Man oh man...what to do...

[crazydoglade]

Have you checked with some of your local rescues. We are very good at locating inexpensive but good places for treating our dogs. Right now the place we go for dentals charges us $35. The general public is charged $50, and that includes cleaning and extractions if needed. We get our own antibiotics but usually your vet is willing to provide them for you. Our "Doggy Dentist" is actually a human dental tech in her other life. Just make sure you check references first. Not everyone is as qualified as they think they are. Mine also knows her limitations and declined to remove my 10 month old puppy's retained baby teeth. She felt they weren't loose enough and required general anesthesia.

[sandrag86]

I really like what you said there Doodlebug about inquiring about a "rescue" discount...I am going to be taking her in today to the vets to get her shots as my boyfriend doesn't want Maggie near Lou'e until she is fully vaccinated. He doesn't want to run the risk of Lou'e getting sick...then we will have two (possibly) sick dogs on our hands.

I haven't considered Toronto - I know it says I am in Toronto but I am about an hour away. But that isn't too far anyways to check out if I can find somewhere cheap.

I definitely know that this is not going to be a standard cleaning type procedure...her mouth is a mess. I am going to try and post a picture later of what it looks like. I really sit here shaking my head back and forth at how anyone could let it get that bad.

I know that many people think that I should consider contacting some rescue groups in my area and let them take care of Maggie, and that might be an option.
I do however, have an appointment to have her see a vet today so I will start there.

One place I did start with is the Ontario Veterinary College - Primary Health Care (Small Animal Clinic) at the University of Guelph - I hear they are reasonably priced with their surgeries...and basically said the same thing as many of you have said.
Anywhere from $450-$500 for cleanings to $1000-$1200 for severe dental surgeries.
Maybe when I take her there for her physical and vaccinations the vet can take a peak at her mouth and give me some sort of idea of what I am going to be dealing with.

Thanks everyone *very* much for all the helpful advice.
If anyone has more, keep it comin'. I will take what I can get.

[gracielove]

As I'm sure others have told you the rotten teeth are not only painful but can cause other serious problems for the little dog. Yorkies do tend to have problems with their teeth especially when not fed a good quality food.

Is there any possibility of the vet removing what is left of her teeth when you get her spayed? I'm sure getting rid of rotten teeth will make her feel so much better if they cannot be saved.

Actually if it were me I would choose to take care of the teeth first if I could not do both surgeries at the same time. As long as you can protect her from getting near a whole male the spay can wait a little bit. Those teeth on the other hand need to be taken care of.

[sandrag86]

Yea, that's what I'm thinking too Gracielove - I will take care of her teeth first before her spay. The places I have called so far won't do her spay and dental at the same time, they will only do it separately.
I will also see though what the actual vet will say once he see's her today.

I know that she wasn't fed good food at all.
I know that when I looked into her mouth Wednesday she didn't want me touching her face or mouth.
But she did give me a kiss. <3

[Magnus]

I'm sorry.. but I'm little confused. So you ended up taking her? Because that's what it sounds like. If so, that's wonderful for the dog!

I believe in karma... You'll get 10 times what you give.

[DBlain]

no she has not taken her home yet, but has a vet appointment today and depending on what the vet says there might be a trial visit over the weekend.

The thing that concerns me the most is that the lady is very unwilling to provide any vet records and it making it hard for Sandra to get them. Which makes me think either there are little or no records or that she has something to hide. Also the woman keeps changing her story on the age of the dog. If she is CAC registered or what ever the Canada registration is I would think that would list an accurate birthday.

My fingers are crossed that the vet check goes well and that the teeth might not be as bad as they look. I think the OP has given her heart to this little girl so I hope for her sake it works out

[sganow]

Since she will need to be sedated for the teeth problem and also the spay, it would be more cost effective to have it all done at once and only have to pay for the anesthesia and surgery one time instead of two. I would definitely check around too. Sometimes prices vary a lot.

[Magnus]

Originally Posted by DBlain

no she has not taken her home yet, but has a vet appointment today and depending on what the vet says there might be a trial visit over the weekend.

The thing that concerns me the most is that the lady is very unwilling to provide any vet records and it making it hard for Sandra to get them. Which makes me think either there are little or no records or that she has something to hide. Also the woman keeps changing her story on the age of the dog. If she is CAC registered or what ever the Canada registration is I would think that would list an accurate birthday.

My fingers are crossed that the vet check goes well and that the teeth might not be as bad as they look. I think the OP has given her heart to this little girl so I hope for her sake it works out

I know what you mean. From what OP shared, it's hard to believe that lady is sincere when she says she loves her dog.. Sometimes you bond with the dog at first sight. I'm like that as well so I can't imagine how hard it would be for OP. I too hope the vet check goes well and the dog is healthier than she looks.

[Teegy]

Check with the humane society, my friend had her dog spayed there for about a third of what I paid. But with Yorkies I wanted my vet to do it. They may have some kind of reduced service you can use, or recommend a lower priced vet for some of their clients that don't have big wallets

[Teegy]

in the meantime go buy a spray bottle of leba III and start spraying it twice a day in her mouth

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by sandrag86

Yea, that's what I'm thinking too Gracielove - I will take care of her teeth first before her spay. The places I have called so far won't do her spay and dental at the same time, they will only do it separately.
I will also see though what the actual vet will say once he see's her today.

I know that she wasn't fed good food at all.
I know that when I looked into her mouth Wednesday she didn't want me touching her face or mouth.
But she did give me a kiss. <3

Given that she's probably not been fed well, you may want to look into a balanced home cooked diet or rawfeeding. this will ensure she is getting all the proper nutrients to kick her system back into shape. I would also recommend giving her a teaspoon of diatomaceous earth in her food every day for a couple of weeks, it will kill any parasites or worms she may have

[Teegy]

I'd take her and not give the old *&*& the dog back, she likely doesn't even have any ownership or proof she had a dog, she probably ate the dogs food herself, nasty old lady. I'd also recommend looking into rescues, if you can't afford to keep her or have the surgeries done maybe passing her onto a rescue that has the means would be an idea. I hope you gave the old bawbag the wrong personal info so she can't find you

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by crazydoglade

Have you checked with some of your local rescues. We are very good at locating inexpensive but good places for treating our dogs. Right now the place we go for dentals charges us $35. The general public is charged $50, and that includes cleaning and extractions if needed. We get our own antibiotics but usually your vet is willing to provide them for you. Our "Doggy Dentist" is actually a human dental tech in her other life. Just make sure you check references first. Not everyone is as qualified as they think they are. Mine also knows her limitations and declined to remove my 10 month old puppy's retained baby teeth. She felt they weren't loose enough and required general anesthesia.

Are you saying a vet is not doing this and these dogs are not under anesthesia? These are two big no nos in my opinion.

[DBlain]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Are you saying a vet is not doing this and these dogs are not under anesthesia? These are two big no nos in my opinion.

good catch, must have missed that post. all I can add to that other gals post is

WHAT

[dawn27]

Originally Posted by DBlain

Thank you impish.
My boyfriend agrees...this is all very shady...
I met the pup the other night and she has very bad teeth. I asked the lady through text today if she could take her to a vet to get an evaluation on her.
She bluntly said no...take the dog or leave her. But if I don't decide to take her that she will put her down.

to keep all the info on this topic current, above is a post made by the OP on another thread. I am sorry but I would run from this lady, she might be sick but she does not sound like a loving yorkie mom. Yorkie Talk has some very sick yorkie moms on here and I know none of them would have this attitude. Here are some new questions and thoughts I have, how do we even know this lady is sick, how do we know this lady does not know about other problems this dog has and is just looking for a person to pawn it off to to take care of all the necessary vet bills. To me there are to many what iffs. If I was a rescue group with funds to take care of what may arise I would think about taking this little girl in. But as an individual that would be on the hook for all the expenses and possible heartaches I would not be willing to without knowing what I might be in for. It speaks volumes to me when someone wanting to rehome a dog would say take her as is or she will be killed. This is not like buying an is used car or appliance it's a living breathing creature.

Regardless of whether this women is ill or not she definitely does not seem to be a very loving or caring person in any way.

Its such a wonderful thing that you are so willing to take this little gal and give her a loving home. But unless you yourself can afford to shell out 1000's and 1000's of dollars for medical care I would not take this pup. I would look for a rescue group that could help you while you foster her. Because from what you describe of her teeth situation you are looking at more than just a routine dental cleaning. If they are as bad as you say they are she will more than likely need a full extraction with I doubt will be cheep. Plus there are the other issues that could arise and if I had to guess are probably already an issue due to poor dental care. Her liver, kidneys and heart could also be affected and could mean life long issues.

If this person cares at all she would allow you to take her to a vet for an assessment. There are so many issues that could be wrong with her and she needs vet care asap. It seems like a very risky cost to take on when you are going into it bind. I would try to offer to take her once again at your cost to see if you could per sway her to do so. Acutely I would insist and if she refuses than calling someone to intervene would be wise.