Oska is a twenty pound Yorkie. He’s a very cool dog.
A couple days ago, I took him to the vet for a lump on his shoulder and some discomfort under his tail.
They took a sample from the lump and fixed up his rear end, which I shall not describe other than to say it’s a strange doggy butt phenomenon.
I gave them a bunch of electronic money and they sent me home with some doggy antibiotics.
Later that day, they called with the results of the lump sample. Apparently the lump is a bad reaction to some routine vaccinations he received a few weeks ago. The antibiotics will help, but the vet said it was also important to apply warm compresses.
The problem with warm compresses is that Oska does not like them.
An immediate problem is that to me, a warm compress is a washcloth soaked with warm water. They’re WET! And they don’t stay warm very long. Therefore, after careful analysis, I decided to create a better warm compress system.
I warmed water in a mug in the microwave for one minute and thirty seconds. Then, I folded a large towel rag (12″x12″) square, and put it in a Ziploc baggy, and poured enough water in to soak the rag, but not fill the bag with water. This seemed like a great idea, and it was, except Oska still didn’t like it.
This morning, I put Oska’s harness and leash on him. I sat on the leash and held the compress on his shoulder. Since it felt a little too warm, I put a couple layers of towel between the dog and the baggy. I fed him a few treats and although I have no idea how long the compress was on his shoulder, it was much longer than the night before when I tried to hold him in place.
After a few days of being restrained with the leash and harness, Oska decided that warm compresses weren’t so bad. He got a treat, he got patted for 15 minutes, and then he was set free. When I called him, he came and sat down, reluctantly, but without being forced.
This works for Oska, but if you have a less cooperative dog, you may need a different approach.
His shoulder is much better.