Wanted: One Tooth Fairy

Well, it was Monty's turn to have his teeth cleaned at the vet under anaesthetic today. I was told that he didn't have any bad teeth, but gum disease and needed them cleaned and the gums treated with antibiotics, which sounded fair enough. Susie had the same thing and 6 teeth extracted and she has been a new dog since then, with no sign of the foul breath she has had for years! So off we went this morning, ready to pay R1 300 and have a clean-toothed dog.

I had a phone call from the vet later to say that I mustn't get a shock but Monty had to have 20 teeth removed, as they were all loose in the sockets! Now this vet never does anything unnecessary and leans towards the conservative side when treating my animals, believing, as I do, that most things will get better on their own anyway. So I had no problem with his diagnosis and he assured me that Monty would be getting painkillers and antibiotics to see him through this.

I went to pick him up in the afternoon and pay the increased bill of R2 200, as he had needed a much longer anaesthetic and all those extractions. There must have been quite a bit of blood, as all his facial fur was damp and the vet told me that they had done what they could to clean him up but he would need a bath in a day or so. I felt so bad for them, because I know how gums can bleed - I've been to the hygienist myself! He presented me with a plastic bag bearing 20 teeth and I was a little startled to see that most of them were still perfect and white and that 2 of them looked like canines. Fortunately the tooth structure of dogs is not like ours and he still has his front canines, but the poor dog now has no front teeth, top or bottom, and has a smile like a Cape Flats special!

Of course, He Who Can Fix Anything except his dog's teeth nearly had apoplexy when he heard. Perhaps I shouldn't have even told him. It could have been a week before he noticed. After all, Monty doesn't walk around with his jaw agape. As usual, it was the combined fault of the vet and me that the dog had been traumatised by the loss of so many teeth at once, despite Monty having eaten two chicken thighs as soon as he got home and a handful of dry dog pellets!

It seems that Monty will be used to his toothless grin long before his devoted dad! Oh, and I haven't told him what it cost. It seems so unnecessary to traumatise him further.