We took Sushi into the vet today to get her teeth trimmed (Sushi being our tiny rat with the most severe malocclusion our vet has seen) and he gave us some amazing news. Sushi has to have her teeth trimmed every 4 weeks under anesthetic, and in addition to her malocclusion (her top and bottom incisors *never* touch, no matter how they are trimmed), her bottom incisors are loose and wiggly and her top incisors appear to be dying. We finally made the decision to take the drastic step of having her incisors pulled. She can't eat hard foods and it will prevent her having to go under anesthetic every month (trimming her teeth w/o isn't an option). We've talked to three vets about her and all agree that this is likely to improve her quality of life overall.
Long story short, we have been saving for the surgery, which is tricky when she already has $70 of dental work every month and like everyone, we've had a bunch of unexpected expenses recently. Surgery to pull the incisors is going to be $450-$600, and we were hoping to do it this fall.
Today, the vet says that we really have been trying to do the right thing for Sushi since we got her (you can read her story at http://bentorats.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-blog.html), and he really appreciates how much we've done (and recognizes how much we have spent). So he's offered to do her surgery at cost. We'll pay for the anesthesia and her meds afterward, and the clinic will pick up the rest. Expected cost is $100-150.
I am kind of in shock.
Sarah
http://bentorats.blogspot.com/
Long story short, we have been saving for the surgery, which is tricky when she already has $70 of dental work every month and like everyone, we've had a bunch of unexpected expenses recently. Surgery to pull the incisors is going to be $450-$600, and we were hoping to do it this fall.
Today, the vet says that we really have been trying to do the right thing for Sushi since we got her (you can read her story at http://bentorats.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-blog.html), and he really appreciates how much we've done (and recognizes how much we have spent). So he's offered to do her surgery at cost. We'll pay for the anesthesia and her meds afterward, and the clinic will pick up the rest. Expected cost is $100-150.
I am kind of in shock.
Sarah
http://bentorats.blogspot.com/
You guys must be so relieved 
