Today's mission: Help my daughter haul Layla ("What do you people mean 'haul'? I'm just a dainty little lapdog!") to the vet for her checkup. We took Baby the Subaru. Layla fits in the cargo area if she ducks a little. Damn, that's a big dog. She also had issues with cornering. Even though it was a very short trip and I drove slowly, and most of the corners were at stop signs, there was still quite a bit of flailing and falling over at every turn.
Miss D was of course also along for the trip, which is why I was called in to help. No way on earth could any human handle both Layla and an almost 1 year old. Even with both of us it was a lot of work, entertaining one, and convincing the other that it wasn't time to leave yet and she did have to stay in the exam room. She's a sweet girl and she was really good for the vet and the tech, but she's a huge dog who thinks she's a 20 pound Boston Terrier - she honestly has no concept of her own size, and has so far not matured into that calm, easygoing demeanor that is normal in a grownup Lab girl. She's a big, lovable goof.
About an hour and well over $200 later, we were done. Layla had medication for an ear crud, routine vaccination updates, this and that, and yeah, it was that expensive. The ear crud tipped it over the $200 mark my daughter had guesstimated. The vet pointed out that Layla has some tartar along her gumline, and recommended a dental cleaning soon. We laughed about this later - we've all put off our own dental attentions because of budget concerns. I had Murphy's teeth done because his breath would have stopped a charging rhino, and in his case it really was a serious health issue. Layla has a teeny bit of tartar at the gumline, so I treated her to a big bag of doggie dental care chewies at Target.
Oh, and my description of her as a giant moose of a Lab isn't overstating it - she's over 80 lbs. She's a little chubby after a summer of avoiding heat and hiding in the A/C, but she's not FAT - she's just that damn big. She needs to get out running with her daddy after the weather turns cooler and trim down to a svelte 75 lbs again. She's a huge moose of a dog with a heart of gold, but it would be nice if she settled down and acted like a grownup more often.
While at a traffic light on our way home, I glanced in my rearview mirror to see the people in the car behind us looking at her and smiling and laughing - I guess the sight of that ginormous dog filling Baby's cargo area really was as funny as it seemed.
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| "You let Dudley sit on the furniture! Why can't I??" |
Why is every single trip to the vet these days at least $200.00? It's an amount that has to be budgeted for like car repairs, and I hate juggling what is more urgent. It seems like all of my everyday expenses are through the roof.
ReplyDeleteOh God, I know! The day after the vet trip, my son-in-law's car crapped out and I had to go rescue him and the baby. The car has been towed to the dealer for expensive repairs. It's never-ending. Remember how Murphy is supposed to see a specialist to have those last molars pulled? I'm sorry, I just can't afford that for the foreseeable future. He's doing fine, and he'll just have to manage.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, I am not paying for their expenses, the only expenses I can't afford are my own, but $1000 of doggie dental work just ain't in the cards for a while.
ReplyDeleteUmm, hate to disabuse you of the notion that Layla will turn into a dignified calm pooch- but my 12 year old lab still acts like a puppy. They do seems to idle into a gentler roar around 3-4 years of age, but she'll be a big beatuiful goof for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteAnd the vet bills never go down- my girl is a high maintenace $600/month easy, with all the arthritis meds. Yes, she has arthritis, but she will still wiggle and jump like a puppy. Then walks around like an 80 year old afterwards. I kinda know the feeling.
Kimmen
St. Bailey the Golden mellowed out around age 7. It's not her energy, it's that she really has NO idea of her own size. She's a real life Ugly Dachshund, but it's the Wannabe Boston.
ReplyDelete