Hello Everyone:
Chip went back for his 2 week checkup in Knoxville today. The vet said that he has healed better than she thought he would. The hole has completely healed around the stitches. She would have had to sedate him and open up that hole to remove the stitches so she opted to leave it alone. She said the stitches will dissolve in about 60 days but to watch for any signs of infection, etc. Poor Chip was scared to death when he got there. He would have nothing to do with the girl that he liked so much the first time around. He hid under my chair. When he went into see the Vet and I put him on the table, he tried to climb up me and was shaking all over
I felt so sorry for him. She tried to open his mouth to look and he would have none of it. I tipped him on his back so she could look. When I set him on the floor, he hid under a chair and wouldn't come when he was called to leave. I had to start out the door and tell him I was going home and then he ran after me. Poor little thing - when the surgery was done the first time, I thought he was traumatized and today only confirmed it. The vet is real nice and felt bad because he was so scared. Anyway, she gave me a nice little toothbrushing kit and instructions on how to brush his teeth. She said to brush every other day and start out by letting him taste the toothpaste and only brush one tooth after he is used to that, then brush two teeth and keep going slowly until he gets used to it and it doesn't bother him. She also said I could use my finger. She recommended a special dog food that is quite like a treat and he can have up to five pieces of it a day. It is prescription Science Diet t/d and feed him his regular dog food too. He really likes it so that is good. He has to go back in six months for an x-ray and he will have to be sedated for about 2 minutes. Needless to say that I cuddled him and loved on him all the way home.