Saturday, July 24, 2010

I Almost Fainted.


Let's be honest, I never ACTUALLY believed the whole I-heard-something-so-dramatic-and-incredibly-life-altering-that-I-fainted scenario. Granted, I've never had a loved one unexpectedly pass or won the lottery, which are the only two examples I can think that would induce such a response. So, imagine my surprise when just such an experience was presented in my life!

We've had Choco for 4 years, during which time, he's been a lovable, sweet, smart, enjoyable dog to have...and our only 'kid' to take care of. When Kavella was born, well, I don't want to say he became neglected, but....he certainly wasn't our priority anymore. Pomeranians have a propensity for terrible teeth/gums (yes, I DID just share some of the responsibility with his genes). Okay, okay, so after a year went by with minimal dental attention, his breath reeked! I don't mean like slightly offensive, but still so cute you can overlook it smell. I mean, if he licked your hand, you'd have to wash the wretched smell off immediately or risk passing out from asphyxiation. We decided to have a bit of puppy dental surgery done to clean and extract some of his teeth. Well, clean them all, but extract the ones that were too "bad." Such a procedure requires a dog to be anesthetized in order to perform the dental work.

So, here comes the fainting part. Note, we paid $1,250 for Choco, which I realize is ridiculous, but you should have seen how cute he was! The doctor came in and gave us an estimate between $800 and $1,350, leaning more toward the high end of pricing. I kid you not, the room began flickering with little white specs and even began rocking back and forth. WHAT!?! That's MORE than we paid for him!! After regaining my composure, we agreed to have the much-needed work performed.

Choco is a new dog! His breath doesn't smell AT ALL and we can enjoy him again! I couldn't believe the difference his dental work made and now we have the ability to stay 'on top' of his teeth in order to prevent this from occurring again! Seriously, friends, you will love being around Choco again--come over and see! In the end, I talked the hospital down to $998 total; under a grand, but worth a million! And, I thought a refrigerator was a HUGE expense....





6 comments:

{autie} said...

sick!
Glad you can enjoy a kiss or two from him now!

Jenn said...

Yeah, things that are actually alive, always cost more than anything else. Glad you talked the hospital down. How did you do that? Maybe I can talk someone down so I can afford this baby!

Morgan said...

Poor Choco!! But, I'm glad his breath doesn't stink SO bad now!

Anonymous said...

For that price the vet should've glued diamonds to his teeth! I can't even afford the 200 dollars for Annie's surgery on a blood clot in her ear flap - which could be life-threatening, (but the chance of that is minimal at best)! Her one ear is all ballooned out and looks totally ridiculous; we're treating it with an antiobotic for now. Love, Mom

Richmond Rookie said...

Being a dental assistant, I LOVE this post! Glad to hear you are armed with the knowledge of how to prevent a relapse. Ahem, this approach works for humans too - go see your dentist, people! Btw, you are a great writer:)

Beaners said...

First of all... MOTHER!! Take care of my puppy!!! Get her the 200 dollar surgery, I will pay you! I don't want my first really puppy to die from a ballooned ear, what a stupid thing to die from! Poor Annie. Why do you never tell me these things when I talk to you??? Second, yes, poor Choco Buddy, but he's so much happier now! And we all love being around him 100 times more! And it wasn't him before, it was just his stinky breath. I mean seriously, if he licked my hand and I smelt my hand afterward, I would almost pass out, I really wish I was joking when I said that. Pass out or gag to the point of almost vomiting. Anywho! I love him so much and he is just a brand new puppy!! I can't wait for him and Bandit to meet again when Choco isn't high off anesthetics, and Bandit doesn't think he's a girl... I miss you so much! Call me dangit!! Get back from Powell and call me! It's almost a joke. We WERE going to buy $50 plane tickets to come out there because JetBlue was having a sale, but NO. You hate me. Love yoU!