? Then you could gradually de-liquify until he’s back to normal eating habits. Good luck finding a solution that works for you and Lance.
November 30th, 2008 at 1:24 pm, Flo Says:
Wow, that sounds amazing. I had a dog that could not be anesthetized and her teeth became horrible. She eventually developed cancer and it started in the mouth. I always wondered if that was the cause of the cancer?? Anyway, here’s to Lance eating something soon and I’ll keep that vet’s name handy just in case.
December 1st, 2008 at 4:11 am, Anele Says:
Our baby went through the same thing. I wish we’d had someone like James to help us with our girl. I agree with the suggestion of food being pureed until he no longer associates food with pain. He also could be in residual pain as well.
Even if one problem tooth was the main source, the cleaning alone could still be giving him issues. He’ll come around and until then just encourage him with soft food (if he eats dry, soak it in chicken broth until puffy) and smother him with love and smooches!
December 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pm, corrin Says:
How is Lance doing? Chowing down yet?
March 12th, 2009 at 3:12 pm, Marika Metz-Hall Says:
HI..wow..do you have the last name of the man that did the cleaning..James. I’d love to get an appt with him to do my dogs.
thnak you
March 13th, 2009 at 2:37 am, skeet Says:
Marika, you can make an appointment with James through the Ewa Beach Animal House - the link is in my post.