My sister, in possession of a 15 year old dog who has seen a vet maybe six times.
He seems like an old man, sometimes he is perky and bouncy, for his age. He also likes to lay around and do nothing for a whole day or so, once in a while. Today he scared the living daylights out of my sister and her kids. Bleeding from the mouth. Tracking it down was easy, his large molar way in the back was more than halfway out. There was no “rot” although I am not a dentist, the tooth looked whole. How normal is this, and what should I look for in his other teeth. Many others feel a little loose too. Is this normal for his age?
He has had bad breath problems for several months could this be related. She is afraid to take him to a vet. If it will cost to much money, what are her options. Can you guide me in what to tell her? If she is insistent (she has already asked) should I try to pull any other loose teeth? The only reason I pulled the one is it was already out most of the way. She may also decide it is time to put him down. Is it? The only other health problem he has that I can tell is his eyes are reallllly cloudy. I have already told her to take him to a vet. Lack of $$$ was the expected response. I know there will be many to condemn her for his lack of medical care. He has only been sick once and went to see the vet that time. Other times were for Shots. Help me help this dog and my sister. Thank you.
P.S. He is a healthy shape, not malnourished, loved, cuddled, curmudgeon of a dog. He was eating fine an hour before they called me. She said he snarfed it right down, which is normal for him.
Skipping over the dog’s immediate issues, which I’m not qualified to comment on, can you at least tell your sister that the dog is going to need veterinary care at some point in the not to distant future, and she should START SAVING?
If she loves the dog, then put $10 a week aside in a vet fund or something. (Better yet, call the vet, find out how much it costs to put a dog down, and then save up to that point as fast as possible.) It may sound grim, but it’s a lot less cruel than watching the dog get some age-related ailment and suffer terribly for months because she can’t afford to put him down. (I know, the dog is fine now, except for the teeth. But chances are he won’t always be, and when that day comes she needs to be ready.)
And someday when the dog does die, she should not get another pet if she can’t afford to take care of it.
Another thought - are you anywhere near a university with a vet school? You might be able to get cheaper treatment there. Also, call your local humane society/SPCA and ask if there are options for people who can’t afford vet care. There may be a kind vet who would give a discount, although I think most docs probably do that more for spaying/neutering than anything else.
CairoCarol,
Your advice has been heeded already, many times. I can’t force her to do that though. If it comes to that, she will probably be asking me for a loan. If I have the money at that time is the only real question. While I do like the little fart, I can’t see me paying out bigger bucks to have his current problem taken care of. One of the reasons she called me for this is, She can’t stick her fingers in his mouth. He has and will bite her. He has never bitten me. He struggled a little when I carefully forced his mouth open, no growl, no bite. Several years ago, I also had the honor of removing two bone fragments from his mouth. He was acting very sullen, licking his mouth, and other odd behavior. He was probably three at the time. I should have studied to be a vet.
We frequently see ancient (in the neighborhood of age 18 or more) toothless chihuahuas. Actually it seems like they usually lose most or all of their teeth by age 12. They can do okay without teeth if they are fed a soft diet. The major concern is infected teeth and gums which could lead to kidney and heart infections septicemia.
If she can’t afford to get proper veterinary care, such as blood work to assess organ function, dental extractions and antibiotics then about all you can do is keep him comfortable, make sure he’s able to eat, not in pain and all that. If it gets to the point where his quality of life is not good, he’s in pain, or suffering from other problems and she feels it is time to put him down then she may be able to have it done through your local shelter for less money. No guarantees on that though since their policies will vary.
Right now his quality of life doesn’t sound too bad if he’s still eating and somewhat active.
Last I saw of him, he was sleeping after his ordeal. He looked a lot better after the bleeding stopped. I didn’t see any puss but if I can swing it I’ll pupnap him to the vet. I don’t think he is ready for the needle anytime soon. He gotta lotta bark left in him I think. That won’t hold true for long though if he doesn’t get seen.
Cheaper at a vet school? Doubtful, it is usually more expensive… though they may be more willing to work with you in terms of payment plans (mostly because they’re too damn expensive). I do agree that discounts and looking around for a deal are good ideas, and that the dog will need vet care.
Small older dogs tend to have dental problems. Many do fine without any teeth and live into really old age (late teens, early 20s). Though you may not have seen “rot”, was there a lot of yellow-grayish gritty, hard, plaque-like accumulation around that teeth (or others)? That plus the bad mouth smell could be signs of dental disease. Of course, there are other things that can cause bad mouth smell and/or loss of teeth. A vet could do a checkup and diagnose.
The cloudiness in the eyes could either be cataracts or other normal changes associated with aging. A vet can look at them and tell you.
Now that my dog’s 16, they give him a “senior checkup” and they want to put him under and give him a thorough teeth cleaning every year, but I’ve told them I only want it every two years because his teeth have been perfect so far. However, evidently it’s a big issue with older dogs.
She is gonna take him in on her payday. I guess she is going to talk to the vet, and see what arrangements can be made. I guess that lets me off the hook for awhile. BTW I cooked up some ground beef, plain. Took it over to her house, he snarfed it down. Didn’t chew anything but he definitely has an appetite. Told her to put anything that looks like he would have to chew into the food processor for him. She jokingly asked if I thought he would need a straw. ha ha . Funny sister, eh?
I am not a vet, but you might want to be careful with the ground beef. It may be too rich for him, though I don’t doubt that he loves it. Boiled chicken and the like is usually more like it when you want to give a treat to an oldster.
The only way he eats eggs is if you crumble up bacon and mix it in. Then he glares at you while he eats. When he was a young-un, he would eat tomatoes, lettuce, green beans. He only wants meat these past few years. He has never liked eggs. He does love chicken, sadly I don’t have any. My father gives him chicken jerky, but he is going to start soaking it first now.
