Saturday, November 20, 2010

My Dog has Fleas...

So for the past few years, come October-November, Lizzy will start to get this weird looking dry scaly stuff on her ears, and around her eyes and nose.
I know it really bothers her cause she is scratching and pawing at all the time.
Well a few years ago, (the first time she got it) I called Kate and asked her if her doctors out at the horse clinic would look at her. They said sure so I took her out there and they said it is some kind of bug that animals pick up and they treat their horses all the time for it.
They gave me some medicine I was supposed to get her to take... well, what they meant was that I was supposed to wrestle her down and pry her mouth open and squirt down her throat...
When did this become my job? K.C. was still home...he is much stronger than me, but no! She likes you best mom...you do it. What ever.
So after a few weeks of doing this, it would clear up.
Well this year when she started scratching at her eyes, I thought maybe I could just get rid of it with some good flea medicine (that's not exactly what she has, but the thoughts of taking her back to the doctor again left me searching for any alternative. Yes! Taking her in the car is an adventure! (Besides not liking to bath, she also hates riding in the car.)
So I put those drops down her back that are supposed to get rid of any fleas. I don't know what the chemical reaction is, but she got real stinky. It was definitely the flea drops, cause she didn't smell before. For how much she rolls around outside in the dirt, she is quite a clean, un-smelly dog.
Well Lizzy loves me and follows me around where ever I go and sits right next to me. The other night, she was laying right by my feet while we were watching the Jazz game and beside being so smelly from the flea drops, she was really letting stinkers bad too. (Could have been the bowl of popcorn I let her eat, to keep me from finishing it off) Well I had to put my foot down and told her that first thing the next day she was getting a bath. and she must go outside!
(Now normally she is fine to go outside, unless it is windy...which it was, so when I told her to go out, she just looked at me like 'NO WAY!'
We have this strange communication thing and I know she knows what I am thinking, and I can read her like a book. So she must have figured out the only way to get to stay in was to just stay away from me. So... she went and plopped down in the other room, away from everyone, and stayed there for the night. Fine!
Well the next morning, as promised, I said "Lizzy, it's time for your bath"...all calm like so she wouldn't freak out. I started running some water in the tub. Well that did it. She headed right for the back door...now she wants to go out!
Oh no you don't! I tried calling, and bribing her with treats to come upstairs. No way.
So I picked her up like a big sack of potatoes and carried her up into the bathroom. She is not light and is very strong! She did not want to go in there! Once I got in the bathroom, I quick shut the door so she couldn't escape.
Now I had to get her in the tub. I called upon all super-human strength I had and wrestled her into the tub. While I was reaching for the shower head, she made a break for it and jumped out of the tub. So now I had to pick her up when she was all wet! She was fighting me with everything she had, but by now, I was on a mission...I would not let her win this one...she was going to have a bath! So I picked her up, kicking and howling, and got her back in the tub. I held her down with one hand and washed her good with the other. After a good rinse, I let go.
Man she went flying out of that tub like a rocket! She shook a few times, thoroughly soaking me and the whole bathroom, then I dried her and brushed her good and let her free!We were both exhausted and the bathroom was covered with fur....yes that is fur on the door.When I was telling my friends at bunko that I hadn't given my dog a bath for about two years, they looked at me with shock and horror in their faces....'what? I give my sweet little doggie a bath every other week!' HA! I tried to explain why, but then just started laughing...you would just have to be there.


2 comments:

Angie said...

That was exhausting to read about your bath experience with Lizzy. Maybe it would be easier to take her somewhere and have them wrestle her clean. Good job for getting it done though:)

Colleen/Grandma/Mom said...

Score: Paula, 1; Lizzy 0
Congratulations! What an ordeal! Our cat needs a bath, want to come do it for us?