There was a lot of this going on at my house over the weekend. Boca had dental work on Friday morning - a cleaning and double-rooted tooth extraction - and both dogs received their 3-year rabies vaccinations. Ruby was very glum while her sister was at the vet clinic, though I tried to cheer her up with getting her assistance on some upcoming product reviews and a little trick training. Once we were all together again, everyone relaxed and soaked up the sun.
Ruby's last two experiences at the vet were quite stressful and we have a lot of
work to do. Even the jingle of another dog's tags or their shadow
visible under the door sent her into a frenzy, which did not bode well
for a very thorough exam. I tried the Calming Cap
for the car ride and waiting room, but it is clear from Ruby's behavior
that this aid is getting into aversive territory for her: I want a calm
dog, not a shut-down dog. I don't think it's something that is going to
work for us.
Boca was pleased to see me when I picked her up that afternoon, but was not herself the rest of the weekend. She was extra-cautious about my dad and seemed listless and depressed. I'm happy to report that as of yesterday she was back to herself, and I hope we are finished with vet visits until next year. I think that general anesthesia is so hard on them, and although the tooth extraction was necessary, I may look into the cleanings without anesthesia in the future, especially for Boca who is so cooperative. Has anyone tried it for their pets?
Due to her stitches and the big gap in her smile, Boca's chewing/playing activity must be limited for the week. This has proven to be quite a challenge since even if I separate them and let Ruby play with toys, Boca is not happy to be kept away from the action! I did let her have her plush purple dragon for a few minutes last night while I played tug with Ruby and she was so cute about it, bringing the dragon to the gate and waiting for me to put Ruby in a down-stay and throw it again.
The girls were lucky to have my dad's company all last week, and now we are back to our normal schedule with the dog walker. It's a holiday weekend and I'm considering getting a kiddie pool for the ginger sisters to splash around in on the patio. I've also been gathering up some tropical props for a fun summery shoot with Boca, so stay tuned for those pictures!
I've updated my Facebook cover page for July and hope you'll like us there, too, if you haven't already:
 |
Aww, glad the vet visits are over with! I hate putting Blueberry through the anesthesia for the dental cleaning yearly as well - however, it is necessary in order to get a thorough cleaning under the gum line - if she weren't under anesthesia - I have no doubt that Blueberry would start squirming and may inadvertently get an injury or two to her gums because of that. You could always discuss with the vet Boca's reaction to the anesthesia and he/she may use a different "cocktail" next time. She also may just have been reacting to the whole strange situation of being separated from you and Ruby and being in a vet office with strange smells and sounds.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the pain of the extraction caused her some additional stress that a regular cleaning shouldn't as well. The more I read about the anesthesia-free cleaning the less it sounds like a good idea.
DeleteDental work is never fun but I'm sure she'll be healed up in no time! My experience with anesthesia free cleanings is that they can under the gum line as much leaving more tarter and the need for more frequently cleanings.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense, and the more I read about it the less worthwhile it seems.
Delete