Exam Week

Remember final exam week when we were in school? Remember the anxiety?

This was exam week for me and I was feeling the anxiety as I do every year. This was the week that all the Porties went to the vet for their annual check ups.

 Each year Dr B and I discuss any health issues and what to watch for. We discuss diet and set up goals for the coming year. Last year weights were on the high side, teeth needed attention as did ears. After last year's visit I started brushing teeth daily and set a routine for ear cleaning each Sunday afternoon.

Then everyone got sick during the summer and the routines fell apart. I was concentrating on the sick dogs and getting them all the care they needed. As Samba and Sky got sicker my day was eaten up with running them outside every hour, coaxing them to eat and giving medications. I lost eighteen pounds during their illness.

This week we took the dogs in groups of three. The first batch were Tess, Bailey and Norma Jean. They all behaved very well considering how excited they were. Each of the girls had lost nine pounds since last year and the doctor was pleased. Bailey has a couple of cysts, one on her neck and one on her back, that we'll watch and remove if they grow.

The second batch to go were Lola, Noah, and Fudge. Lola had lost six pounds and Fudge and Noah were exactly the same weight as last year. They had each lost a lot during their recent illness but have gained it back. Lola has two cysts, one on her hip and one on her muzzle. Fudge has a large cyst on his chest, but it hasn't changed since last year. Lola had a bad case of wiggles during the exam due to a thunder storm going on outside. It made the blood draw a little more of a challenge but we managed.

One of Dr B's specialties is dentistry and this year he said that Tess and Noah both need cleaning, but we're doing well with our brushing on the others. He also said the ears all looked good.

The blood reports came back yesterday and they were all perfect. No problems showed up at all. It's a huge relief to me after last year's disasters. We'll continue with the routines we have in place since they're working for us.

In May Morgan will go in for her check up and the pups will be spayed toward the end of May. Then Sebastian will have his visit in July to mark his being with us for a full year. Looks like we did Ok on our final exams this year.