I took Jasper to the new vet yesterday. Our old vet was in North Raleigh; it was a 30 minute drive to get there. Since there is this big vet school here, there is not shortage of vets. So, I asked around, and was recommended on much closer to my house (and even closer to my new house). Because of his mouth disease, Jasper gets steroid shots every 2-3 months. I wanted to have the new vet check him before he needed one to see if they would agree on the course of treatment. (Jasper will not take anything orally. Because his mouth hurts, he doesn't let anyone touch it, so you can't give him pills. He is smart enough to know that if I feed him separately from Orion, there's something in the food. He won't eat canned food until after Orion. This includes when Orion has been medicated- I would feed Orion in the bathroom, and Jasper in the kitchen. Jaz wouldn't touch the food until Ri came out and tried it.)

He had a full physical, and decided that when they were checking his eyes that they were going to try and look in his mouth. He opened his mouth as to warn them he would bite. This is not too scary, as it has now been confirmed that he has no teeth. Consequently, when he opens his mouth, he looks like a snake. (He did try to bite the vet twice. The gumming didn't seem to bother her.) When he closes his mouth, he doesn't always put his tongue back in. (No teeth, so he doesn't bite down on it, and thus apparently doesn't notice.) This gives him a very intelligent look. (This, coupled with his habit of chasing his tail down the stairs, has made many people doubt me when I tell them how smart he is.)

Anyway, I liked the new vet. The exam rooms have windows in the doors, and the entire building is louder than the old vet's, which made Jasper nervous. However, the care will be excellent, and he'll get used to this place. (He was used to the old vet. Much like me, Jasper abhors change.) The vet has agreed that she will follow the course of treatment we've been doing, but is going to do some research, because she was surprised at how red and inflamed his mouth was during a good period.

Next week they get to meet Orion, whose nerves at the vet's tend to conflict with his desire to meet new people.