Dental costs and benefits.

I got stung for a £160 dental bill - not for me but for my dog Milo. Milo was anaesthetised. The vet shaved fur off his front legs and neck I presume to stick various needles into him. Then he used an ultrasonic device to clean all the tartar off my dog's teeth. There was a lot of tartar. Milo had already lost a tooth and his breath smelt pretty bad. After the operation his breath ceased to smell. I don't know that he appreciated this as a benefit. When I went to collect him from the vet he looked very pissed off. On the way home he tried to left a leg but couldn't balance properly. When we got home he tried to run up stairs but he couldn't make it. He tried again at a more sedate pace and this time he made it. He retired to my bedroom and used it as a recovery suite. He can't have held too much against me. He gave my hand a couple of licks.

The procedure was something of an ordeal and so I have resolved not to put him through that again if I can possibly help it. I have started cleaning his teeth on a daily basis. He hates it. If he sees me getting the tooth brush out he runs to the opposite end of the house. He wriggles and writhes as I try and reach all the teeth. It is two minutes of unpleasantness but then it is over. I tell myself each time that regular brushing will prevent the build up of tartar and that if I stick at it he won't need to undergo another avoidable operation.