01 May 2010

Pounds lighter


I'm nearly three hundred pounds lighter today and I don't mean of the weight variety but of the wallet kind. Before you go imagining a big ostentatious piece of jewellery or even a boring state of the art washing machine, think again. It was spent on Snoopy's visit to the vet. Whilst at my mum's, he became very subdued, morose-looking (if you could say a dog looked as if he was about to slit his wrists - he looked it), slept all day on the bed upstairs, would not be sociable at all and would not eat a morsel for three days. Finally I noticed, when he did put in an appearance, that he kept pawing his face or rubbing his left cheek along the floor. Putting two and two together (the fact that he did not want to eat and rubbing his face) it did not need a detective to come up with toothache or something similar. A visit yesterday to a local vet confirmed my suspicions. Snoopy had a temperature and appeared to have a swelling like an abscess on one of his teeth. The vet decided an operation today under general anaesthetic was the only way to examine what the extent of the problem was and possibly extract the tooth. So after a worrying night (for me - Snoopy didn't have the foggiest idea) I took Snoopy along first thing this morning, held his paw while the pre-med injection took effect and until he was led off mildly-protesting to the operating theatre! It was rather comical seeing him desperately fighting the pre-med - his body wanted to collapse onto the floor, but his brain was telling him to try to stay upright. The result was a lot of wobbling and sinking of his back end, followed by rigid attempts to stand upright again. It was hard leaving him, but I knew it was for his own good and would make him better in the long run.


I telephoned the surgery after lunch to find out how the patient was doing and was told to collect him mid-afternoon. To my utter surprise, I was told there was no abscess at all but an enormous lump of sharp wood wedged between two back teeth and a pointed bit jammed into the roof of his mouth. Ouch. I was given said lump of blood-stained wood in a plastic bag as proof and a memento to frame, so Snoopy could tell his descendants in the future all about his war wounds. The vet thought I had been throwing sticks for Snoopy and warned me against doing this. I had to correct him that Snoopy just helps himself to twigs as they lie around in the park or woods and chomps through them (and even swallows them). No matter how hard I try to get them off him, he runs away, thinking it's a great game of chase. "It's my stick, you find your own", he seems to say. The only way to stop him eating the twigs would be to have him on the lead all the time, which, as any serious dogwalker knows, is not ideal exercise for the dog.


Anyway, the removal of said bit of wood (the consultation, pre-op blood tests, pre-med, anaesthetic, antibiotics et al) came to a few pounds short of three hundred pounds. I could have got a nice day or two at a health farm for that! But, as they say in the l'Oreal advert, ...... he's worth it.

26 comments:

aims said...

We are lucky to have pets in our lives for their unconditional love. Giving back isn't even a question is it.

AGuidingLife said...

It's such a joy to see them running around off the lead but they will chew so. Lilly chews the plastic tree covers until her face is bleeding and I can't get them off her. If I'm quick with a 'leave' at the start I win otherwise the game is on. *sigh* to the vets bill and a 'hooray' to a happier doggy now!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Addy,

Ouch- your pocket and for Snoopy. I'll save you a rant about vets but suffice it to say that they are never poor. We would do anything for our pets. So glad you Snoopy has that removed now, it must have been painful. Brave little doggy.

I hope all went well at your mum's house apart from the visit to the vet.

All the best

Nechtan

Manchester Lass, Now and Then said...

Ouch indeed, poor Snoopy. Pleased to hear the op was a success.

DogLover said...
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DogLover said...
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DogLover said...

Poor Snoopy. And it won't be a lesson for him - he'll do it again if he has the chance!

But shouldn't the vet have noticed the wood when he examined him?

Elaine Denning said...

Yikes!

If I EVER get another pet, I will definitely get pet insurance.

ADDY said...

Doglover - yes, the vet should have noticed it, but to be fair it was quite far back in the dog's mouth and Snoopy wasn't going to let him look that easily. The vet could see swelling in the gum, though, and thought it was an abscess. He could only get a proper look under anaesthetic.

Elaine - most definitley insurance is essential, particularly if your pet does damage to a third party - chases prize sheep or bites a champion horse or causes a car accident! We are insured, but as the animal gets older, so the premiums and the excess goes up. I now have to pay the first £80 for any treatment Snoopy has and the first £70 that the cat has. That rules out insurance claims for any routine consultation (usually about £35) and the annual injections. The insurance companies usually find let-out clauses as well, like no dentist work! In this case, I hope I shall be covered,because it was not dentistry as such but a foreign object embedded in the mouth.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

Poor Snoopy - it must have been so painful for him, probably even more painful than your bill! It has to be done though doesn't it. Hope he is back to his usual self now. Hope you had a good week with your mum too.

Anonymous said...
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Nunhead Mum of One said...

ouch!

Achelois said...

Ouch for the pooch and double ouch for the pennies from your pocket!

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laurie said...

oh, poor snoopy! glad it wasn't a tooth, though. and yes, it's a lot of money--boscoe costs nearly that much every time he goes in for a glucose curve.

what can we do? we love them. they are in our care. glad with snoopy it was nothing worse.

nuttycow said...

How's Snoopy feeling now? Full of beans I hope?

Ellen said...

Poor Snoopy. What a relief for him to have that sharp piece of wood removed from his mouth. As you so rightly say - our dogs 'are worth it'. Hope that you are your family are all keeping well.

elsy said...

of course he's worth it....who wants spa treatments or expensive treats anyway!!

Kit Courteney said...

What a lovely last line :0)

Hope he's feeling much better now.

DogLover said...

OK, Alcoholic Daze/Addy!

But I'm sure my vet wouldn't have missed the wood - the first thing a vet is trained to look for is an obstruction like a piece of wood or bone. And if she did miss it, she wouldn't have charged for the anaesthetic, etc.! I'd want my money back!

Anonymous said...

Aww, poor fella. Our puppies are always chewing wood and I'm constantly taking it off them; it's so dangerous. Glad he's okay.

Hope you are okay.

CJ xx

Saz said...

dogs..we love them..l miss mine terribly and would love to have a could for company and for exercise....time will come again..

keep them safe and near

Flowerpot said...

I'm really sorry aobut Snoopy but wise advice - Ive been told that about dogs and sticks but Molls has always been oK so far - will steer her clear in future.

June said...

I think Elaine was talking about pet health insurance. I have investigated it in the past and always thought it seemed excessively expensive. As my animals age, I wish now that I had it, but I don't, so...

Vets can only see what the animals allow them to see, so if Snoopy needed to be relaxed (by whatever means) for the wood to be found, then, well...you have to do what you have to do.

I know it's a lot of money, but I agree with you...what else can we do? We made a commitment to our animals...their health and well-being.

Penny Pincher said...

I hope Snoopy is recovering well.
I bet he's worth every penny of that £300. Almost as expensive as a visit to our non NHS dentist!!

DD's Diary said...

Poor Snoopy! That must have been agony. I bet he is so grateful to you for sorting him out, even if you are hundreds of pounds lighter!