PSA- Take Care Of Your Teeth

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Bates has 8 teeth in his mouth.  Total.  He came to us with 20.  He had 12 removed in January.  Our vet explained that once a mouth gets beyond bad breath, a process begins that you cannot stop in humans or pets.  The bacteria release enzymes that detach the roots of the teeth from the jaw.  Bates had several teeth removed before we adopted him.  He had no teeth from canine to canine in the front and was missing a few on the side.  Now he only has 4 teeth in the back and 4 canines in the front.  Thankfully the 4 in the back are divided between two pairs, one on each side, directly above each other so he can at least chew or bite if he needs to do so.  Once the 12 teeth came out we put him on wet food.  He still can eat dry food.  Just ask Cali!  He tries to steal her food every chance he gets.  Our vet said the teeth are what hold the tongue in his mouth.  You can tell the age of his photos now because his tongue sticks out more since the 12 teeth came out.  He makes little bubbles on his tongue like the first pic and he slobbers a bit once multiple bubbles build up.

Polly Caring For Bates

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Polly woke up Saturday and quickly started taking care of her siblings.  She cleans their eyes and ears.  Both Fletch and Bates allow it.  At first Fletch used to show his teeth and growl at her but she refused to take no for an answer.  He eventually softened and now he goes to her and will sit in front of her, waiting to be groomed. Bates likes to go up to her as well and if she doesn’t get the hint he will drop his paw on her head or reach out and drop his paw on her paws.  Either way gets her attention and you know she loves attention.  Then her caring heart kicks in and she checks his eye and ears.

House of Bates

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Bates comes to Nana’s and beelines it right for this table.  This is where he spends most of the weekend.  There are couches and chairs all around it, but he sits here 90% of the time.  He will come out to play with his siblings and his cousin from time to time.

Happy Fella Bates

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It is so easy to have a good day when you have this ray of sunshine around you.  Look at that face!  Bates is seems to have a permanent smile on his face and an overall laid back attitude about life.  It’s easy to see why his siblings are drawn to him.

Prancer Is High Fashion

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Prancer came in with missing patches of hair which we later learned was a result of Cushing’s Disease.  There is a local compounding pharmacy that made a medication that helped her.  Petsmart had these cute scarves for 75 cents and I couldn’t resist dressing her in one.  It just velcroed on and it would stay on no matter how rough she played or how fast she ran.  I really miss this gal!