Brush your Dogs Teeth Regularly or Risk their Lives Unnecessarily…

Finally the shoe is on the other foot I had to drop and leave my handsome little man Miley at the vets this morning. It’s been years since I have had to drop, or leave, either of my two babies at a vets or even a groomers so it’s a stark reminder of what it’s like for you guys when you drop your babies off with us at Gabby and Miley’s Grooming Studio. Even though Gabby is still with me we are definitely missing Miley’s presence.  A few of Miley’s teeth are to be extracted today and the rest de-scaled & polished to achieve that all important Hollywood smile. Sounds like a seemingly simple procedure but unfortunately it requires an anaesthetic which can be extremely risky especially considering his age – he’s almost the ripe old age of 9 years now. I have decided though to bite the bullet and get them seen to now whilst he is healthy & hardy and of course as it is necessary to maintain his good health.

So after arriving outside the vets a half an hour early, delivering a big pep talk to my handsome oblivious little man to ‘reassure him’ (reassure myself more like), several thousand cuddles and the occasional selfie later the vet emerged outside the door of the surgery and beckoned us in from the car. I’m not going to lie I almost drove away and if he hadn’t spotted us I probably would have.

So now I have 5 hours and 23 minutes to kill until I have word of how my handsome little man faired through his procedure. My heart goes out to anyone who has ever had to make that painstaking final journey to the vets with their precious, precious dog knowing they would not be returning home with them, I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

I’m full of worry for my handsome little man today but of course all that could have been avoided and will be in the future. Like most dog parents I was never informed that you should actually be brushing your dog’s teeth regularly. I only learnt that you should be caring for your dogs teeth regularly a few years back but I also learnt there was the option of de-scaling and polishing at the vets, so teeth brushing was put on the back burner, it was only recently though that I learnt of the risks associated with the administration of the anaesthesia, friends of mine lost their beloved Shih Tzu who never came back around after an anaesthetic. So I will be damn sure that both Miley & Gabby regardless of whether they like or dislike having their teeth brushed will have them brushed regularly going forward – it’s my responsibility as their ‘mammy’ and yours too if you have a four legged furry child in your care. So all of my worry and the risk to Miley’s life could have been avoided by simply brushing his teeth regularly. If you find your dog is not going to allow you to brush his/her teeth, there are additives you can put in your dog’s water to help remove plaque from their teeth, don’t put yourself in my position full of worry for something that could so easily have been avoided.

Now how to distract myself away from despair for the next 5 hours 19 minutes…..

Pre Vet Selfie – who looks more nervous Miley or I? Gulp!!