The Dog Log 4

We had quite the ordeal yesterday.  Loki was due for his follow up ear medication.  Last week, we sedated him and had the vet apply the ointment.  This time, it was up to us.  There are three sedatives we are to use.  The first two are given in pill form.  We found an easy way to get him to take those.  The third ointment is applied to his gums and is more difficult to administer.  Loki does not like it when we try to lift his lip.  Last week, Becky was able to administer the third sedative.  As you might recall from Dog Log 3, the three sedatives made him completely limp.  

Since we were able to apply all the sedatives last time, I was pretty confident we could do it again -- fool that I am.  Loki put up quite a fuss.  He eventually fled from us whenever we approached him.  It was clear that the third sedative was not going to happen.  Since there was no way we would be able to apply his ear ointment unless he was completely knocked out, we gave up the effort.    

About an hour later, I noticed he was sleeping quite peacefully.  In fact, the first two sedatives had finally taken their full effect.  He was limp as a rag doll.  That allowed us to get the ear ointment in him with only a little difficulty.  From start to finish, it was nearly a five hour ordeal -- one we hope we won't have to repeat for a long time to come.  It's promising, though, that we might not need the third sedative in the future.  We have another appointment with his vet in two weeks for another round of vaccines, but the prescribed treatment for his ear infection is now complete, and his hotspot appears fully healed.  

The next hurdle is to give him a bath.  Becky ordered a "Wondurdog Dog Wash Kit," designed to divert water from our shower head to a hose with a flexible plastic shower head, essentially a handheld shower head.  My hope is that by slowly introducing Loki to water in this way, he'll tolerate bathing.  Installing the kit was not difficult, though it might need some adjustment in case it begins to leak.  Loki's discomfort in confined spaces complictes desensitizing him to all that will go into bathing.  We'll need to rely on patience and persistence.   

Loki no longer seems to have much of a desire to scratch himself.  It's nice to see him lurking around our unit without the collar cone, though he still wears it at night.  He's very compliant about donning the cone.  Speaking of the night, he again suddenly and very loudly barked in the middle of the night.  We've also seen him begin to softly bark/whimper while he is napping in the evening.  It makes me wonder whether dogs can tell the difference between their dreams and their waking life.