Question:
The vet says that Lucy has to have to her teeth cleaned. How much is that?
She hasn't had her teeth cleaned yet, as far as I know.
Then she has a cyst on her back which needs to be removed.
And she's overweight.
As she's getting older (around 9 or 10) she refuses to walk her usual walk
and wants to eat three meals a day (whenever we eat). We feed her people
food (meat only) combined with dog food. What do you think about a meat
only diet? Would that be less calories. I don't think we'll be able to cut
out the three times a day.
Answer:
I've had it done 2x for Dakota, $60 but thats because she has to be
anesthized for them to do it, their policy for large dogs.
Dakota used to get people food, meat, rice or eggs only, practically 7 nights a
week with her dog food but my Vet told me as they get older their pancreas
can't handle meat as it does at a younger age and that I should stop it to
avoid potential health risks.
Do you use a senior dog food, Dakota is on an "adult" grade for a few yrs now,
technically she should be on senior according to the package but I just go with
"adult".
The pancreas can't handle the fat and the dog can get pancreatitis. My vet
told me he gets lots of dogs with pancreatitis around Thanksgiving because they
get fed all kinds of table scraps and people food. But a little chopped
chicken breastassee is a good source of protein.
You mean how much does it cost? For Bob it's about $125. The main cost is the
anesthesia. Because of Lucy's age, I would ask questions about how necessary
it really is to clean her teeth now. It's good to get them cleaned but the
anesthesia is a bitch. If she's 9 years old and never had her teeth cleaned,
they are probably a mess, so she probably needs it done badly, and I wouldn't
be surprised if a tooth or two has to come out. How's her breath? Btw,
consider yourself lucky if she only needs a cleaning. Bob's teeth cost me
$2200 to get fixed.
I would not do the meat only diet. She needs the nutrition of a good senior
dog food. Although that's a whole debate in itself. Feed her three times a
day, but cut back on the quantity. A lot of people do the green bean diet to
bring a dogs weight down. Mix green beans with the dry dog food. It fills
them up without fat and calories. Also, there are plenty of "diet" dog foods
out there. If you change her diet though, do it gradually, or she'll get a bad
case of the shits.
The cyst is no big deal. One or two stitches. She won't feel a thing. Bob has
had a few removed also. They heal up quick.
