[Gpdd] [Health] Cocoa's teeth

[Dr Kay Dudman]

Dear Suzy

Sorry to hear about Cocoa's teeth trouble.  If the vet is going to look at
Cocoa's teeth under anaesthetic, insist that the vet uses isoflurane mixed
with oxygen (although it is possible that some other acceptable anaesthetic
gas might be used).  Do not agree to the use of an injectable anaesthetic;
these could make Cocoa very groggy, and could cause gut problems, which is
the last thing you want with eating trouble already.  So if the vet suggests
Domitor, Valium, Ketamine...just say no, you would prefer something else to
be used. The benefit of using isoflurane is that it is not stored in the
body; as it is a gas once it is breathed out, it is gone, and recovery is
very quick.

I have used Science Recovery.  It is similar to Critical Care, with two main
differences.  Firstly, it is ground up more finely, so it doesn't jam in a
syringe and you don't need to cut the end off the syringe. Secondly, it does
not have vitamin C added, so you will need to add some vitamin C for Cocoa
to get a balanced diet.  I suggest dissolving some Vit C in warm water, then
adding the science recovery mixture to get a suitable consistency.  You
might like to try different consistencies to see which Cocoa prefers. When
offering the syringe, wiggle it a bit in the mouth to encourage Cocoa to
chew and swallow the food.  You could also try fruit puree baby foods, maybe
add a little bran to the mix to give the gut something to work on.

Hope this helps, good luck little Cocoa,

Kay