STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 2160: Wolfie’s Woes

April 29, 2006 on 11:22 pm | In On The Road |

I had to take poor Wolfie to the Vet today. Over the last few days his right ear has been sensitive to the touch. He would yelp whenever his ears were scratched, even if he was doing the scratching.
The vet determined what I suspected, that he had yeast infection in his ear. He had to be sedated before she could do a thorough examination because he was not going to allow anyone look into his ears.
This left Walter and I with a couple of hours to kill. I decided just to wait it out rather than drive back to the WWW, only to have to fight the ubiquituous Las Vegas traffic back to Henderson a little while later. It’s about 12 miles one way. First, since he was left alone in the car while Wolfie was being examined, we went “shopping” in the store. I use PetSmart for all my pet needs. In addition to regular “pet stuff”, they offer grooming services, and most also have Veterinary services as well. After he selected his treat and I determined approximately how long Wolfie would be, we went to Starbucks to hang out in the shade on the patio. This Starbucks was part of a Barnes and Noble Bookstore a few doors down from the PetSmart. It was ‘pet friendly’ as long as you kept them outside. Walter was naturally the center of attention. He enjoyed every minute of it, and was especially well behaved. He would walk up to someone, sniff them, sit down, flash his winning smile and wait to be petted. No one ignored him. Everyone thought he was adorable. After about an hour of this, Wolfie was ready so I headed back. I had the foresight to put Walter in the car before retrieving Wolfie.
Wolfie was still a bit “goofy” from the “canine quaaludes” after his ordeal, but did manage to “shop” for his treat. Poor guy could hardly walk on the waxed floors and wasn’t much better outside. He got into the car and immediately went to sleep in the back seat. When we arrived at the truck, he jumped in without the usual argument, and went to sleep again. Nothing better after a nap than a good snooze, especially if you’re still a bit “loopy” from sedatives.
Because of the sedation, this visit cost about $250.00 (including treats and medications). He was prescribed some antibiotics, an ear rinse, and an ointment; all of which ‘daddy’ gets to administer twice daily while on the road. YEAH!! The pills won’t be a problem. I learned ‘many Moons ago’ that the best way to administer a pill to a beloved canine is to simply wrap it in a piece of bologna or cheese. By the time they realize they’ve been medicated, it’s too late. The ear rinse and ointment are an altogether different problem. The instructions are to first rinse the ear, wait an hour for the ear canal to dry, then apply the ointment. I just hope he cooperates come ‘med’ time. If he doesn’t, things could get messy.