Roxy to the Dentist

very cute small dog
Keeping with the dog themed blog entries, this one is about our number one doggie Roxy. The other day I got a good look at her teeth and saw they were terribly dirty. I decided it was time for a dental cleaning done by the vet. I'm always a little concerned about having dog's teeth cleaned because they have to be anesthetized. John brought Roxy to the vet and picked her up. I was not prepared for the condition in which she was returned to us. It looked like she had just woken up from the anesthesia, she could hardly walk and her pupils were dilated. Roxy had to have five teeth extracted. Ouch! Four were molars in the very back of her mouth. The vet said these are similar to human's wisdom teeth and the dogs do not use them for eating. Roxy's were loose and needed to come out. Also, one of her front teeth was about ready to fall out. I felt so bad for not having this done three years ago when we first got Roxy.

Veterinarian visits are way more inexpensive here than in the US. The cleaning for a small dog, 1-7 kg, was $50.00 I recall paying a lot more than that in Seattle for my dog Whitesox, however she was much larger than Roxy. I have a feeling some of the cost savings comes because the animal might be returned to the owner before the anesthesia wears off. Even though Roxy was very groggy when she came home she looked super adorable with a purple and black feather decoration the vet attached next to her ear.