Annabelle's Teeth Cleaning (Part 1)

At her yearly check-up, the vet told me that Annabelle needed to have her teeth cleaned. It was somewhat amusing to me - cleaning a dog's teeth?! However, I love my two doggies very much and will do whatever is necessary to keep them healthy and happy. From what I understand, the cleaning is similar to a human teeth cleaning. The worst part was that my sweet Annabelle would have to be put to sleep for the cleaning, which means I would have to stop feeding her the night before.

Annabelle and Pete have a morning ritual of going outside while I clean their overnight pads and prepare their food. After exploring the yard for a few minutes, they come back in and expect a treat. I knew I wouldn't be able to give Pete a treat and not give one to Anne, so I decided to keep them inside this morning. They didn't seem too upset until I got the carrier ready and only put Annabelle in it. Pete was not happy! She looked so pitiful and hurt. I hated to separate them, but Pete didn't need to spend the entire day in a carrier at the vet.

After loading the carrier in the car, I returned to the house to love on Pete for a minute. She really wanted to go with me. I gave her a treat, which she ignored, and left. My niece happily agreed to spend the day with Pete so she wouldn't be alone.

Annabelle travels really well in the carrier. The longest she's ever spent in the car is under two hours, but she sleeps most of the time on car rides. On the other hand, Pete whimpers most of the time. The ladies at the vet were so happy to see Annabelle and shocked that Pete wasn't with us. We were greeted with, "Oh, my goodness! You brought one without the other one?" I had to explain that I was such a bad mother and left Pete grieving at home.

They told me they would take care of my sweet Annabelle and I could pick her up at 4:30 this afternoon. I cannot wait! With the exception of grooming days, I hate having to leave either of them at the vet for the day. The day I dropped them both off to be spayed, I sat in my car in the parking lot and cried. I hated doing that to them. I know it was necessary, but I still hated it. I called the vet several times to check on them that afternoon. They both had to spend the night at the vet. I'm glad I will be able to pick up Anne this afternoon.

I'll try to update later tonight. Maybe I can include some pictures of Annabelle's clean teeth!