Jazzy Goes to the Vet

It was time for Jazzy to get her yearly shots and checkup, so Adam and I took her to the vet.  I think I might be more scared of the vet than Jazzy.  I'm always afraid they are going to find something wrong with her.  That's why I make Adam go with us.  

 

Jazzy was a very good girl during her trip to the vet.  She didn't seem to be as nervous as she usually is. She typically starts shaking and won't leave our laps.  But this time around, she seemed to be cool as a cucumber.  She even sat by herself at one point.

It also surprises me that she never barks at any of the other dogs in the waiting room.  There must be some sort of doggy code that they all agree to.  They seem to agree that they are all in the same boat while waiting for the vet so they decide not to hassle each other.  

Once Jazzy's name was called, she got weighed before we went to the exam room.  She was down a pound, which is good news.  All her walks must have helped out!  

Then we got to wait for the vet to come in.  While we were waiting, a vet tech came to trim her nails while we were waiting.  It still baffles me that it takes them about two minutes to trim her nails.  The one time Adam and I tried to cut her nails, we spent about thirty minutes wrangling her and only got two nails cut!  That silly little girl.  She has us fooled.    

After her nail trim, she came back to the exam room and felt it was time to go.  She waited very patiently by the door. 

Unfortunately, she had to wait around for the vet to administer her yearly shots.  The shots were a breeze for Jazzy.  She didn't even flinch or act like she even felt the needles! 

Once the shots were out of the way, the vet gave her a quick checkup.  He pointed out her heart murmur. We've known that she has a heart murmur, but luckily it hasn't seemed to slow her down at all.  She goes on two walks a day, a run in the evening and will play with us in between.  This particular vet we saw seemed to be a bit more concerned than the other vets we've talked to in the past.  He pointed out that heart murmurs can lead to breathing difficulties and suggested we go visit a cardiologist if we had the means.  I don't even want to think about what it would cost for a visit to the cardiologist.  Since Jazzy hasn't shown any concerning behaviors or side effects, we decided to hold off until it becomes necessary.  

The vet also pointed out that her teeth have gotten some more tartar growth since her teeth cleaning.  I hated making Jazzy do that since they have to put her under anesthesia.  That's definitely not good for her heart.  But neither is plaque.  So we have decided to hold off on getting her teeth cleaned by the vet and just focus on brushing her teeth more regularly at home.  

Adam has kindly accepted that job.  Jazzy seems to like it when he brushes her teeth more so than when I do.  The two of them seem to have a system down.  It looks a bit like torture for both of them while it's going on, but they get the job done.  So now Jazzy gets a daily teeth-brushing.    

Other than her heart murmur, Jazzy is doing great!  She's a healthy, happy little dog.  And Adam and I are so incredibly lucky that she is our dog child.