Over the last few months Peppar had been complaining to mummy and daddy about how sore his teeth were. He doesn’t have many left as he had loads of teeth out before but again they were giving him problems. So, mummy bundled him into the carrier and off to the vet they went. Because the nasty virus is still around she couldn’t go in with him but instead had to hand him over in his carrier to the nurse in the car park and then just wait for him to be brought back out. Now, as you all know Peppar really, really doesn’t like the vet so he wasn’t really very cooperative and so they had to make him very sleepy to have a look at him. A couple of weeks later and mummy got up early in the morning and bundled Peppar into the carrier and off they went again. “It’s ok Jen Jen” she said “Were just going to get Peppars nasty teeth taken out to make him feel better. Hopefully he’ll still have one canine left!”
Later that day the phone rang and mummy and daddy talked to the vet who had already put Peppar in a deep, deep sleep 💤 unfortunately all three of his remaining teeth 🦷 were nasty and sore so they had to take them all out and just wanted to let mummy and daddy know. So they told the vet to go ahead and do what needed to be done to make Peppar feel better. “He’ll be ok Jenny” daddy said, mummy added “He’ll be our little Peppar gummy bear from now on.” Mummy and daddy said Peppar would be very sore when he came home and that’s us girls must be nice to him and take care of him as he’s an old boy now, mummy says he’s 13.5 which in human terms is about 70 so he needs us to look after him. Well, that’s not a problem for me as you all know I love my big brother very much, he’s my best pal and I’ll make sure he’s looked after and give the quiet space he needs to feel better, I’ll protect him from the girls if they get too over excited or playful.
When mummy and daddy went to pick Peppar up later in the evening I sat Millie and Angelin down and had a good talk with them and told them what’s what and if they didn’t take notice of the rules then they’d have me to deal with. I won’t tolerate anyone upsetting Peppar when he shows us all so much love. So, there’s to be no chasing, running or jumping on Peppar; if he’s snuggled up anywhere then just let him be, you can sit near him but no trying to steal his spot. Angelin, no eating his food and Millie, no running round him like a mentalist. Lastly, there’s to be absolutely no hissing, growling or swatting of him when he comes home and smells funny coz he’s been at the vet.
When mummy and daddy came home with Peppar we laid on a welcome committee, all three of us lined up in the hallway to welcome him back home. Daddy carried him through to the living room and let him out of his carrier and I stood by ready to greet him whilst also being on guard in case Millie or Angelin tried anything naughty but all was good. We all gave him a good sniff, he smelt odd but I could still smell that good, familiar, big brother Peppar smell under all the vet smells.
Mummy made him some mashed up food and daddy gave his chin a gentle wash but all he really wanted was to go to mummy’s pillow, snuggle up and have a good sleep so we all left him in peace. Millie told me that his poor little mouth looked so sore and swollen it looked like he’d been in a full on street fight and lost. That’s not Peppar though as he’s a lover not a fighter – my poor old Peppar. That night whilst I left him alone I made sure I was nearby so I could be there for him in case he needed anything anything. As I had one ear open all night I know that mummy didn’t sleep too well either, she was worried that as Peppar was snuggled up around her head that she might roll over or move and hurt his mouth. I could hear her occasionally give him a stroke and reassure him if he moved or she did.
Over the next few days he got better and better and started to get back to his old self, although he’s a bit more dribbly now. His appetite is getting back to what is used to be and he’s learning how to gum food rather than chew it but mummy and daddy say he needs to put some weight back on so he’s allowed to eat as much as he wants to for now.
With Peppar being poorly mummy and daddy had to make sure that he got anything he wanted and needed including extra attention and cuddles. This meant that he came first for a change, normally he sits quietly and lets us have all the attention and playtime. For the time being though we needed to be patient and if playtime or our dinner had to wait then that’s ok. Peppars my brother and I love him.
This all made me realise how lucky we all are to have a mummy and daddy who love and care for us so much.
Jenny’s Story 