Pet of the Month! Stanley!
We have chosen handsome boy Stanley who is an 11 year old Cockapoo who is visually impaired.
Stanley came into James Horner Vets to have a dental procedure that included extractions. For Stanley it was a big day as he wasn’t able to see what was going on. This meant we all had to ensure we were communicating with him regularly, so he knew that we were there throughout his procedure. Stanley took everything in his stride, unfortunately he did have severe dental disease in his mouth, and he required a number of teeth extracted together with being put on medication to ensure the infection would clear.
We asked Stanley’s owners what Stanley is like, and how he coped after the surgery.
1. What is Stanleys favourite thing to do?
Stanley loves playing with his ball, our other dog Cookie is older and doesn’t really play with him but he knows how to keep himself occupied. Due to Stanley being blind, he has a ball that has a bell inside which he absolutely loves. Stanley is fairly independent when it comes to play time, his ball is his favourite toy.
2. What do you enjoy about Stanley?
I just love him so much; he is just so cuddly and sweet natured. He really is lovely, sweet and gentle and because our other dog is old and just gets on with her own business, it’s nice to have Stanley that actually wants to have hugs from us. I took ownership of Stanley, due to my mother-in-law unfortunately being ill and not being able to take care of him, so Stanley definitely has a special place in our heart.
3. How has Stanley been since he had his procedure done?
Stanley has been fantastic. As if nothing has happened, he has coped well with it. The surgery was definitely needed as now he has a better quality of life, he has improved impeccably when it comes to eating. Previously he was a fussy eater, and it was difficult to get him to eat a complete meal. The smell of his mouth was horrendous and was very strong, that now has improved and there is no smell.
4. Did you look further into his condition?
I did look online a lot to see what it meant when dogs mouth smelt so I had an idea of it being his teeth. He had brown discharge; a strong smell coming from his mouth and he wasn’t eating properly. I knew it was something that had to be dealt with straight away. My mother-in-law suffers with dementia and didn’t realise something was wrong. When we took over his care the first thing I did was get him in to see James.
5. How did you cope with Stanley after surgery especially with him being visually impaired? What did you struggle with?
He wasn’t difficult at all; he did do really well post operatively. The only thing we struggled with was giving his antibiotics as he would be cheeky and spit the tablet out no matter what we mixed it with, that was challenging as he needed the medication, but we did it! When we first took over Stanleys ownership, the very first day he was a bit sceptical about us and didn’t seem to want to be with us and he ran off. But now especially after his surgery he has become more needy and reliant on us which is expected with his blindness.
6. How have you adapted to Stanleys condition?
We have adapted well and have changed our routine with him. We give him dry food now as he is now able to chew his food properly, we make it slightly soft just to help him. I clean his teeth regularly using toothpaste and spray his mouth to keep it clean. I give him dental chews and add dental liquid in his water every day. I do all this to prevent him from having to go through what he did again, and this has now become second nature and is done all of the time. I have put these interventions in place so that Stanley is more comfortable and happier.
But honestly he is just a loving boy and takes everything in his stride.