Vocal Voices

I took Millie in for a check up - we haven't been since February!!!!

We never even made it into the surgery. We got into the waiting room and he was just seeing one patient off. Then he whisked us into the staff room to see all the nurses and the rep from a food company! Everyone made a big fuss of Millie.

He gave her a good look over, commented that she could still do with putting a couple of kilos on and that he would get one of the nurses to research food for us (which prompted the food rep to give me a tray of ID), had a cursory glance at her leg and then just fussed over her. He had a quick look at her teeth as her breath is smelly - he removed a little plaque from one of her teeth with his finger - and said that we could try her on those hide bone things and see how she gets on as that will keep her teeth in good condition (I am conscious that she no longer actually chews anything).

I updated him about the insurance - I rang them yesterday and it is still with the underwriters but they said for me to ring back in a couple of weeks as they may have heard back from them by then - and he was fine.

He said he would get the nurse to ring me about food choices and what sort of price they could do it for (he said that they would do it at cost to us) just to see if we can get her on something slightly higher in calories to boost her weight a little more but if not he is happy with her putting weight on slowly. He suggested we add cod liver oil to some of her food as that would help with her joints and also add a few extra calories.

He was really pleased and doesn't want to see us again unless there are any problems.

He did ask if he could contact me if they ever have another dog come in with a stricture and the owner wants to know what to expect on a day to day basis. He said that I was an expert on it now! I agreed, of course - I would have found it so helpful to have been able to get information from someone. We couldn't really even find anything about it on the internet, let alone speak to anyone.

If Carling done vets.....

What a fab update - you definitely have a vet in a million there Debih; hang on to him

As a matter of interest , could you try puppy food on Millie - alternating one feed with regular and then puppy food? It's usually a lot richer than the adult dog food and may just give Millie those extra calories that she needs and it wouldn't have to cost the earth?

Brilliant news all round
Teeth are a bit of a concern for us too, although Minnie has dry food she can't have any of the chews/dentistix etc, they all make her throw up

Awww

With chewing things would Stag Bars be any good?? Billy is a very destructive chewer but he can't get the better of one of those and has had his since last Summer and hasn't chewed any of it off.

Funnily enough we were discussing puppy food with DD. We have tried her on it and she loved it so I am going to get her some next time I go to Pets at Home to alternate with her normal food.

I have never heard of a Stag Bar Jo. I will have a look. Anything that she can chew on but not get big chunks off to swallow. We weren't sure about the raw hide things as I know it is possible to get bits off. He said that whatever we try to do it when we are around, just in case.

If it's the same thing I'm thinking of then Stag Bars are good. Are they stag horns? If yes, then my sister has one for their dog and as Jo says; they are indestructible. Or what about good plain old marrow bones from the butcher? The marrow is quite healthy I'd have thought and the bone cannot be chewed through as such but should give the teeth a bit of a work out?

Or something like this: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_ ... tes/202349

Royal Canin also do a dental dry food for dogs, but the link is too long to post on here and Di, you could use them for Minnie; but not for Millie Debih; sorry. But hopefully the plaque off would work

Pets At Home sell them or you can get them directly from the company http://www.stagbars.com/

Ria, yes...they're antlers which have been discarded

I'd honestly say not the hide chews, since Millie's a gobbler; when Minnie had them we had to watch her like a hawk as she would swallow big bits, especially when it was near the end, and they definitely eat them!
As for marrowbones, well no, they do indeed chew through the bones enough to break bits off and swallow them. A lot of vets say not to give them anyway as sharp bits can break off and go into the stomach, although others say it's fine.

The plaque-off stuff looks interesting and Minnie should be ok with that, but right now I'm not spending any more than absolutely necessary
I'll look into the staghorns too, that would depend on whether she actually liked them

Edited to add - just looked at the stagbars, ooh they look nice She just might get a treat.