Yesterday I took two furbabies into the town vet (Dr. Rojas of Ciudad Colon, in case anyone out there is looking for a great vet). Tiny, a little old chihuahua mix, has been having incontinence issues, and Sebastian looked to have an infected tooth. I knew it would be somewhat of a challenge, having a toddler in tow and with esposo working and all, but I didn't want to put off the appointment any longer (which, by the way, I called to get that morning and got for that afternoon).
He first took a look at Tiny, thought that her inability to hold it could be due to a urinary tract infection or possibly just old age. So he decided to try antibiotics first, and if it didn't go away, we would try hormone therapy (which worked really well when my first chihuahua, dearest sweetest Lucy, had the same problem). Then he clipped Tiny's nails, checked her vitals, ears, etc. and said she looked pretty good for a girl her age, otherwise.
Then came Sebastian (aka Boo Boo Man, or Boo for short), and he's really getting up there in age -- almost 18 years old at this point. He looks kind of a mess -- matted hair, bad breath, dandruff -- but really he's not in bad shape at all. He's a pretty tough little guy, even though another vet gave him a few months to live two and a half years ago. However, when Dr. R. said that we'd probably have to pull the tooth, I was worried, because that meant he'd have to go under anesthesia. So again, we're going to try a round of antibiotics first, to see if the infection goes away. If not, then he'll have to go back.
For a visit like this in California, with two animals, I'd expect to pay about $75-100, maybe more, including medications. Yesterday's visit was 10,500 colones, or less than $20. As I was leaving, I remembered to ask about a worm pill for Livvy, which he didn't even charge me for. How nice! Good, inexpensive veterinary service is one thing I will really miss when we leave Costa Rica, especially with all these dogs and cats we've got.
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