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Old September 24th, 2009, 04:51 PM
Pupster Pupster is offline
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Suggestions on how to interact with dog recovering from leg surgery

Hi all,

My bichon shih-tzu, Henry, recently got leg surgery and is supposed to be on extremely restricted physical activity for 6 weeks. Basically, he's supposed to be restricted to a 6ft x 4ft area for the whole six weeks and we can only carry him out to do his business in the yard.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can interact with him, seeing as he is not supposed to move and use his leg very much? I would like to keep him mentally stimulated during his recovery period. It's been quite a challenge as he's only 1 years old and is still very energetic.

Thanks!
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Old September 24th, 2009, 05:42 PM
kandy kandy is offline
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You could let him play with puzzle toys - like these:
http://www.fetchdog.com/pet-supplies...dog-toy/T30029

Of course you would want to be supervising him so that you can be sure he's not getting up and putting weight on his leg.

I can sympathize - I had a 2 yr old newf that had knee surgery and had to be kept inactive for 6 months. We did puzzle type toys with her, but mostly we would just lay on the floor and cuddle with her while we watched tv.
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Old September 24th, 2009, 05:51 PM
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TwinTails TwinTails is offline
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What about a kong with a treat inside or peanut butter? I love those puzzles too, we had one that you filled with kibble, as they turned it over, it dropped one or two pieces at a time. I also gave flavored nylabones (I think that is what they are called?) to recovering dogs, most loved the watermelon type. They could lick and chew for hours, without moving about too much.
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Old September 25th, 2009, 08:16 AM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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we had to keep our 7 month old GSD crated for about 5 weeks after her amputation. It was pretty tough but I found that she was pretty inclined to rest quietly until she was GENUINELY feeling better. We gave her frozen pb kongs, chewies, and just spent a lot of time in the same room as her. If we were watching TV or a movie we'd let her out with us, on leash, and lie with her on the floor. She was happy just being with her people for the most part. I'd be avoiding any kind of really active play or toys that encouraged her to move around a lot (I'm thinking of some puzzle toys that encourage the pup to paw at and roll around the toy to get food...that would mean lots of standing and uneven distribution of body weight on two or three legs).
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Old September 25th, 2009, 09:06 AM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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I will be dealing with this shortly so I am going to be following this thread and all comments.

My biggest fear is how I am going to get him up and down 12 stairs during the day for outtings. That's my worry.

Good luck to the OP. You are going to get some amazing advice here and I thank you for opening this thread.
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Old September 25th, 2009, 09:18 AM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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hm. we carried, but she was only about 45 lbs then. She's 55 now and we still lift her in/out of cars etc. If you want to "help" try using a towel as a suportive sling under the belly to take some of the weight off the leg.
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Old September 28th, 2009, 04:00 PM
kandy kandy is offline
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Yes, the best way to navigate stairs is a sling (or towel). It's also the best way to make sure that a dog isn't going to slip on a patch of ice (since that season will soon be upon us).

Because Hazel felt so much better even directly after her surgery, we had some challenges in keeping her inactive. I think for her it was just such a relief to not be in pain anymore. I wouldn't suggest the kinds of puzzle toys that the dog is expected to roll around for the treats to drop, I would suggest the kinds that require the dog to touch the right spot with a paw, or move sections from side to side with the paws. I also used stuffed & frozen kongs with a variety of fillings. We spent as much time as possible with her, just laying on the floor with her, petting her, talking to her. I also tried to keep the general activity level in the house to a minimum - the volume on the tv was kept low, my husband and I talked in soft voices, etc. Our only child is grown and gone, so active/loud children weren't an issue for us. Having a dog that is crate trained would make it much easier to keep them inactive, but Hazel was never crate trained.
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Old September 28th, 2009, 04:11 PM
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Hi, I am going through kind of the same thing right now with my Jap. chin Jim. Jim somehow hurt his spin and has nerve damage. Our Vet said complete cage rest too. That's like pulling teeth to my Jimi. What I have done is put his cage in a room where you are most of the time. I have 4 dogs in my pack and have extra cages so I put one in more than one room, and I just carry him to where I am. I know you may not be able to do that though. Poor little fellor. I sure hope your Henry gets well soon. My Jim is doing really well and is showing signs of real recovery.
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