March 1, 2019

White Dog was divided, like me, as Steve and Tizenegy trotted out of the door. "He will either be a terror at Dr. Julia's or he will be a perfect gentleman. Wonder which?"

Not only did our boy love the car ride but he was attentive and cooperative during his annual exam, Steve reported was we joined the exam via phone.

Will she come through THAT door, dad?

Our boy had lost 8lbs. from his weight at intake last year from the rescue; Dr. Julia was amazed and surprised. "Great job, Tiz! You slimmed down nicely. Keep up the good work." We explained that conscious eating was not our food fiend's strongest point. Her look at his teeth brought a frown. "He just had a dental but there is buildup on the few teeth he has left; we really should get rid of that plaque." We made a note to schedule a dental for a bit later in the Spring.

The reduced weight had a benefit in that x-rays showed that Tizenegy has no arthritic issues with either his hips or his joints. "Not bad for an old boy," we cheered from afar. "We are suggesting that all dogs be proactive with taking glucosamine supplements and he should as well. If we can keep him trouble-free in his senior years it will spare him a lot of pain."

Eye wipe tissues were suggested for the drooly boy staining around his mouth and on his chest...as well as for his eyes. Dr. Julia laughed at the bib he wears at meals but stroked Tiz and said, "He IS a very clean boy and so soft." Blood work revealed not a single problem. But the cough was not indicative of a collapsing trachea but, rather, a chronic bronchitis...we are treating that with antibiotics in the hope of eliminating it.

"He may be going a little deaf or it may just be selective hearing. I don't think there is a reason to be concerned since he manages to hear the treat jar and call to meals. Certainly there is no ear infection. He may just ignore what he does not want to hear."

Let's get home. There is a jerky celebration waiting for my good report, I am sure!

And with that, and his rabies vaccine, our Boy was given a gentle ruffle of his mane and sent off with an excellent report card.