While walking through the cemetery with Olga on Sunday, I found another discarded owl in the rubbish bin. I found that green one several years ago and hung him on our garden fence, and now he has a companion. I'm not sure why rusty metal owls are a thing at our cemetery. (The rubbish bins are huge metal cages and easy to see into -- I'm not digging through a narrow trash can. Allow me to preserve a modicum of dignity by making that clear.)
It's looking like this is going to be a very expensive autumn and winter. Not only am I flying back and forth to Florida twice (and Dave once), and not only are we preparing to have tree work done in the garden, and not only are fuel prices skyrocketing, but we've also just learned that Olga needs dental surgery! We took her to the vet last night for her swollen nose, even though it has subsided once again, and the vet determined that she probably has a dental abscess, as I suspected. She has two fistulas -- and this is a little gross so if you want to skip this part, please do. Fistulas are openings that form when an internal infection needs to drain, and they both formed where her cheek meets her gum on one side of her mouth. They look like little sores, but they actually go deep into the tissue.
The vet cleaned them out and she's on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories (Metacam, once again) but the vet recommended surgery to remove the affected tooth, a large incisor.
You may remember that several years ago, a vet suggested a root canal for one of Olga's incisors, because it was discolored. Well, ironically, that's not the one that's infected, but this vet said the darkened tooth should probably come out too. So it looks like she'll have both incisors removed, which is going to cost in the neighborhood of £2,200. They will do x-rays beforehand to make sure the teeth are really the problem.
Also ironically, when we've taken Olga to the vet for past checkups, the attending doctors usually exclaim about how good her teeth look! So it's interesting that while they've looked superficially healthy, and she's been gnawing Dentastix like there's no tomorrow, there was rot going on deep down that we never knew about. (Probably damage from all that Kong-chewing.)
Anyway, we don't yet have a timetable for all this. I think we're waiting for the antibiotics to kick in and her infection to clear a bit first.
The tree service guy, meanwhile, came yesterday morning to take a look at the garden for an estimate. He hasn't given us one yet, but I explained what needed to be done and he took lots of photos. He said because we live in a tree conservation area they'll have to get special permits for work on the walnut tree, and that will take some extra time, but they're booked up until January anyway. So this isn't going to happen imminently.
When it rains, it pours!
Speaking of pouring, we're finally getting rain! It rained heavily last night and the night before, and briefly yesterday afternoon. The plants are looking happy and green.
An expensive time indeed,hope all goes well.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, poor Olga. I sounds very expensive! Is she insured? I have discovered a lump on Lex's gum and when I googled it yesterday I didn't read too far, just phoned the vet ! It could be something nasty and I am so worried. (...he isn't insured, though he has saved up nearly £5K in his " insurance account" !!....Appointment not til Friday )
ReplyDeleteOlga's teeth sound like mine, rotting from the inside out. I hope her surgery is successful and she has no more trouble.
ReplyDeleteWe're in the wrong jobs.
ReplyDeletePoor Olga, glad you have got it sorted anyway. At least she doesn't know about the dentist so she won't be quaking like I would be. lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
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Poor Olga and poor you. Yes, when it rains it pours.
ReplyDeletePoor Olga! The estimated cost seems quite outrageous to me. Will she be in surgery for a month? As for down and out men riffling through rubbish bins, this is something I often see in parks and cemeteries. Usually they are looking for unfinished takeaway food or cigarette stubs that still have mileage.
ReplyDeleteExpensive times indeed. Sorry about Olga and her dental work.
ReplyDeletePet dentistry is outrageous. We've spent thousands over the years on various pets who've needed dental work. It's insane, but it needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteThat old rock and a hard place.
I'll be spending $3200 next month to take down an old oak and several smaller oaks leaning over my roof. Estimated $6000 sometime in the next few years to take down the 4 huge pines and other oaks that will need a crane when I can save enough. Has to be done. Hidden cost of living in Maine.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about Olga's teeth.
ReplyDeletePoor Olga. But isn't she very resigned for a dog with such massive dental problems?
ReplyDeleteMy cat had eight teeth pulled yesterday (he is a very unhappy puss right now) to the tune of $1,500. And he has at least three more that have to come out when he heals up from this go-round. I remind myself that he is worth every cent.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found the other owl...seems to be from the same mold or close to it. Sorry to hear about Olga's teeth, and do hope her needed surgery will go well. Trees and trips to FL are yet again other things to consider! Glad you got rain finally!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! That is a lot of money for a doggy dental procedure. I suppose. I have no idea, really. And I guess it's not surprising that dogs can get horrible infections and abscesses- look at the things they gnaw on.
ReplyDeleteWell, she is your darling Olga and of course you'll do what you need to. Good luck!
Man - I think I'm going to quit complaining about how much I spend on my teeth! Also it's so wild to me how impervious to pain Olga is - I was VERY WHINY when I had an abscessed tooth.
ReplyDeleteI think if someone sorted through one day's worth of trash being hauled off to the landfill and laid it out in the street before all of us, we would all be amazed at what is being thrown out.
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge mountain along the way from my house to our state capital. It rises up from a flat plain of highly productive croplands. It wasn't there when I was a child.
Poor Olga has a lot of dental work in future. I hope it all goes well for her.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about Olga's dental problems. I'm hoping it goes easily.
ReplyDeleteThat tree trimming will be costly too. They just did a lot of tree trimming where I live. I wondered if they had trimmed a tree that is outside my balcony. It was pretty scraggly looking. They didn't just trim it, they took the whole tree out. That was a surprise.
Poor Olga. At least that explains the swelling that comes and goes. 2200 pounds seems very expensive but I'm guessing the cost is due to the vet being in London. Have you called other vets? It might be cheaper someplace else. Why isn't your landlord paying for the tree removal?
ReplyDeletePoor Olga. I agree with Pixie... perhaps you should get a second opinion AND why aren't the landlords covering the tree expense?
ReplyDeleteGlad you're getting some rain!
I might be tempted to get on a train with Olga and go to the farmland area in Kent, Get a farm vet who is able to do the dentistry for a lot less $$$$. Of course, in farmland the vets may use a hammer instead of surgical instruments and anesthesia. Do what is best for Olga, as I am sure you will. The pain of tooth infection is severe. Your carbon footprint , as it is called, is large. BUT you do not drive and that is half the battle isn[t it. Besides there is nothing we can do about the Thwaites Glacier now...
ReplyDeleteDental work on animals costs SO much! Older Daughter had to pay a lot to have her cat's teeth cleaned in Los Angeles. It does sound like an expensive fall. :( Some seasons/times are like that. I have many bills and insurances due in fall so I can relate.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about Olga's tooth problem. Hope the dental surgery fixes the problem. Trees should be your landlord's problem.
ReplyDeleteSo some of the best plans can go of the rails.
ReplyDeleteGZ: Thanks!
ReplyDeleteFrances: No, we don't insure her, so this will be out-of-pocket. Sorry about Alexi's gum! Let me know what happens.
River: Thanks. I really think she probably damaged them over the years, playing with her Kong. It's pretty hard rubber.
Tasker: Ha! I wouldn't want to have to remove a dog's infected teeth, though. Bleah.
Briony: That is true! There's an advantage to living in the moment!
Mitchell: I do worry a little about how this will affect her, but knowing her, she won't even notice it.
YP: If all goes well she'll be in in the morning and out that same evening!
Boud: Thanks.
Bob: I think this may be the first time I've had dental surgery done on a pet. But seeing those fistulas convinced me it has to be done.
Lynn Marie: Oh no! Sorry you have to remove so many trees. I hate even having to trim ours, but as you said, it has to be done.
Colette: Well, it's just the cost of being an old dog!
Sabine: Oh, looking at her, you'd never know there was anything wrong. (Except for the swelling.) She doesn't display the slightest sign of pain or discomfort.
Peter: Oh no! Sorry about the cat's teeth. My stepmother had all of her dog's teeth pulled (a chihuahua). Apparently it's not uncommon in older animals.
Barbara: Yes, I was surprised at how well the owls match. Clearly the same manufacturer!
Ms Moon: All things considered, though, she's been pretty healthy her whole life. We've only had one other surgery and she had some gastric infections when we first got her.
Bug: It is amazing how impervious she is. I think that tooth must hurt like hell but you'd never know it.
Ed: Oh, it's insane the amount of stuff people discard -- even perfectly good things.
Robin: Thanks!
Sharon: I guess it was scraggly because it was terminally ill!
Pixie: It's complicated. The landlord is paying for the tree, but we're paying for the shrub trimming because it's garden maintenance, which is in our lease as our responsibility.
Kelly: The landlords are covering part of it (as I explained above). This is basically the deal we made with them to get them to agree to ANY of the work.
Linda Sue: Yeah, there's no question that this surgery is necessary. I don't think I want to trust her to a farm vet!
Margaret: I remember when I had a cat, my vet wanted to clean her teeth and it just seemed insane to me. I can't remember whether we did it or not.
Ellen D: Yeah, the tree is the landlord's but the big shrubs (which are kind of trees but kind of not) are ours because it's routine garden maintenance.
Red: That's for sure!
Poor Olga - I hope she breezes through the surgery and recovery. Apparently regular cleanings (once a year? once every two years?) help pets avoid losing their teeth, but the cost is so high. Well, at least they'll do everything that needs done all in one trip; that helps keep the cost down somewhat.
ReplyDeleteReally glad you learned the (expensive - ouch!) reason behind Olga's symptoms. Sigh. Especially with an older dog, it's worth the price of a good veterinary dentist to make sure the anesthesia goes well. It's also a good plan to take out both incisors under one anesthesia. A vet extracted one tooth from one of our dogs, only to have a second tooth abscess within the month. When we brought her back in for a second extraction, the vet said "Yeah, I wondered if I should have taken that one out while she was knocked out". Sigh.
ReplyDeleteChris from Boise
Poor Olga. Poor Steve and Dave, too -- maybe literally, after all that. Whew -- that's a chunk. I hope all goes well.
ReplyDelete