Louie is clearly tired.

The eight-year-old Yorkshire Terrier mix sits quietly inside his recovery kennel, blinking more slowly with every passing minute.

His eyes close.

His head begins to drop.

For a moment, it looks as though he is finally going to sleep.

Then the injured side of his head approaches the towel beneath him.

Louie suddenly jerks awake.

His head snaps back up.

His eyes open.

He waits.

A minute later, exhaustion wins again.

His eyelids close.

His neck relaxes.

His head starts sinking toward the bedding.

And once again, the damaged ear touches the fabric.

Louie immediately lifts his head.

Eventually, he stops trying to lie down at all.

He remains sitting, leans his head toward the healthy side, closes his eyes, and slowly falls asleep upright.

Louie's Ear Is More Than a Small Surface Injury

When Louie arrived at the shelter, one side of his head immediately required attention.

His ear had been badly torn.

The area was also significantly infected.

Swelling extended into the nearby cheek and neck, and much of the fur on that side had to be clipped so the damaged tissue could be examined and treated.

Exactly how the injury happened was not known.

What was obvious was how much it affected him.

Louie did not need to cry out for that to become clear.

All anyone had to do was watch him try to sleep.

The Injury Follows Him Into Every Resting Position

Standing is manageable.

Sitting is manageable.

Walking slowly around the kennel is manageable.

The real problem begins when Louie tries to put his head down.

Normally, a sleepy dog can simply curl up and let the side of the face rest against a blanket.

Louie cannot.

One entire side of his head has become something he instinctively protects.

Even Soft Fabric Can Hurt Inflamed Tissue

The towel beneath Louie is not rough.

There is nothing sharp against his ear.

But severe inflammation can make even gentle pressure uncomfortable.

Swollen tissue is already under tension.

An injured ear can be extremely sensitive.

Infection may increase tenderness further.

So something as ordinary as allowing his ear to rest against a towel can become enough to wake him.

Louie Tries the Other Side

At first, he appears to understand the problem.

He turns his head away from the injured ear.