Dog-tooth check

Snoopy has been looking hang-dog recently, as if he wanted to slit his wrists. He lies around all day sleeping on the sofa, only occasionally rearing his head, when he can be bothered. He has ongoing gastro-intestinal problems which the vet thinks is probably due to a tumour on the liver or pancreas (but which the vet intends to leave undisturbed as Snoopy is 13.5 years old and not up to operations or being pulled about for little gain). He also has very bad arthritis, but on some days he jogs round the park chasing squirrels and on others he plods slowly sniffing every blade of grass.

Recently though he has had very bad breath which I put down to whatever was going on in his stomach, but the other day he started rubbing his mouth along the sofa cushion and when I looked his gums were bright scarlet and some of his teeth very decayed looking. A trip to the vet revealed he has gingivitis and so Snoopy is going back to the vet this morning for a general anaesthetic for a scale and polish to his teeth. He'll then get a course of antibiotics to deal with the gingivitis.

I'm a litttle nervous what with him being so old and  it being Friday 13th and all. Fingers crossed.

Update at 10pm - collected him from vet this afternoon and he came out tail wagging and with a spring in his step. The dental treatment included claw-clipping too (they had got enormously long) and it has made a new dog of him. He was a little groggy tonight but starving hungry and I was instructed to only feed him a third of his supper to avoid him throwing up. I think he was a tad disappointed he could not have the other two-thirds!