My Don Juan K9 Edition

It was mating season once again in the canine population of our village. Needless to say, canine pheromones wafted through the air, enticing my little Don Juan. So I was only a bit worried when he disappeared, knowing he'll be back in a forthnight or so, all dirty, battered, bruised, but generally happy. Color me surprised when I saw him last Saturday---just less than a week gone and he has returned? He was also looking less his jovial self, but I attributed it to exhaustion. A couple of days later, his left ear appeared swollen and a lump appeared on his neck, couple that with lack of appetite, which is so strange, knowing he's a glutton. He was also less upbeat, not asking for belly rubs -- AT ALL! TheHusband and I brought him to the doctor, and it turned out to be a case of aural hematoma. He got a couple of shots and some meds. When we came home, he scratched his swollen left ear, which pierced the hematoma. Off leaked blood, pus, and lymph. And the smell? It was so DISGUSTING! As in, so, so, so disgusting! I had no choice but to clean it. Like Sharkteeth, he's afraid of peroxide, but he managed to stay still while I cleaned his wound. The meds were a different story though--he couldn't, or wouldn't, swallow them, but I placed the tablets in a ball of burger patty and it was gone in a blink. After a few days of constant wound care and medication (I had to wake up at 3 AM to give him his medicine!!!), he was back to his old incorrigible self and was again trying to leave the house, perhaps hoping his lady love's waiting for him. Alas, distance makes the heart yonder, and he came back a defeated dog. Well, there will always be another mating season.