November
2012
A lot to be thankful for – 8 months post amputation3
It amazes me that I am writing this post. I hoped, but tried never to be unrealistic, about our venture. I am a little premature on our completion of 8 months, but considering tomorrow is thanksgiving I felt the need to write a post early for thanksgiving for all the tripods out there. Recently I saw on Facebook a tripod elephant; I thought Bailey was amazing and I still think he is, but that elephant was incredible.
The update on Bailey is he is still he with us and doing just fine. His eyesight has severely diminished. Sometimes he seems confused on how to get back in the house or where I am and it breaks my heart, but then every night he meets me in the bedroom for me to pick him up and to go to sleep next to me – exactly where he has been for 18 1/2 years and I can tell he is still happy and just adjusting to his new life.
The next big decision for us is whether to have his teeth cleaned. They have not been cleaned for several years now. I think we stopped when he was 15 or 16 considering his age, but now his breath STINKS and his teeth don’t look so great. His vet is fine with cleaning them after the first of the year if he is still doing fine, but I have some apprehension. He has always done well with anesthesia but considering his now age and cancer I just don’t know what to do. I would be devastated if he died because we had his teeth cleaned, but I would feel the same if periodontal disease caused an infection that impacted his health. Any thoughts?
Happy Thanksgiving and a big thanks to this tripawd community for always being there for my family.
Well, first and foremost, congratulations to Bailey on his 8 Month Ampuversary! He is quite an inspirational guy. I hope you and Bailey have an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving!
As for the teeth, I can’t offer too much advice there. But I was thinking, maybe if you just did it at home, instead of at the vet. Maybe get some of that beef-flavored toothpaste and give as good a brushing as you can at home. Then, maybe you could just have his teeth checked by his vet to make sure everything looks good. Hopefully someone else will chime in with some good advice.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Whow what an amazing dog Bailey!! You are an example for all tripawds and people who still have to take the decision whether or not they should go ahead with the amputation.
I hope Bailey will keep on doing well.
Happy Thanksgiving from Belgium
Happy Ampuversary Bailey! I swear I think you are the oldest Tripawd in the history of dog, ever! You ROCK!
As for the teeth cleaning…well yeah, that’s a scary one. I’ve read that modern anesthesia, if done properly, isn’t any more risky for senior dogs than older ones. Ask your vet what s/he will do to mitigate the risks for a dog his age. But I also like Maximutt’s idea. There are lots of great new products you can try at home to keep his teeth cleaner than they were. They might not completely clean them, but it’s worth a try dontcha think?