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doggie update

September 11th, 2008 at 01:20 am

Thank you all for your supportive comments about our new dog. She is great- nothing to complain about.

She's a little 'rough around the edges'- typical new dog stuff. Not coming when called, jumping up, pulling (or dragging) when on the leash. Nothing big, I just need to be careful not to get annoyed about these things. Dogs dont start out as well behaved as our last one finished up.

We took Casey to the vet today to find a host of problems. The vet said we had no luck at all adopting this one-and I am torn. (We're keeping the dog...I dont believe in tearing an animals life apart for money that would get spent on other 'wants' anyways.)...but the vet seems to think we will be visiting alot.

I kind of think we are a bit stupid taking on the regular expenses of a new pet, then accepting additional expenses because this new dog has problems.

Anyways-
She has a major ear infection

She has pretty severe allegies and will
be on a daily medicine for her whole life.

She is on extra medicine now to clear up an allergy attack she recently got.

She has some type of ingrown hair issue around her mouth, that the hair will bleed regularly?

She has eye problems. Her eyelids turn inward so the hair scratches her cornea and unless it is surgically fixed, she will constantly have ulcers on her eye. (Funny thing is- the SPCA performed surgery on her eyes last year to correct the problem.) But the vet said the surgery didnt work.

And her teeth are in bad shape.

The vet wants to see her again in 2 weeks to check on her allergies.

I asked the vet that since she will be living indoors, and have regular care- maybe her issues will clear up a bit? And the vet said not to count on it.

All these problems made Baseball boy MORE in love with her. (Which is good.) He optimistically said "well, its not like she has diabetes or something." Which is true. I guess. So we are taking it one vet visit at a time. $180 today.

Maybe the allergies will clear up now that she lives indoors. We are waiting on the eyes to see if they irritate her (so far they dont seem to). Vet said that surgery is about 2k. And maybe some greenie treats will clean up her teeth.

So- thats the doggie update. Right now she is peacefully sleeping on the couch-snoring.

10 Responses to “doggie update”

  1. frugaltexan75 Says:
    1221095352

    It sounds like your new little doggy is going to need a lot of extra TLC. Every time you spend money on Casey, just remember that the time and money you give to her will be returned to you tenfold. Big Grin

  2. sillyoleme Says:
    1221095407

    Awww, I bet she is SO thankful for you guys. A few days ago she was alone in the shelter, and now she is on the road to recovery... on your couch! Big Grin
    Our pup has been a constant vet bill ever since we got him too, so don't feel like the lone ranger. And when I adopted our cat from the Humane Society, the first vet visit was awful. He told me our kitty had a severe respiratory infection, and would probably just keep being sick for the rest of its life. I wouldn't think of taking him back, so we struggled through pills & antibiotics. After a rough two weeks, everything was cleared up... and he hasn't gotten sick since (almost a year and a half now)! I hope it's the same w/ your pup!

  3. compulsive debtor Says:
    1221099627

    I bet you a loving home will go a long way toward improving her health issues!

  4. boomeyers Says:
    1221105032

    Hey, they are our "babies". Worth every penny! And sometimes just changing their diet goes a long way towards the ear infection clear up and the allergies. My parents feed their dog a special kangaroo meat food that helps. He even had ear infections from the allergies. Check into this too.

  5. Broken Arrow Says:
    1221110221

    By the way, what made you decide to name her "Casey"?

  6. gamecock43 Says:
    1221136201

    We named her Casey because we both like the name. My top three were 'Timber' 'Sienna' or 'McKenna' and his were 'Beast' 'Snookers' or 'Red'. ...Casey was the only one we both liked. It's kind of a typical dog name, but its pretty.

    And when we go back to the vet we are going to ask about dog food with low allergens. That was a good idea.

    And Silly- I am hoping that Casey will be a healthy dog, and our vet is just a worrier who was overwhelmed when he examined her.

  7. scfr Says:
    1221145305

    On the teeth: Is it just a cleaning issue? If so, once you have the behavior issues handled, you could get her teeth professionally cleaned and then start brushing her teeth yourself to maintain them. (I say "once you have the behavior issues handled" because you need a calm, moderately compliant dog if you are going to brush her teeth.) When that time comes, I'll be happy to send you a link with some instructions from a pro, plus some tips on how I brush my dog's teeth.

  8. gamecock43 Says:
    1221153033

    Our vet always cleans the teeth when the dog is under anesthisia...I didnt think vets could clean teeth while the dog was awake! I do brush my dogs teeth, but dont know if I make any kind of difference. We figured a diet of greenies and then 'whenever' Casey needs to be put under for whatever reason, we would have her teeth cleaned. I say 'whenever' because its bound to happen at some point. I dont want to pay to put her under just for a teeth cleaning though.

  9. baselle Says:
    1221283178

    Watch and learn about your pet. With my kitty, some vets were apocalyptic (kitty was indoor/outdoor and was on the fat side) and some were laid back. Kitty died, but he died at 19. He probably outlasted a couple of vets.

  10. scfr Says:
    1221594513

    My vet cleans my dog's teeth when he is under partial anesthesia ... My understanding is that is enough for him to do the cleaning, with less of the risks involved with full anesthesia. I brush my dog's teeth and it definitely DOES make a difference. I brush almost every day ... One or two days a week I give both of us a break and give him a Greenie instead of brushing. (Oh - and if you give Greenies regularly, you may want to price comparison shop on PetEdge.com ... You can save a lot of money, but only if you buy in bulk quantities, to avoid their "small order processing charge.)

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