I'll try to make this short.
Last Wednesday my dad asked me if I would take my parents' 9 (almost 10) year old dachshund to the vet (my dad had a spinal stroke 3 1/2 years ago and is confined to a wheelchair now so getting around isn't easy for him). The dog, Joey, had been coughing and sneezing for about a week and green stuff had started to spray out whenever he sneezed. My mom just opened a new restaurant and is working 12-14 hours a day so finding time isn't easy for her. As a stay at home mom, I am more flexible and was able to get Joey in right away.
The vet took one look at him and said he had lost all muscle tone in his face. Then he looked at his teeth. They were awful. Vet said he would need to have a tooth extraction done after being on antibiotics for a week. Apparently, the sneezing was from an infection that had gotten into the nasal passages, which was caused by severe dental disease.
I brought Joey to my house the next day because I knew he would get much more attention and care here. My two boys who are 7 and 4 love him and I have two doxie/shih tzu mixes that he likes to play with. Anyway, yesterday was the tooth extraction appointment. When I picked him up in the afternoon, I was informed every single tooth had to come out. I was shocked but I believed it, the poor dogs teeth were so bad and his breath was horrid.
I talked to my mom and we decided I would keep Joey for good. He is very happy at my house and we have plenty of room for him to run and play. Now I need to hear from people who have dealt with a senior dog who has no teeth. I was told soft food (obviously) and that I might even want to mix that with water. What has worked for other? Also, how long until Joey is feeling like himself again? It. Ales my heart so sad to see such a lively dog be so blah and I'm just waiting for him to start running around and annoying my poor old cat again.
Thanks in advance for any helpful advice!
Jessica
Last Wednesday my dad asked me if I would take my parents' 9 (almost 10) year old dachshund to the vet (my dad had a spinal stroke 3 1/2 years ago and is confined to a wheelchair now so getting around isn't easy for him). The dog, Joey, had been coughing and sneezing for about a week and green stuff had started to spray out whenever he sneezed. My mom just opened a new restaurant and is working 12-14 hours a day so finding time isn't easy for her. As a stay at home mom, I am more flexible and was able to get Joey in right away.
The vet took one look at him and said he had lost all muscle tone in his face. Then he looked at his teeth. They were awful. Vet said he would need to have a tooth extraction done after being on antibiotics for a week. Apparently, the sneezing was from an infection that had gotten into the nasal passages, which was caused by severe dental disease.
I brought Joey to my house the next day because I knew he would get much more attention and care here. My two boys who are 7 and 4 love him and I have two doxie/shih tzu mixes that he likes to play with. Anyway, yesterday was the tooth extraction appointment. When I picked him up in the afternoon, I was informed every single tooth had to come out. I was shocked but I believed it, the poor dogs teeth were so bad and his breath was horrid.
I talked to my mom and we decided I would keep Joey for good. He is very happy at my house and we have plenty of room for him to run and play. Now I need to hear from people who have dealt with a senior dog who has no teeth. I was told soft food (obviously) and that I might even want to mix that with water. What has worked for other? Also, how long until Joey is feeling like himself again? It. Ales my heart so sad to see such a lively dog be so blah and I'm just waiting for him to start running around and annoying my poor old cat again.
Thanks in advance for any helpful advice!
Jessica