Easter Sunday Musings

~ beetleypete

Trying out Ollie’s new folding ‘dog stairs’ didn’t go well. As anyone who read my post yesterday will know, we decided to take him to Thetford Forest. Ollie cannot differentiate between different types of cars, so once the hatchback was open on the new car, he wanted to get in. Even with Julie and I standing each side of his new dog steps, he wasn’t convinced. So I put his lead on, and made him try the stairs. He scrambled up in such a panic, he managed to gouge out two nasty scratches with his claws. Our otherwise pristine new car is now slightly damaged, but we cannot really be angry with our dog. We had to get a towel for the second attempt, and laid that over the paintwork. After much encouragement, he took the steps two at a time, and finally settled into the back with no more damage.
When we got to the forest car park, he flatly refused to use the stairs to get out of the car, and jumped down instead.
Ollie’s expensive car stairs remain a work in progress.

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Otherwise, it has been a quiet week. The Easter holiday required a change of plans for my shopping trips, but other than many closures today, the main shops are open, albeit with reduced hours.

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Ollie has to go for his booster jabs next week, but I have yet to make a Vet’s appointment because of Easter closures. While he is there, I am going to get his ears looked at again, as he is ‘dragging’ his left ear. And on one occasion this week he refused to eat any dinner, a sure sign he is not feeling well. The Vet has told me in the past that his options are limited for those ear infections. He is too old for surgery, and the antibiotics have been so numerous they are beginning not to take effect. I hope something can be done, but I am not hopeful. Seeing Ollie in pain breaks my heart. Julie got him two new soft toys as an Easter gift. He now has a small lamb and a rabbit, and has enjoyed playing with them.

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The weather is set to change tonight. Rain from the West coming in, and a wet Monday is forecast, as is the rest of next week. That is very traditional in England. The weather at Easter is notoriously bad, whatever date it falls on.

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I hope you are all having a happy Easter, wherever you are.

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57 thoughts on “Easter Sunday Musings”

  2. You story about Ollie really got to me. I get it. I don’t like new things either. Wishing you and Julie and Happy Spring! The weather is warming up here and I’m enjoying the warmth of the sun. Hugs, C

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  4. Change is hard, I guess, even for dogs! I just read another blogger’s post about enticing their old dog to use stairs to climb up to their bed. What finally sealed it was putting treats on each step. I hope Ollie figures out he’d feel much better using them.

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  5. I keep harping on this but it’s not some hippie nonsense. Gentian has been used in farm animals for a long time. And it works. Take it from someone who’s had floppy eared red dogs for 40 years.

    Gentian Violet Ear Wash

    Gentian violet has been used for generations as a remedy for yeast infections; yeast is the most common problem-causing fungus for dogs. Mix 16 ounces of isopropyl alcohol, 4 tablespoons of boric acid powder, and 16 drops of a 1 percent gentian violet solution. Shake to mix thoroughly, and use as you would any other ear wash. Gentian violet is available at most pharmacies, but you may have to ask for it at the counter.

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  7. We tried steps for Penny because her legs are very arthritic but it was a total flop. When I had the foster home, Grant built long ramps which the cats liked but that was a whole different set-up. So now we have a set of progressively larger stools. I hope Ollie will acclimatize. If only one could explain! Sorry about his ear. I hope he will get some relief. I expect you suffer more than him.

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    1. I wanted a ramp, but couldn’t buy one that folded down small enough to be convenient to leave in the car. I am hoping that more trips in the car will get him used to the folding steps.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  9. (1) When you called the car “pristine,” Ollie understood “Christine,” and therefore assumed it was evil.
    (2) Eggs are so expensive that children are now hunting for packages of Ramen. Whoever thought up this cheap substitute was using the ole noodle!
    (3) Did you hear about the man who planned to lambaste his wife she didn’t baste a lamb for dinner?
    (4) Here in Nevada, we eat chocolate jackalopes. (Of course, due to the horns, the chocolate is kinda scratchy goin’ down the gullet.)
    (5) Celebrating Easter in a Western state doesn’t seem quite right.

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  11. Oh, poor Ollie. It’s so upsetting to see a pet frightened or in pain. Our elderly, arthritic dog can no longer jump in the car or climb stairs. My husband and I are sleeping on the futon in the sunroom for when the dog needs to go out during the night. either.

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    1. The strange thing is that Ollie can easily run up and down stairs in any house that has them. (We are in a bungalow, one level) He loves stairs in houses, and sees them as a fun thing. But not for getting in and out of the car, obviously.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. 15C and sunny here all day. Warm sun too, no need for any heating in the house.. But we are due ‘heavy rain overnight, and most of Monday’, according to the BBC weatherman.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  14. Hi Pete, sorry to read about Ollie’s ears. I am sure it will only take a few tries and then he will be used to the stairs. 💗 we popped out to get a few things I left off our shopping list and on our return, Pushy, my cat, snuck into the garbage and got closed inside. I heard her called about an hour later and let her out. Poor girl was very upset.

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  17. Our Little Man had ear problems and surgery did not work out well for he was 12 years old….so be careful. Ollie sounds like my dogs once they et use to a certain way nothing can change their mind. Enjoy your day my friend. chuq

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  20. its rain on & off here this easter as we lead into winter. I’d be happy for those car stairs Pete . . . & not for my sheep either!!!! for me!

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    1. Ollie can’t get into the new car by jumping from the ground. It is too high for him now he is old, though he can jump out of it. He is going to have to get used to the dog-steps, or I might have to resort to lifting him in and out as his arthritic legs might be damaged by jumping. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  24. Sorry to hear about Ollie. It is so hard when they can’t tell you how they are feeling, but eating is a good sign. Biscuit is getting used to living with one person instead of two although he does go looking for hubby sometimes in the room that he never bothered with before. I confuse him by not spending all evening cuddling him on the sofa in front of the TV, I just can’t be bothered with it any more. It all seems so irrelevant. We do get 45 mins every afternoon for ‘Escape to the Country’. Otherise he has the sofa to himself. The lazy thing is asleep on it now!

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    1. Dogs don’t work out that their missing adult is never coming home. Even when I go out to the shops, or have been away overnight, Ollie will just sit looking at the door until I return. It can be very distressing to imagine what he will be like if I die before he does.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Nothing is too good for that darling little fellow ..and if you die before Ollie does, he will mourn you until he goes …there are stories of doggies lying on their human’s graves until they, themselves expire. They will just sit and wait for you to come home. It is sad to think about but that is the way it is.

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