One of the things that Derek and I read in the book, "Bulldogs for Dummies," was that once we get the dog, we should take it to our vet to be looked over, just in case. When we got the cats, we had taken them to the Meadowlands Vet Hospital in Washington, PA.
We figured that because it was close and wasn't too expensive that they were fine...especially since we only take them once a year for their shots. The last time that we took them to get their shots, we waited in the waiting room for over an hour for their appointment. Dexter and Doakes, who are normally pretty cool with going to the vet, were pissed off, to say the least. When they got in to see the doctor, they had had enough. I held Dexter while the vet checked Doakes. Doakes started making crazy noises and never even tried to swat at the doctor, but the doctor demanded "the net." It's exactly what it sounds like. She threw the net over the cat and her paw came shooting out of a hole like some kind of scene out of a horror movie. I couldn't help but laugh, although she was so rough on Doakes. Dexter on the other hand just laid there and took the vet appointment. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed with them, but figured she didn't want to take any chances.
When I called the Meadowlands to make my appointment for Ferdinand, I asked if they had had experience with Bulldogs, they told me that they had. I inquired about getting Ferdinand microchipped and they said that they suggested doing it when I bring him in.
Before we went to the vet, we decided to make a stop at Washington & Jefferson College, where I went to college. I worked for the W&J Security when I was at school and most of the guys I worked with were there when we stopped in. Ferdinand owned the office. Everyone picked him up, but he fell right to sleep in Tanko's arms.
Tanko's dog, Gretta, would be so jealous.
I put Ferdinand in his box that he likes to sit in when in the car, and we were on our way.
When we got to the vet, he was out cold. I carried him in and we were the only people in the parking lot and lobby. We checked in. The main nurse was very nice and loving him. The older woman, who looked like made the appointments asked how old he was. When I said that he was 7 weeks, she actually yelled at me, "That's illegal." I said, "Excuse me?" She said, "You aren't allowed to have a dog before it's 8 weeks old. It's wrong." The nurse quietly explained to me that in Pennsylvania, you aren't allowed to buy a dog before it's 8 weeks old, but in Ohio, there isn't a law. I felt really awkward because I just got yelled at.
After waiting 15 minutes, and the nurse checking on the doctor twice, we finally were in the room. The doctor came in and she was talking so fast it was very hard to understand what she was saying. She started to tell me how to care for a puppy. I tried to get in that my mom used to breed dogs, and I know how to care for a puppy, but she kept talking and not letting me speak. She then grabbed him to feel his insides and immediately said, "I hope you don't plan to breed him." I asked, "Why?" She said, "Well, his testicles haven't dropped yet. And I doubt that they will. The breeder may tell you that they have time to drop, but don't believe her. If they do drop, they won't be that low. Even if they don't drop, they can breed, but it passes that gene along, making it worse and worse. I think they aren't going to drop. If they don't, we will have to do surgery to find them and take them out or he will get cancer."
I ALMOST CRIED RIGHT THERE. I could hardly get out the words, "Cancer? He's only 7 weeks old!" She said, "Yeah, I think we will have to get them out. And you should call the breeder and see if you can get some of your money back, if you were planning on breeding him." I was stunned to say the least. I didn't know what else to say. I managed to get out, "We were thinking about showing him." She just scoffed.
Then she brought in another nurse and they microchipped him. Throughout the entire check up, he was sleeping. He squealed for a second when the needle went in and then went back to sleep.
She asked me if I had any questions and I was still stunned, so I said no.
We paid the bill and I almost cried in the car. I called my mom and she thought what the vet said was a bunch of BS. She suggested I call the breeder and talk to her. I called Derek and he looked on the internet and he found that balls can drop up to 6 months old. If they don't drop by then, that's when you need to worry.
We emailed the breeder saying we needed to speak with her and she immediately called us and her first words were, "Is it about his nuts?" She told us that all of Vito and Kali's puppies don't drop their balls until they were at least 10 weeks old. She said that I could feel them if I touched his lower belly. You could feel them. So, I was all worked up over nothing. She also said that the vet should not have given him a microchip yet because there is a chance that it can move in his body since he's so young. She said, get a new vet.
I messaged Erin Warner (who had referred us to Lynn) and asked her where she took Zamboni (a brother, from another litter of Vito and Kali) to the vet. She suggested that we go to Point Breeze Veterinary Clinic in Pittsburgh.
She said that the vets office pet is a Bulldog named Tank. He belongs to one of the doctors. We figured that we weren't going to mess around anymore, I called them to schedule Ferdinand's 2nd round of shots, and they were sounded so nice. So, hopefully, when we go on March 15, they will be just as wonderful as Erin made them sound.
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