Update on my pups yearly exams!

[SkootiesMama]

I finally made an appointment to take my pups in to the vet this weekend.

I have received lots of postcards from our vet in the past couple months stating that my pups vaccinations are due...then over due...then over due again. I thought that I should make an appointment to get him checked over. I am a firm believer of the whole over-vaccination thing and myself I don't even get flu shots. But a yearly exam is a good thing. I explained that when I talked to the secretary and she was really understanding so I hope my vet is too. I've never talked to her about the whole over-vaccinating thing before.

Plus, I have a new addition which they will have to meet as well. My precious Luna is in need of getting two of her baby teeth removed and I will get them to write up a prescription for Prednisone while I am there, just in case I need to fill it under an emergency. Luna has hydrocephalus and I do have some pills left over from her first bad spell. Better to be safe than sorry as I always say. With flea season running rampant here I also have to fill Skooties prescription for Advantage and will be also putting Luna on that as well.

On the bonus side.... one of the new techs needs to do a bunch of fecal exams and both my pups will be getting the exams done for FREE! I just need to have some baggies handy in the morning and bring them in. LOL> GROSS.

So I'll keep you all posted to how it goes. All the best to everyone!

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

I'll be very interested on your vet's take on the overvaccination issue. Keep us posted.

[pung-yo]

yes, please do keep us posted, I also would like to know how your vet feels about vaccs. One thing that has me really confused is that you mention flea season, and I've come across this before, what does everyone mean by this?Our dogs out here never get fleas unless we go somewhere where another dog has fleas. All these years in dogs and we've never had a problem with fleas.???? Does anybody here know how to explain where the fleas come from?

[SkootiesMama]

I live in Canada and in a very moist warm part of Canada. There usually is fleas here all the time, but as the weather gets warmer fleas are everywhere. Hence "flea season" Plus it seems that everyone in my neighborhood has a cat or two that are outside and whenever I take my pups for a walk they get fleas on them. I wish we had less to no fleas. You are very lucky to live in a place with little to no fleas!

[SkootiesMama]

Had my yearly appointment with my vet today. I took both dogs, Skootie on his leash and Luna in her pet taxi. We got in there and everything was going good. Luna barked alittle when we got in at the vets. They both got wieghed. Luna is 5.3 pounds (at 8 months) and Skootie is 9 pounds (at 1.5 years) Most of it is hair I swear.

Then Skootie wowed the vets and other people in the waiting room with his instant sit and highfive for treats. Skootie will pretty much do anything for food

I had to then drag (literally) Skootie into one of the rooms. I think he realized that the last time he was here someone stole his "berries"

Luna got checked over first and she is doing good. She has 3 baby teeth that the vet wants to take out. She tells me that she will need to be put under and I tell her that I don't think it would be wise because of her Hydrocephalus and the swelling. She is going to look into it and talk to the anesthesiologist and Lunas previous vet and what she did for her spaying surgery. I've heard of dentists freezing the dogs mouth and pulling them that way. She had never heard of that, so we shall see what she finds out. I got an estimate for the 3 teeth extraction and it would be $229.30CAN. The majority of that money is the cost of being put under. Not that I'm cheaping out or anything, everyone I have talked to with a Hydrodog would never recommend it. Nothing else was wrong and she was applied with Advantage for flea treatment. I also got a de-worming pill for both her and Skootie. Apparently there have been alot of worms *yuck* in our area and Skootie had tapeworms once before. There are TONS of cats everywhere in our neighboorhood roaming the streets.

Next Skootie got checked over. He has a luxating patella in the back right knee, but it isn't bugging him so we will just keep our eyes on it. She said that many poms have this problem and unless it isn't causing them distress, there isn't a need for surgery. Skooties knee has popped out 3 times since he was a pup. When he was very little he got beaten up by our friends beagle and it popped out, then it happened at our store when Skootie the Wonder dog decided to take a flying leap into the side of our comfy chair. I guess he thought he could jump that high? He landed on the floor and popped it out. All times I massaged it back into place and he was fine.

Now enters into the situation- a dog in the next room is whining and walking around on the floor. Yikes! Luna is now little Miss Barking Mania! While trying to get her to be quite, I am holding Skootie while he gets poked twice in two seperate places by sharp needles. He did well but as soon as the vet wanted to put that Bordetella up his nose, LOOK OUT! He was growling and squirming everywhere! I've never heard him growl before! Then when he realized that it wasn't a needle and only a liquid going up his nose he calmed down and licked up the rest of the meds. Meanwhile Luna was barking the whole time at Skootie spazing out and the dog whining next door.

SOME OF YOU WERE WONDERING WHAT MY VETS TAKE WAS ON VACCINATIONS - HERE IT IS:

I am very leary about overvaccinating and talked to my vet about it. Although my vets are still researching any new developments in overvacinating, currently the vets at my hospital recommend every year for the first 5 years. Then every 2-3 years following that. Being the Skootie is still young I decided to get him vaccinations for Rabies, Bordetella and his super cocktail for the others. Luna had no vaccinations because she was already still ok with her puppy vaccines. She didn't get the rabies shot because of her Hydrocephalus.

I gave the vets two lovely fecal samples that I bagged up this morning for my freebie fecal flotation analysis. Woohoo!

Now I am ready to pay. We walk out into the waiting room and there is another dog in there. Luna is in her pet taxi and starting to bark like a loon again! Skootie is now spazing out wanting to play with this other dog and I am trying to get my $ out of my wallet without launching things everywhere! Plus I broke my baby toe last night, so my foot is in tons of pain. Luna stop all the barking!!!! What a nightmare!

Here is my damage:
2 Puppy Check-ups $106
2 Puppy De-worming Pills $16
4 Month Supply of Advantage $44
Skooties Cocktails $32
Free Fecal Exam $0
The cost of having a healthy puppy - Priceless

Now I just need to wait until the fecal samples are in and what my vet finds out regarding Lunas dental.

Have a great weekend everyone!

[SkootiesMama]

Just got the results of the fecal exam back and both pups are negative! Yah!

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

That's all good news!! Here's to their continued good health!!

[SkootiesMama]

Some pics of the monsters!

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

OMG! I just love your little Pom! Of course, they're both adorable, but I'm a Pom nut! I love the dark fur and Skootie's perky ears are adorable!! He doesn't look like he weighs 9 pounds in your picture. He looks smaller. Was that a puppy pic or does he just wear his weight well? Cali weighs 9, too.

Tell Luna she is adorable, too!

[SkootiesMama]

Skoots and Luna thank you for the compliments That's a pic of him a couple months ago. He holds his weight well, but I think he has 3 pounds is fur! He's a pom/chi mix but has really taken after his dad. The dad was a black pom and the mom was a longhaired chi that looked like Luna. He is quite a ham! Cali is beautiful!