# Cracked tooth!



## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Yup, I can see the pulp. it's the molar on his right side. and the enamel veneer has flaked off but the gum is holding it in place. I'm going into today for his annual, so I'll schedule an extraction, hopefully soon.

only chew thing I give him is greenies and hooves.

so watch out!


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

I guess in hindsight it's good that you have his annual appointment today, what are the chances of that happening! Who's tooth though? Hope it's not too painful.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Ollie, my 1/2 hav. it looks like he chewed to the side of the molar, and sheared it off... joy.

not the first of my dogs to have done this.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

so, went to the Vet, Ollie was visibly worried, was hugging my chest, which is unlike him.

shearing fracture, extraction scheduled for 7/22, first available dental date... too long for me!

on the up side, I have a new oral med for the flea-bees.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

So sorry to hear about Ollie's cracked tooth. Does he get to eat soft food between now and his appointment?

So, what is this secret new oral med you cam home with for flea-bees?


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

I had to break out the reading glasses, Combo-gard. or guard.

it's for heartworm prevention and flea-bees, not sure if it kills ticks, all ask next time I go to the vet (soon). she said to give it in 1/2 dose with food, b/c it tends to cause nausea. next time I'll give them in two consecutive meals. 

It lasts for 30 days. so hopefully in a week or so he'll be less itchy.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

Thanks, Jacqueline. I found it Combo-guard online at http://vethical.com/comboguard.html

Thank you for letting us know about another option. Frontline has not worked for my dogs for several years here in the East Bay, and I have concerns about Trifexis.

"Vethical ComboGuard™ is a monthly, flavored chewable tablet for dogs that prevents heartworm disease, kills fleas and treats and controls adult hookworm, roundworm and whipworm infections."

About Vethical ComboGuard (spinosad + milbemycin oxime) for Dogs

Convenience. Proven effectiveness. All in one chewable tablet.

Benefits of Vethical ComboGuard:
Prevents heartworm disease
Kills fleas and prevents infestations. Treats and controls intestinal parasite infections (hookworm, roundworm, whipworm)
One easy-to-administer chewable tablet
With Vethical ComboGuard, you can play with your dog immediately after treatment. There is no need to isolate your pet. Just treat and play!

Vethical ComboGuard is an ideal choice for:
Families with children or other pets, since there is no transfer of product through contact
Anyone worried about staining carpeting, clothing or furniture
Dogs that swim or are bathed frequently
Dogs with dermatological (skin) conditions requiring topical therapy

Controlling Internal and External Parasites in U.S. Dogs1

Primary Recommendations

Administer year-round broad-spectrum parasite control with efficacy against heartworm, intestinal parasites, and fleas, particularly those with zoonotic potential.

Administer preventive flea products year-round.
Conduct annual physical examination with complete history.
Conduct annual heartworm testing in dogs.
Feed pets cooked or prepared food (not raw meat) and provide fresh, potable water.
Conduct fecal examinations two to four times during the first year of life and one to two times per year in adults, depending on patient health and lifestyle factors.
Administer anthelmintic treatment to puppies at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age, followed by administration of a monthly preventive.
Treat nursing bitches and queens along with their offspring.
If optimal year-round heartworm preventive/intestinal parasite products are not used:
Deworm puppies at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age.2
Conduct fecal examinations two to four times a year in adult pets, depending on patient health and lifestyle factors, and treat with appropriate parasiticides.
Test for heartworm status yearly in dogs and/or before starting preventive medications.
Tailor parasite prevention programs to parasite prevalence and pet lifestyle factors.
1 Companion Animal Parasite Council at http://www.petsandparasites.org/resources/capc-guidelines, accessed December 2, 2012
2 ComboGuard is approved for dogs and puppies 8 weeks of age and older and 5 lbs or greater.
Green Chemistry
The introduction of spinosad for use in agriculture resulted in the receipt of a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award3 in 1999 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The award was presented to Dow Agro Sciences LLC in the category of Designing Safer Chemicals for the introduction of spinosad as an insect control product for use on crops. This award demonstrates that spinosad, as a technology for insect control, has a favorable environmental profile. This award is not relevant to the safety and efficacy of Vethical ComboGuard, nor does it confer any environmental benefit to Vethical ComboGuard.

3 The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program, Summary of 1999 Award Entries and Recipients
Your veterinarian will know

Your veterinarian is your best source of advice about your dog's healthcare.

Your dog should be tested for heartworm infection before starting Vethical ComboGuard.

To minimize the likelihood of fleas continuing to jump onto your dog, it is important to treat all household pets with an approved flea protection product.

If a dose is missed and a monthly interval between doses is exceeded, then immediately give Vethical ComboGuard with food and resume monthly dosing. This will minimize the opportunity for heartworm infection. Also, continuing normal monthly dosing will allow you to gain control of any flea infestation or intestinal parasite infection that might have affected your dog. Vethical ComboGuard should be administered at monthly intervals beginning within 1 month of the dog's first seasonal exposure.

Vethical ComboGuard is not for use in humans. Like all medications, keep Vethical ComboGuard out of reach of children.

Important Safety Information

Serious adverse reactions have been reported following concomitant extra-label use of ivermectin with spinosad alone, one of the components of Vethical ComboGuard chewable tablets.

Treatment with fewer than three monthly doses after the last exposure to mosquitoes may not provide complete heartworm prevention. Prior to administration of Vethical ComboGuard, dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infection. Use with caution in breeding females. The safe use of Vethical ComboGuard in breeding males has not been evaluated. Use with caution in dogs with pre-existing epilepsy.

The most common adverse reactions recorded in clinical trials were vomiting, pruritus, lethargy and diarrhea. To ensure heartworm prevention observe your dog for 1 hour after administration. If vomiting occurs within an hour after administration, redose with another full dose. Puppies less than 14 weeks of age may experience a higher rate of vomiting. "


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## HavGracie (Feb 27, 2012)

"Thank you for letting us know about another option. Frontline has not worked for my dogs for several years here in the East Bay, and I have concerns about Trifexis."

What would scare me about combo-guard is that it's the exact same ingredients as Trifexis!


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## Beau's mom (Oct 6, 2011)

Uh-Oh!


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Hmm. the plot thickens. can someone post the % of ingredients of Trifexis?

My vet wanted to try Revolution, and I wasn't aware it was topical. since Ollie is a filthy boy, and goes to work every week, he's washed often, which makes a topical less effective and attractive. So the Vet offered Comboguard.

Interesting that frontline doesn't work for you. I'm in san leandro, what city are you in? frontline plus has always worked for me. my female anatolian has sensitive skin, so I prefer a topical that lasts longer than 1 month (frontline is supposed to last up to three). 

But I agree that Advantix being able to repell ticks is a better option than letting the tick take a bite.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

I am in Pinole about 10 miles up hwy 80 from Berkeley. I have not tried Frontline since May of 2011 when I found a huge number of fleas on Buster and Buffy less than 2 weeks after applying it (without bathing them). I changed immediately to Comfortis, which took care of the flea problem.

Both were on Heartguard to prevent heartworm. When the prescriptions expired, I switched them to Trifexis. Buffy had no issues other than a soft stool the next day. She would take it as long as I enveloped it in cream cheese. Buster would not take it unless I put it at the back of his throat to make him swallow it. He would throw it up most times and had diarrhea, so I stopped giving it to them. The smell was awful. I would have refused it, too.

I went back to Hearrtguard and have used Advantix, basically to repel ticks. Knock wood, we have not had many flea issues in the past 2 years, but I am not thrilled with topicals anyway because of how the oils attract dirt.



sprorchid said:


> Hmm. the plot thickens. can someone post the % of ingredients of Trifexis?
> 
> My vet wanted to try Revolution, and I wasn't aware it was topical. since Ollie is a filthy boy, and goes to work every week, he's washed often, which makes a topical less effective and attractive. So the Vet offered Comboguard.
> 
> ...


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## HavGracie (Feb 27, 2012)

Trifexis for Dogs 5 to 10 lbs:
Active Ingredients per tablet	Amount
Spinosad	140 mg
Milbemycin oxime	2.3 mg
Trifexis for Dogs 10.1 to 20 lbs:
Active Ingredients per tablet	Amount
Spinosad	270 mg
Milbemycin oxime	4.5 mg
Trifexis for Dogs 20.1 to 40 lbs:
Active Ingredients per tablet	Amount
Spinosad	560 mg
Milbemycin oxime	9.3 mg
Trifexis for Dogs 40.1 to 60 lbs:
Active Ingredients per tablet	Amount
Spinosad	810 mg
Milbemycin oxime	13.5 mg
Trifexis for Dogs 60.1 to 120 lbs:
Active Ingredients per tablet	Amount
Spinosad	1620 mg
Milbemycin oxime	27 mg

I copied this from the Pet Meds website, couldn't copy it from Trifexis. You can go to www.trifexis.com to read it more easily.

____________________________________________

COMBOGUARD is indicated for the prevention of heartworm disease (Dirofilaria immitis). COMBOGUARD kills fleas and is indicated for the prevention and treatment of flea infestations (Ctenocephalides felis), and the treatment and control of adult hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum), adult roundworm (Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina) and adult whipworm (Trichuris vulpis) infections in dogs and puppies 8 weeks of age or older and 5 pounds of body weight or greater.
COMBOGUARD is given orally, once a month at the minimum dosage of 13.5 mg/lb (30 mg/kg) spinosad and 0.2 mg/lb (0.5 mg/kg) milbemycin oxime body weight. For heartworm prevention, give once monthly for at least 3 months after exposure to mosquitoes (see EFFECTIVENESS).
Dosage Schedule:
Administer COMBOGUARD with food for maximum effectiveness. To ensure heartworm prevention, owners should observe the dog for one hour after dosing. If vomiting occurs within an hour of administration, redose with another full dose. If a dose is missed and a monthly interval between doses is exceeded, then immediate administration of COMBOGUARD with food and resumption of monthly dosing will minimize the opportunity for the development of adult heartworm infections and flea reinfestations.

Dosage and Administration:
Body Weight
Spinosad Per Tablet (mg)
Milbemycin oxime Per Tablet (mg)
Tablets Administered
5 to 10 lbs
140
2.3
One
10.1 to 20 lbs
270
4.5
One
20.1 to 40 lbs
560
9.3
One
40.1 to 60 lbs
810
13.5
One
60.1 to 120 lbs
1620
27
One
Over 120 lbs
Administer the appropriate combination of tablets

This is the percentage of the comboguard, it's not easy to read either, but as you can see they have the same percentage of ingredients per dosage.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Just dropped Ollie off to get his molar extracted today. He didn't want to stay, cried when I walked out of the room, in the Vet's arm, lol.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Awww, poor boy! (And poor you... I know it's often harder on us!). Hope he's feeling better soon!


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Thank Karen. I called and he's in surgery now, #3 today on the surgery slate.

so that means he cried all morning being crated, lol.

The estimate (extraction, teeth cleaning, etc), is about $400. and it's my bday today. Getting old and poor!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

sprorchid said:


> Thank Karen. I called and he's in surgery now, #3 today on the surgery slate.
> 
> so that means he cried all morning being crated, lol.
> 
> The estimate (extraction, teeth cleaning, etc), is about $400. and it's my bday today. Getting old and poor!


Oh great! What a birthday present! Well, at least, by now, you probably have your cute little guy back home to snuggle with!


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

Happy birthday, Jacqueline:dance: Sorry you had to spend it worrying about your little one. Hopefully everything went well for Ollie today and he will soon be back to his old self. Looks like the vet got a good present today, $400!


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

Happy Birthday, Jacqueline. I hope Ollie is back in your arms now.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Nope, he's still in surgery.

yup. guess how many teeth they have to pull?

so, of course they did xrays, he broke an adult front teeth, which then the gum healed over, so it's only visible on xray, has to go. and he has two adult teeth on the bottom (same tooth, one on each side) that never erupted, and now have cysts on top of them, under the gum... have to come out.

So, guess how much???? the good news is, if it takes longer than 1.5 hours, there's no extra charge. it's the same vet that did Ollie's knee surgery when he was a pup. she only works 3 days a week, and it's all surgery. I asked if they could pull the pins out for free, she laughed. 

so any guesses to the final estimate, from $400 to?????

otherwise a good quiet bday. even was a good sumaritan for someone.

I ran an errand before dropping by the vet at 6pm. it's a really busy trader joes parking lot and as I pull in, I notice a lady, walking around her audi SUV trying to open all the doors, with her dog inside, windows rowed up. 

and she didn't have a stick of gum on her. no purse, no sunglasses, nothing. as I rolled by in my car, I held my hand out with my cell phone, and I said to her, do you have a phone? she's like no, everything is locked in the car. so I gave her my phone, said let me park and I'll come back for my phone.

she thanked me profusely, mumbled how it's supposed to be a smart key and not lock the car if the key is inside. 

Karen - you'll laugh I told her how to teach her dog to paw the unlock switch.

anyway, I'll pick up ollie at 8:30pm. he had 1 hour more of surgery and an hour to in post op.

Oh, the vet said her first dog, had 15 teeth out. he was 13 yrs old, and a new patient as the owner had been taking the dog to a different vet that apparently had never heard of xrays and when the dog couldn't eat anymore, that's when the owner went to the practice I go to.

good times. best bday ever! lol.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Got him back. he's still under a little of the anesthetic, tongue is hanging out a little. and he 's a little whiney, can't blame him though.

I'm right next to time, till he comes out of it. other than that he was an easy patient.

anyone wanna guess the total?


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

I'm afraid to guess the total. I'll guess $750 and just say that i am glad you have your baby home with you.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

He's still a little sluggish this morning, but much more himself, and he ate some ate food. I'll probably bring him to work so I can watch him.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

StarrLhasa said:


> I am in Pinole about 10 miles up hwy 80 from Berkeley. I have not tried Frontline since May of 2011 when I found a huge number of fleas on Buster and Buffy less than 2 weeks after applying it (without bathing them). I changed immediately to Comfortis, which took care of the flea problem.
> 
> Both were on Heartguard to prevent heartworm. When the prescriptions expired, I switched them to Trifexis. Buffy had no issues other than a soft stool the next day. She would take it as long as I enveloped it in cream cheese. Buster would not take it unless I put it at the back of his throat to make him swallow it. He would throw it up most times and had diarrhea, so I stopped giving it to them. The smell was awful. I would have refused it, too.
> 
> I went back to Hearrtguard and have used Advantix, basically to repel ticks. Knock wood, we have not had many flea issues in the past 2 years, but I am not thrilled with topicals anyway because of how the oils attract dirt.


 Starr I have a very close friend who is a nurse. She lives in Mill Valley area. Her vet says that the risk of Heartworm in that area is low so she opted not to use anything. Just wondering if it is necessary in your area?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Glad to hear he's doing better. I don't even WANT to guess the cost. More than you wanted to pay, I'm sure!!!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I'm glad he is done with all that tooth stuff.I'm sorry he was left crying:sorry: . Poor baby Gee that wasn't a very good birthday present. I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't broken his tooth? I mean with the other teeth?


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Heartworm - last year in the bay area there were something 12 cases in the practice I go to alone. which is wierd, but true.

and the Vet said all 3 teeth, that were under the gum line were 'tickiing time bombs'. I'm although the bill was steep yesterday, had any of the teeth caused an abscess or worse, it potentially be even more expensive. 

So Ollie is now missing a total of 10 teeth (I guess the other 6 didn't come in). hopefully he'll keep the ones he has for a long time.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Yesterday afternoon, I found the pain med (in a pill pocket), on the floor, so he spit it out before going to work with me, explains why he's was so peppy, lol. he's doing well though.


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## RitaandRiley (Feb 27, 2012)

I'm guessing $1,100.00


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Rita you win! $1154.


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

Ouch!!! But if you're like me, which I'm sure, your main concern is to make sure everyone is healthy and happy. How old is Ollie? It's interesting that he was originally missing six teeth, did you know that before these recent xrays? I had a cat who had all but one tooth towards the end of her 21 years and she ate just fine, animals are so resilient! Hope Ollie's feeling better, too funny about spitting out his pill. I have to use a pill gun on my kitty because if she misses her phenobarb dose she's in big trouble and cats are way more picky then dogs!


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## Beau's mom (Oct 6, 2011)

So glad to hear Ollie is okay!


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

*Cracked tooth*



sprorchid said:


> Rita you win! $1154.


Bet you didn't get t-shirts with your bill :juggle:

Here's my story on that. Both the boys had their one and only teeth cleaning about 3 years ago or so. Of course, that wasn't all, as one had a tooth extracted as well and the other had some sort of treatment to save a couple of his teeth. We were told this when we went to pick them up, not before. The bill was $1400+. Ouch!!! When we were given our receipt, we were handed t-shirts as gifts, one for me and one for DH. What a nice gesture you say, but the t-shirts were advertising for the animal hospital. Wow, how nice of them! I refer to mine as my $700 shirt:wink:

Our guys are expensive, but they sure are worth it. What would we do without them?


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Well, they give you a 'free' dental care pack. I tell ppl it's a $1000 dental kit, lol.

This vet practice calls you before spending more of your money. on the consent form, it says 'up to $700'. but I know this vet and she knows me and she knows I would go ahead and do it. 

the broken tooth that the gum healed over could turn into something icky and the other two unerupted adult teeth, already had cysts on them. makes sense now why Ollie always chews so gingerly. we'll see when he heals up if he chews quicker and 'harder'.

yeah, dogs ain't cheap.


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

Oops, forgot about the dental kit. We got that too as it was dental month, February. Aren't we the lucky ones.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

I can tell he's feeling better, b/c he's spitting out his pain pills and being a picky ass with the wet food, lol.

gums are still sore, he's not really chewing yet.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Glad to hear your precious Ollie is feeling better!  What a relief that must be.
- Jeanne -


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Just caught Ollie munching on a hoof, lol. I promptly took it away. he still has his dissolving stitches in.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

The stitches haven't dissolved but he did bust the stitches on the left side. when tug on that cheek, on the lower jaw, the gum opens and you can see the bone of the jaw, which looks not good... back to the vet in the a.m.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

Good luck tomorrow at the Vet's office with Ollie. It's hard enough for a human adult to remember not to chew on one side of the mouth when one has had a dental procedure. I don't know how to keep a dog from chewing on one side. Please keep us posted. I hope it's a simple fix.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

So, he did bust a stitch, on the his lower left jaw. it had some 'puss and gunk', and the vet cleaned it out, gingerly. she didn't want to mess with it too mucn, didn't want to pull out any plugs and what not that was inserted during surgery.

So, he is on antibotics. and I will check in 5+ days how it's going, but I really can't look any earlier, b/c it'll pull the gums apart, and we want it to heal.

also, he fleabee meds (heartworm and flea pill) is about $18 a pill, which he takes once a month. It might be a little cheaper to just get the hearworm pill separate from the flea meds.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Oh, forgot to mention the good news, he lost 1/2 lb . 17.4 lbs now. he should be 10-12 lbs, lol.


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

So Ollie is all healed up.

But dumb ass broke the molar on the other side (I think). I know, I have such awesome luck.

I'm keeping an eye on it for now.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

Jacqueline,

I hate to ask, but are you referring to Ollie or another being as "dumb ass?"


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