Bring your paperwork that the breeder gave you to your first visit because they will want to know some things like birth date, always (in the first year or so when lots of shots are administered) bring the vaccination record book Pam and Sheila gave you and ensure they make a copy of it and not just write it down..you will also want to update your copy as your pup receive shots so like I said..bring it so they can fill it in for you. Any questions you have regarding vaccinations I highly suggest asking your vet but also getting in touch with Pam to ask her opinion, she knows her dogs and her lines and she is better equipped than the vet to give you an honest evaluation on which to give. Also try to follow her guidance on neutering and spaying (if you plan to). I know with Oakley I followed their advice. It might be true or not but in my opinion basenjis tend to mature slower and I find they need more time for the growth plates to close before castrating is a wise choice.
Trip to the Vet
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My what an exciting day! I took the day off and we headed out at 10 am to the vet to get Chipley's (alias 'Fat Boy') thyroid tested and see if there is a solution for Nicky's new limp (left rear leg).
On I-4 (my favorite road, not) a van in front of us lost 2 aluminum ladders off the roof, right in front of us. Thank goodness they hit the road and didn't come flying into the cabin, Don managed to run over them both with no damage to the car, as there was nowhere to go, and of course we were in the Prius. Whew. A heart-stopping moment when I saw those 2 big ladders falling off that roof! Could have been a 'life altering' event if we had been closer to the van and they had come through the windshield.
Nicky got her teeth cleaned (ultrasonic, no anesthesia) , and he feels the limp is her anterior cruciate, just 'pulled', not torn, he didn't get a lot of flinching along her back today. So continue moderate exercise and medicate with rimadyl or metacam (got a bottle) as needed. She was barely 26 lbs, so a good weight for her. We weighed Ed and he is 29, down from 32, yea! His ribs are clearly visible so this is a good weight for him. Then we weighed Chip?.35 lbs! OMG, most of it since October, and eating the exact same for and volume as Eddie!
Drew Chip's blood and sent off for full thyroid panel, but considering his rapid weight gain, Lee wanted to do the quick TT4 there in the office. It was 'low normal' but with his symptoms, he recommended .2 mg of the thyroid med twice a day so we will start this evening. I am hopeful that will fix it, but he may really have a very slow metabolism, his heart rate was slow and steady, healthy like an athlete, but it was just 'lub-dubbing' away at about a fourth what a normally stressed dog at the vet runs. Made the vet laugh, so Chipley may have to only eat air and 3 kibbles a day to get his figure back! If this doesn't work I'll be shopping for a larger harness for the boy.
$144, not bad, including 3 bags of the light biscuits I give them occasionally.
It was a lovely day so we stopped at Lettuce Lake Park and walked for a couple of hours, then stopped for BBQ late lunch (yes, all basenjis got many bites of pulled pork) on the way home, YUM!
Got home at 3:30 and everyone is napping, me too very soon. It was a super day to be out and about, pretty good news for all dogs (Ed got off free this time!), great lunch, all in all an unusually nice 'trip to the vet'.
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Uhm, okay, so Chipley is overweight and you want him to be skinny, so you take him to the vet and then you take him for BBQ???? Hmmm, can't think why he'd be packing on extra pounds.<gg>
Flying ladders sounds really scary! Glad everyone was okay.
OH! and if he has to have thyroid meds, you can get 2x the dose and give 1/2 a pill twice a day. It's usually a little cheaper. AND, i figured out that hiding 1/2 a pill in sweet potato fries is easier than hiding a whole one. I just picked up Diggie's thyroid pills. We have to special order them as he does NOT like the flavored ones and they don't keep the unflavored ones in stock. So, we cater to The Diggie.</gg>
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Sounds like a VERY scary incident. Something similar happened to me the other day… Driving behind a truck that had all sorts of junk piled up on the back in a very rickety fashion. I got a bad feeling about the truck and decided to fall way behind -- much to the irritation of the cars behind me, I bet. As soon as we got on the highway and the truck went over 35 miles an hour, WHOOSH, a giant 4 x 6' piece of particle board flew off the truck and behind it into the road. Was definitely glad I had stayed back!
Also, that is an amazing price for all the vet work you got done today. Jealous.
OH! and if he has to have thyroid meds, you can get 2x the dose and give 1/2 a pill twice a day. It's usually a little cheaper.
I just did exactly this! Soloxine (brand name) comes in quite a range of dosages, and all the tablets are scored, so I just put in a order for 0.4 mg pills at 8 cents apiece – which certainly beats the 0.2 mg pills that I was getting for 6 cents apiece. Yes, pennies, but over the lifetime of a dog, it surely adds up.
My vet doesn't typically stock the 0.4 mg dosages, so they didn't even think about this option. I had to go and confirm with them in advance (since I was faxing in an order from an online pharmacy).
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Again, so glad nothing happened. About 3 years ago a pickup truck was carrying a not well secured ladder. It came flying off and sadly went through the windshield of the car behind it, killing the driver. Now, I never drive behind trucks that have stuff on them. I get away safely, but fast!
Wow, that vet bill would have easily cost $300.00 here. I am envious.
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Great idea, Kim! Eddie gets .15 twice a day and I have a bottle full of .1 mg, so am giving Chip 2 of those till I get the full panel back and send the results to Dr. Dodds, she manages Eddie's does and my vet goes along with whatever she says. I like the idea of ordering a 2X dose once I find out what Chip's long term dose will be.
And he only got a few bites of lean pork, haha the humans got all the rest. Luckily I have an "country vet" who is reasonable and practical.
After today, I will try and avoid riding behind anything with stuff strapped on top. My husband usually follows too close, so glad he was not doing that today! I feel very lucky that the car was not even damaged, at least nothing we can see. Way too much excitement for this old gal.
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Wow! That read like something from a scarey movie! So glad you were a safe distance back! Hope there were no bad dreams at nap-time!!!! Miss you guys! Uzie is doing fantastic! Come up here one day for a play date!
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After today, I will try and avoid riding behind anything with stuff strapped on top. My husband usually follows too close, so glad he was not doing that today! I feel very lucky that the car was not even damaged, at least nothing we can see. Way too much excitement for this old gal.
You will have to let me know if that cures him of following too close. I have one of those at my house . . .
Oh, and I loves me some BBQ! Pretty much any form of it.
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Took my car to the dealer today for an inspection. They put it on a lift and checked all the undercarriage and tires and found NO DAMAGE! Yea! Sure made me happy. Who knew a Prius could run over 2 big aluminum ladders at over 50 mph without any damage? Good thing Don was driving and not me, I probably would have swerved and turned us over, and hit other cars for sure. Whew, a lucky day for us.
