Every day when I return home from school (or work, these days), the thing I look forward to the most is the delighted squeals and tail-wagging that Mocha greets me with at the door. His 'ritual' is very much often a messy routine alternating between gently chewing my fingers, licking my face and hugging me (literally, with the two front paws on my shoulder). While I do enjoy these affection kisses, at one point I started dreading them almost because Mocha's breath was getting a bit too funky for me to handle.

THE BACKGROUND

Mocha was having some serious overcrowding issues with his teeth as his baby ones failed to drop while the adult ones were trying to grow out. This caused his dental root to slowly shrivel up while keeping the surfaced one loose and wriggly, and most probably, it was a huge hindrance when he ate. The misalignment of his teeth meant that food particles would often get stuck in between them, but the worst part is that he never allowed us to brush his teeth. I tried a proper toothbrush as well as a finger brush, but he broke the first and the second one went missing after a few pathetic attempts to salvage his dental hygiene. Thus, I always resorted to professional help and got his teeth cleaned during his grooming sessions. I thought that would have sufficed, but I never really knew how bad his condition was (the decaying root and all) until I casually mentioned it during a vet consultation at my regular vet clinic.

The vet mentioned how the loose, extra teeth might be causing him discomfort, and how they were most definitely the root cause (pun intended) of his bad breath. Her explanation was clear and informative -  I understood everything at a snap of the finger. Knowing how periodontal diseases can be life-threatening for dogs, I was more than ready to get rid of this potential trouble-maker, and so I booked a dental scaling session with Island Veterinary Clinic (Bedok) the next Friday.

BEFORE THE TREATMENT

As professional dental scaling treatments require the use of GA (General Anaesthesia), your dog will have to fast from food and water, about 12 and 2 hours before the session respectively. Mocha's scaling session was booked at around 1000, so he had to start fasting from food at 2200h the previous night, as well as from water, 0800h of the very day. You might want to encourage your dog is eat more the night before if he is a picky eater. But most importantly, it's always better to book the session in the MORNING. This is so that your dog can sleep through most of his fast, and so that it will only be around early afternoon when he is discharged. This way, if there are any complications, you can still return to the clinic for emergency help.

THE JOURNEY

My parents leave the house at 0630 most mornings to send my little sister to school, so that meant that there was no car for us to take to the clinic. I've always been apprehensive about transportation, as flagging - and even booking - cabs at my ulu residential area normally yields little to no results. For those experiencing the same problem as I do, Pet Taxis are often the go-to solution. The downside? Costly as heck. I've been there, done that, so my final verdict is that our normal cabs do the trick.

When you bring your pet out, you have to place him in a proper pet bag or cage, and make it really obvious that you have a pet with you when you flag down cabs. You wouldn't want to experience that heartbreak when a cab slows down and then speeds away upon seeing your fur friend. Otherwise, booking also works, as long as you clearly state that you have a pet with you. Wake up a little earlier so that you can afford to wait a little longer for a driver who is willing to take you and your pet, and you get to save money! Trust me, penny-pinching here is much needed as vet consults can often be costly. What's better is that your taxi trip might be a fun and fruitful one, as taxi drivers who are willing to stop for pets are often pet lovers themselves, and will probably strike up a conversation about your beloved companion even if you don't!




My grandmother rather nonchalantly flagged down a Vellfire Limousine because we simply weren't getting any normal cabs at our area, so out of desperation we settled for this expensive ride. Luckily, it was a bang for our buck as the driver was very courteous and nice about Mocha's noisy presence.

Mocha hates car rides.

But before long, we were standing in front of the clinic! You can tell from the reflection that the clinic is just at the roadside, which makes it quite convenient for people with cars.

THE WAIT

We had arrived slightly later than the appointment time, but the nurse was nice about it. She invited us to wait at the seating area while the vet got ready.






To the extreme end of the waiting area, there are magazines and brochures regarding pet health stashed for our perusal, as well as a water fountain for dogs/cats to drink from.



For those who didn't skip through my 'THE JOURNEY' section, this is the reason why you've got to penny-pinch. The services here are not the cheapest, but the quality kind of makes up for it. Although it says on the board that Dental Scaling (with General Anaesthesia) started from $155, I have my serious doubts about that claim. I'll tell you more about that later.

THE TREATMENT

Now, obviously I wasn't allowed in to observe the procedure, so all I can comment on is the before-and-after. I do not have photos of Mocha's overcrowded teeth, but it used to look something like this:

Credits: politedog.com

And now, it looks perfectly fine, straight and clean. His breath smells like nothing now!
The only thing that looked 'off' about him was that clean patch on his right leg, which was shaved off for his GA. Pet owners, be warned! It's just an aesthetic issue, but nevertheless something to be prepared for, as I was genuinely surprised when I saw such a large patch removed.



The yellow band is where the GA was inserted. Somehow looking at it makes my heart ache, as if he was injured. :'(



Within an hour or two of waking up, he returned to his normal self, chasing his squeaky ball around, so overall, I am very pleased with the dental treatment sought at Island Vet Clinic.

THE COST

As seen from the price list above, Dental Scaling with General Anaesthesia begins at $155, so Mocha being a 3 year old Toy Poodle, I expected the price is hover around $200. However, this was not the case, and I was quoted $275 as the basic fee. It came as a genuine shock to me, as I began wondering what kind of dogs would be offered the $155 price. Teacup range? Maybe. But Mocha is a toy poodle who is already on the smaller side of his breed, so I began doubting the veracity of the price list put up.
Nevertheless, Island Vet Clinic is quite a reputable name, so I did not mind paying that money for a safe procedure. I am just bothered by the rather misleading price guide.
I opted to add in IV fluids to keep Mocha hydrated throughout the procedure, which cost me an additional $50. There was also an option to go for a blood test at an additional $80, but I skipped that as Mocha had had recently gone through one with no negative results.
Island Vet charges $10-$50 extra for every tooth extracted - $10 in Mocha's case as his teeth are tiny - and he had four extracted in total, so that made an extra $40.

Basic Dental Scaling with GA fee ------- $275
IV Fluids ------------------------------------ $50
Dental Extraction x4 ---------------------- $40
TOTAL -------------------------------------- $365

In total I paid $365 for his procedure, a steep rise from $155. That's one year of savings of $1 daily! I am content nonetheless, seeing a happy Mocha with good dental health! Price aside, Island Veterinary Clinic is highly recommended for East dwellers. It is in between Tanah Merah and Bedok MRT Stations, just for a rough idea. Details below!



Island Veterinary Clinic (Bedok)
Address: 123 Bedok North Street 2, 460123
Contact: 6449 4491

xoxo
Valerie