I feel like such an ogre
2007-11-10 | Filed under Life, Pets |
Yesterday I took Charlie to the vet, because he’s got a lot of wax in one ear. Big, solid gobs of dark wax, plus a fair bit of liquid. This isn’t new, but we’ve been paying closer attention lately, and it seemed to get a little worse. The vet said it didn’t look like ear mites, but was most likely a run of the mill infection. She also noted some greasy flaking along his back, which might indicate allergies. (I found this surprising, because thanks to Kiko I associate dog allergies with hot spots, bleeding, scabbing, oozing, etc.)
Charlie was his normal agitated self in the car, whining and panting and pacing, but extremely well behaved for the vet. He tolerated her poking and prodding very well. I left with medicated drops (two squirts per day for a week), some beefier ear cleanser (going forward, we’re supposed to clean the ears as frequently as needed to ward off more waxy build up), and medicated shampoo (he was a shaking bundle of nerves when I gave him a bath a couple months ago, but he stood still for it and I didn’t have to call for a second pair of hands).
Normally, when we do something he doesn’t like–flea treatment, scraping wax out of his ear, using a cleaning solution–he will stand unhappily, then slink off to his den. (He has several dens, typically the space between a chair and a wall. Nestling between the leather recliner and a bookshelf in the library is one of his favorites.) This morning, he ran from me as soon as he saw me take the ear drops out of the fridge. I had to chase him around the house (albeit at low speeds) before I cornered him, grabbed his collar (he’s good about being lead if you have him by the collar, and I didn’t want him to associate ear drops with his den), and did the deed. Then he slunk away. I feel awful whenever I have to chase. In some ways it’s worse than when Kiko had to wear the e-collar: she really hated it, and had to be cornered before submitting, but she bounces back a little more quickly and will always take a treat. Charlie’s not as food motivated, so you can’t necessarily make it better by giving him something yummy. He just wants to be alone for a while afterwards. Away from me, the most awful person in the world.
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Cruel to be kind. Forgive yourself.