Doggie Orthodontia and Carpet Cleaning

In the ongoing saga of Doggie Orthodontia, Nana had her gums sort of "shaved" back in an effort to create a passage for the stubborn lower canines that are coming in too straight and not flaring outward enough.  This involved her being put under anesthesia last Friday.  This made for a very calm and groggy Briard.  I, in my infinite wisdom, thought this mental state would be a perfect opportunity to take her to Meadowfarm Yarn Studio. It was a great idea right up to the point that her bowels decided to have a post op anesthesia fiesta all over the carpet at the Yarn Studio.  I have to wonder where my brain was that day.  I know that she reacts this way, I was just so lost in the - look what a calm puppy euphoria, I forgot about the rest.  Needless to say this did not endear either one of us to my favorite Yarn Shop.  So, I am on the floor trying to scrub the seven to eight "oopses" off the floor of the shop, before driving home and spending the rest of the day taking Nana outside every ten minutes. 

Of course I offered to pay to have the carpets cleaned which Ellen has taken me up on, or more accurately I am paying for half of the cost of the carpet cleaning since Ellen was getting about ready to do that anyway, I just hurried the process.  But more importantly I think I also precipitated the "no pet" policy that is going into place at Meadowfarm.  Sigh.....it was not my intention and Nana isn't the only dog that has "oopsied" there.  I know of another that has graced the carpet.  In addition someone's dog picked out a lovely cashmere ball of yarn for their owner to purchase.  Nana has been guilty of helping me pick a skein of yarn.

Personally, I wouldn't ban dogs - instead I would do a once a year "Dogs Run Amok" sale.  Something that would benefit the local "No Kill" animal shelter with a 10% of purchase donation.  It would work something like this.  Dogs get to pick your yarns off the shelf, which they would be more than happy to do.  Ellen would sell half her stock and there would be some mechanism in place for the owners not to murder their pets at the end of the free for all.  I think it would beat the heck out of the boring "year end sale", "going out of business sale", or "fire sale".

In the mean time I will keep Nana in the car when I visit.  However, in a couple of months I won't be able to visit the shop - summer is brutal here and I will have to fulfill my fiber addiction elsewhere until late in the year when temperatures abate.  Meadowfarm won't notice any big decline in sales, I'm not there biggest customer by a long shot - but hey at least I know their carpets will be clean for those customers who are.

Doggie Orthodontia part 3

Nana at approximately 8 weeks

Last Friday we went to the Doggie Orthodontist for a recheck.  Two weeks of constant supervision, being a human chew toy and lots of walking at Hidden Falls Regional Park had paid off.  She had managed to break the side covering of the retainer, exposing the wires, but all in all it was good.  The exposed wires required the appliance be removed.  Personally I think had it still been intact, he would have told us one more week and I would be a crazy person (okay, crazier than I already am).  I say this because one side is good the other is a little questionable.  However, the new therapy involves the smallest Kong stuffed with peanut butter and chew, chew, chew! Nana gives two paws up to this therapy.  The more she chews the more the teeth will be encouraged to move outward.

Want a stick?  Go for it!
Bite that rubber frisbee! 
Liquid Amber seed pods are a favorite chew delight.

She has certainly gotten easier to live with and it has opened the way to more places I can go and not worry about what she might grab.  So life has gotten a whole lot easier.  And of course the pet insurance has declined to pay.  Hmmm.....and I am paying them why?????

Doggie Orthodontia part 2

Well it is Tuesday and the retainer is (as of this moment) still in her mouth. I have become her favorite chew toy in the process.  I am doing the best I can to keep her tired.  We walk and we walk and we walk on leash.  But I choose where we walk - no sticks, nothing that she might decide to bite. This entails doing laps around the local regional park which has a large population of geese.  Most of our walk is an attempt to make some kind of forward progression while not jumping on me, making wild grabs at my vest, or eating goose poop. I was shocked at how large a goose poop can be,  it is the size of a small dinner plate.  I, in desperation, bought a muzzle so that I can let her run on the back pasture at the barn. Put the muzzle on, let her run, take it off and hopefully have a tired puppy.  Yes, I am very conflicted at having bought a muzzle for a very sweet puppy.  Besides, it pushes all her hair up and I'm not sure she can see anything.  She is so desperate to chew on something that she has taken to whirling like a dervish in pursuit of her tail.  She hasn't mastered the art of not getting dizzy yet and falls over - but is up again to chase it in the other direction.  Briards are comical dogs and need things to do, she is a very busy girl and I am working hard to find things for her that don't entail biting me or anything else.  This is a very short term problem and I will know if this retainer is working on Friday - hopefully we will both survive until then.  Oh, and just as a side note most of my friends are laughing at me for having a dog with a retainer.

Doggie Orthodontia

Two weeks ago my dog went to the dentist and came home with a retainer in her mouth that she will have to wear, if she doesn't break it first, for the next couple of weeks.  If you have stopped laughing I will explain why she had to have a splint (retainer).  It wasn't for cosmetic reasons, it was strictly medical.  Her lower canines were coming in straight up and into the roof of her mouth.  She has a narrow lower jaw with a slight underbite.  Her adult canines came in on the inside of her baby canines.  For about a week she had double canines. Hmmm....this didn't look good, so I grabbed a friend, who conveniently is a vet, to look at her mouth.  Which is why I found myself with an immediate appointment with a doggie orthodontist.  And in the immortal words of that vet as we sat on the floor of the exam room with the patient "Your screwed, those canines are going to grow into the roof of her mouth causing holes which become vectors for infection and then we will have to file her adult canines down and risk of infection is........"  Damn.

So.....there is a narrow window of opportunity to intervene as the adult canines are coming in to get them to shift outward and not drill holes into the roof of my dogs mouth.  As my youngest daughter said this morning: "How do you end up with all these high maintenance pets?!?!"  She was laughing....as I tried to protest that I don't go out looking for them, how was I suppose to know that the rescue cat I adopted had thyroid disease and needed a compounded medicine from a little boutique pharmacy.  Once they are mine, they are mine and it is what it is.

But in the meantime it is awful.  No toys for Nana, nothing to chew on, her food has to be soaked to mush and I can give her Benadryl to try and calm her.  She is a very busy girl and I am trying to come up with alternatives during this next week that will keep her interest and her mouth empty.  Not easy when you are only 5 months old and you think everything belongs in the mouth.  I've explained it to her, but I just don't think she gets it.