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Oleo's
Story - Epilogue Caring for Oleo (treating his nose) had become next to impossible when he was still on the chain at Mom & Dad's...Oleo had gotten so big he would forcefully refuse things he didn't like. And he certainly didn't like the muzzle on his nose. When Ryan moved all the wolves to his land (35 acres of woods a few hundred yards from where I live), we all expected that to be the end of the nose-healing process-if Oleo couldn't be controlled while on a chain, he certainly couldn't be controlled when he had two acres of space in which to avoid people. Ryan moved them at the end of 1999. Though nothing was said about me becoming "caretaker", I naturally felt an obligation since I was so close. I started checking on the wolves a couple times a week. Slowly, Oleo developed enough trust to allow me to pet him. After awhile, I figured I might as well try to work on his nose some more. Ryan and I had talked about it and we figured that starting with a base of YLEOs LavaDerm would work well because it could be sprayed on. He brought me that and a few oils one day and I mixed together the combo I felt would do the most good. I probably sprayed this potion on his nose twice a week for about a month. Every time was a hassle. He hated it. He was hard to catch, wouldn't hold still, and often got away. When I did manage to spray it on a few times, I noticed that he'd walk about 10 feet away and plop down as if he were weak or faint. I suspected it was the result of the struggle and directly breathing a pretty stout combination of oils. It soon got to the point that I couldn't catch Oleo and I gave-up on the whole ordeal. About the same time I had a reason to try the potion on myself. That stuff burned...no wonder Oleo hated it! A month or two later, I had another idea... the sunflower/flaxseed/amaranth oil blend (Oleo always loved that) mixed with Sulfurzyme, which animals also enjoy and is known for taking away scars. I went up there with Potion #2 in a squeeze bottle, determined to make this work. By this time Oleo had redeveloped some trust for me so he was easy to catch. Prepared for a struggle, I straddled him with one arm around his neck...and the fight was on! From past experience, I knew he'd try to back out under me so when I felt this movement, I either squeezed my legs or sat on him. This caused more panic and struggle. We ended-up standing, my arm around his neck, my face to the back of his head, and his back against my stomach and chest. Of course, his legs weren't built to hold up his weight for long and he'd back-up a step or two every time I tried to squirt the potion. He backed me over a log and we fell backward, but I was determined not to let go. He was lying belly-up on top of me. I don't know if he was exhausted, if I won the 'test-of-wills' contest, or if he just felt sorry for me, but he calmly laid there and let me rub the stuff on his nose. When I got home, I was so sweaty, dusty, stinky...generally nasty...that I jumped in the lake, clothes and all, before coming into the house.
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©
Copyright 2001 by Caleb Eaton. OilsForPets.com is for the purpose of education, and should NOT to be construed as medical or veterinary advice. Consult your physician or veterinarian for medical advice. This information is NOT intended to treat, diagnose or cure medical condintions and these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. |
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