It's JUST a teeny cut on the ear!

Wednesday night, during one of Kaline's usual and numerous full-body shakes, I discovered (thanks to the blood spatter) that somehow, he had gotten a tiny cut in the tip of his right ear. We're talking maybe a centimeter. At most.

Well, that sucker bled like crazy. I put styptic powder on, then used some vet wrap to wrap his ear against his head. Which worked until the next full-body shake. Then I wrapped both ears, using more copious amounts of vet wrap. Which worked until the next full-body shake. After he'd popped the cut open about four times or so, we headed off to our friends at the emergency vet.

Unsuccessful.

There, a very talented tech fitted Kaline with what I can only describe as a mesh snood. Tape was strategically applied, Kaline's ear flattened against the top of his head. She cut a hole for his good ear to flap out. He was to wear this snood, and accompanying Cone of Shame™, for a day or so.

A happy kind of snood. Disclaimer: Not my photo, not my dog, not my snood.

Snood of Shame™

I cancelled my whole schedule on Thursday and stayed home with him, because he seemed determined to get off the cone and kill the snood. Not a happy little camper. So miserable he didn't want to eat, drink, pee, or poop. Attempting to sleep with him trying to find a comfortable position was an exercise in futility. Poor little guy. Toward the end of the day, the snood was sliding so we headed back to the vet.

My mizrubbel princess (50 Internet points for identifying the reference! Not an unintentional misspelling!)

The tech said since he'd had it on for 24 hours (or close enough) he could just have it off. We removed the cone, she cut off his snood, Kaline pranced about and was a very happy puppy. Then he jumped in the car to go home, did a full-body shake, and poof! Blood everywhere.

So I had to leave him there to get sutures. I was all nonchalant letting him go back with the tech but then outside, I lost it and held onto Juno for dear life. I felt terrible for little Kay.

When I picked him up a few hours later, I found out that all the handling I've done with him since babyhood really paid off. They didn't have to do any anaesthetic gas on him, because he was so calm and accommodating when they were messing with his ear. They just gave him the local painkiller and he was fine while they put in two sutures. Then he got a sedative, to keep him from messing with his new, sturdier snood, and the Cone of Shame™. He was out, all through the night.

He didn't want to eat or drink in the morning, though he did pee. Gave him another sedative pill (we get to do this for three days at least), and he conked out through all our morning walks. Juno and I came back to check on him after each of our three walks. Usually he hadn't even changed position.

In the afternoon, Juno came with me on a lunch date, and then to Safeway a couple times and to grab takeout dinner. We got cussed out by a random homeless guy in Safeway because I told him not to touch Juno. It was actually kind of amusing; he was just ranting. He was incensed that I was not blind and had the temerity to say Juno was working, and then tell him that my disability was none of his business. Then he told me I was under arrest for lying about needing a service dog and that he knew people with the CIA. What fun.

Mom worked her magic with Kaline in the evening. For her, he peed like a wee racehorse. For her, he gobbled up baby food, slurped water, then chowed down on dry kibble. I swear, she has special powers or something. Or maybe it was the baby food. It smelled like delicious pumpkin or something.

Obviously, Kaline is not going to be working for a while (probably a week). I'm glad I got in some harness training on Wednesday afternoon before all the drama. He did great except in that parking lot. And our new pull strap for the harness-vest came—it's in Tigers colors, so Kaline will look super snazzy when we go to the game in Detroit. Thank goodness he's got a solid two weeks for this ear to solidify to diamond hardness.

Juno models our awesome new pull strap from Action Leashes!