Theo the Great

Theo got a bath yesterday so he'd be presentable for his vet appointment today. Theo is big, strong, healthy as a horse, and I often make the mistake of discounting the importance of routine care for dogs in the prime of their life.

The first thing I learned was that Theo is now about 7.5 years old, which while not old yet, is pushing a bit past "prime" for a dog of his breed and size. Theo weighed in at 110 pounds and he's in good shape but he doesn't need any additional weight so I'll keep an eye on that and maybe even cut down his Great Dane sized food portion just a bit. His ears were very dirty, inflamed, and infected. That's something I need to keep an eye on and wash out periodically and I just don't think to do so. His ears got a good cleaning and treatment but we'll go back in a couple weeks to make sure everything has cleared up. They drew blood for some basic blood work and the screening for heartworm and the tick-borne diseases too. Other than that he got the basic exam and usual vaccines and he was good for it all, in sharp contrast to Trooper's behavior at the vet.

Theo may have tolerated it well, but he was happy to see the door close behind him when we left.