Everyone Think Good Thoughts
I have to drop Chelsea off at the vet this morning to have her teeth cleaned and probably a significant amount of them extracted. Her teeth are terrible, even though she eats the same as the other two (aside from the copious amounts of poop, of course) the vet said that some dogs are just genetically inclined to have bad teeth (they’re bred for cuteness and small size, not strong teeth, another reason to hate all puppy mills) ) and there’s nothing you can do if they’re prone to dental decay. Of course the 4-5 years she spent in a cage with no dental care at all can’t have helped. Anyway, she’d just had a dental when I adopted her in 01/07, but she’s now got at least 4 loose teeth that I can see myself. I am afraid that she’d going to be one of those dogs that can’t keep their tongue in their mouths after this, though MyTodd™ says that’s cute. And of course I am also petrified when any of my guys go under anesthesia, because anesthesia in veterinary medicine is scary and they’re so damn small that it’s hard to keep their levels steady. So any time I have to take them in I know there’s a chance they won’t survive it. If her teeth weren’t so desperate I wouldn’t chance it, but the way they are now the bacteria from them could get in her bloodstream and damage her heart, so it’s risky either way.
Now, she’s young and otherwise healthy and this is a great animal hospital, so it shouldn’t be an issue. But the overwhelming sense of responsibility I feel for her combined with the complete loss of control over keeping her safe in this situation make me feel mostly like vomiting. To think that I might be the one to take her in there and drop her off and for her to then accidentally die under anesthesia, when she’s so little and so scared and trusts me to look out for her… gah. Well, you can imagine how I feel about it. And I can’t even reassure her or let her know what’s happening, or that I will be back for her. All I can do is take a blanket with us so that she has something home-smelling to cuddle in all day, and hope for the best.
So send her some good thoughts today, she’s going to be somewhat traumatized, as am I.
Filed under: chelsea anne, chihuahua |3 Responses to “Everyone Think Good Thoughts”
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I’m sure your baby will be back to normal in no time.
She’s so recovered that I am planning to post a very embarrassing video of her being totally obnoxious, here in a while. I couldn’t do that if she were feeling poorly, of course.