The Scottish Fold.

Stanley, the Scottish Fold, and his buddy, Iris, had to have dental work.

Stanley, at nine years old, had to go in for another dental cleaning and a probable extraction Tuesday.  Iris was going along, too.  Because they were both going in at the same time, I put Stanley in his carrier.  He loves to travel, of course, but not in a carrier.  He was unhappy from the start. 

Come to  find out, once I left him at the veterinarian’s office, they had to mask him to get him out of the carrier.  Wow.  They made it sound like he was a total wild cat.  I was surprised to hear what a stinker he was at there. Oh, it’s true, he has a history with veterinarians.  But not since he was a few weeks old.  And that’s another story.

Next time, I will take him out of the carrier myself.  In fact, I won’t put him in the carrier at all.  He does better traveling on my lap.  I do put his harness on when we go to the veterinarian’s office because they prefer animals to be leashed or in a carrier.  Anyway, maybe if we do things more in the routine, that will make a difference.  Maybe. Anyway, as a result of the extra anesthetic, he was a little more sedate than Iris when I picked them up in the evening.  I took him out of his carrier first and put him in the utility room where their litter box, food and water is.  Then I retrieved Iris from her carrier and put her inside.  That was a mistake. 

Stanley, even in his twilight state, was going to take revenge on someone and it was, of course, Iris.  He made a few groggy, wobbly steps toward her as she hissed and ran out of range.  Just par for the course, even in his altered state.  Poor Iris.

Stanley was better tempered once he ate some moist food and had some water.  They both were back to normal by the next morning.

So, I have some new dental care products to try.  For quite a while, Stanley has received daily treats that are advertised for dental care.  He eats quality dry food and a half a tablespoon of quality moist food in the evening.  Some time ago I did purchase a toothbrush with chicken flavored “toothpaste”, but couldn’t get him to participate in that process. 

The goodie bag from the veterinarian included another toothbrush and paste, treats, and some additive for their water.  Stanley likes the treats, so that’s good.  I will start adding the additive to the water tomorrow and I’ll try the toothbrush again after their gums heal, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.  Anything to try to avoid more extractions.  Actually, I just heard of an extract that removes plaque and other impurities from water and from your body, so I have ordered it.  That should be a great solution to this ongoing dental problem.  We will see.

So, as I reflect back on this veterinary visit, really it is not the first adventure a veterinarian has had with Stanley; I flashback to the visits Stanley has had since he was just a week or two old . . . I’ll add those adventures shortly. 

September 28, 2011