11.5 week old puppy - cage rest for 1 month
We're absolutely devastated, and it was just horrible to see the little guy in so much pain. He doesn't come home from the vet until Monday, but I'm trying to figure out how much I can still teach/play/socialise him whilst he can't really get around. I know it's a crucial time for socialisation, so I'm hoping to still be able to carry him to places so he still gets to meet people etc. (we had lots of plans to keep his social diary very busy with puppy classes etc. but that just won't be possible now). Guess I won't really know how much he can do until I speak to the vet when we bring him home, but one thing is certain, he will stay in his cage pretty much all the time we're home for 1 month. I think I've read previous posts where dogs have had to be kept rested but I can't seem to find them now (and don't recall anyone mentioning a puppy with extended cage rest) as I was hoping someone may have some tips on games/training that can still be done whilst they're pretty much immobile? I feel so bad for the little guy  |
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| Youngest for us was a male Pyr and a broken leg. Alas, he was still with his breeder for the first couple weeks. We got the end when he was thumping around. So I have no idea how they kept him quiet. Since he was around other dogs even when confined, he didn't suffer from lack of socialization, but really did prefer humans. Unfortunately I also stepped on his paw a few months later and broke his toe. Poor guy. No cast there, just the toes on either side help the toe in place but we couldn't let him run. So even if he can't walk about, is he too large now to carry? Can be go around in a pram? No, just kidding. Do what you can working with him yourself. Teach him to listen to you and respond.......touch the ball type games. Lots of chew toys to help with time passage. |
| Wow thats a hard one. Poor little guy. |
So sorry for your puppy  I think it will be easier to keep a young pup like that quiet in his cage as they still do sleep alot anyway at that age.They sell small carriages you can perhaps put him in and stroll him around outside to get socialized...Or if he's small enough, carry him around a little. They also have slings that will help you pick him up to go potty outsde. I am assuming he will not be able to walk much on the legs. One month will go by quick. He can play with stuffed kongs in the crate and if there are no other dogs in the house, maybe you can sit with him on a blanket...Although they say there is a window of time to socialize your dog, that isn't all that true. The world won't end and you won't have a crazy dog just because he didn't get all that socializtion as a young pup. Socialization is an ongoing process Most liekly the Vet will send him home with some pain meds that will keep him tired. Hope he gets better. Poor baby |
| Oooooh I think it depends a lot on his level of excitability... whether he'll try to bounce, wiggle, squirm around when taken out for socialization. It might be more problematic to put him through a second surgery rather than keeping him home/confined for a month. Me, I'd make sure his leg healed properly (especially if it was broken in two places), then make up for lost time and immerse him daily in his surroundings, new situations, people, dogs after his month of confinement. But that's just me... Hugs to your baby. Hoping for a problem free recovery! |
| We had a pup about the same age with a broken leg - (left rear one) , but it was casted. It was my son's min pin Dino. He got a new cast every week, for a month. We mostly kept him at home, except for the weekly trips to the vet for a new cast. He was growing, so the cast needed to be refitted every week. He healed great, just to this day has a slightly smaller muscle mass in the left butt! And I bet no one but me notices it. He is a healthy, active 11 year old. He went on to be shown by my son the year after the injury in obedience, jr showmanship (conformation), and agility. Even back then we had a multidog household, so he still got plenty of canine socialization, just had to keep him quiet. And min pins are SUPER active dogs, but it passed without incident.  Here they are = the ones on the left  ...and my son Travis will be 23 in a couple months...wow, time flies! (PS - Tazz is the one on the right w/ daughter Lisa - he is the ancient sickly one we have still at our house - CHF, cardimegaly, metabolic disorder) he looked pretty awesome in his younger days too. |
| When my kelpe/lab rescue injured a disc in his low back and was briefly paralysed from the waste down I entertained him with a ball and taught him some tricks. He was ball obsessed so I used to sit in front of his bed and throw him his tennis ball from about two feet away right to his face, he'd catch it, spit it at me and I'd repeat the process. He was happy to do this for EVER. I nearly went insane with boredom but he was getting depressed just lying around. Luckily for me some doggy friends came over to do shifts of throw the ball. The longest a human lasted was one hour and Morf seemed ready to keep it up for hours longer. I also taught him touch with a wooden spoon and treats. I held the treat behind the spoon and when he put his nose on the spoon he got a treat. Eventually I could hold the spoon anywhere within reach and he'd touch it with his nose when I gave the command "touch". If you pups not good at giving up a ball then you can teach give by exchanging the ball for a treat or toy. Morf was also happiest if I was near him so I dragged him and his bed around the house with me. He was even happy just to watch me work on the computer. He hated being left out. I've never had a puppy who had to rest though. But I'd imagine older more sedate dogs for socialisation. Providing they're up to date with their vacinations. |
| Wow, I am so sorry! We had this situation with a Yorkie puppy. He was in a cast though. All we heard was tap, tap, tap. Same spazo yorkie had a luxated patella and had to have surgery at 11 months. I truly don't remember how we made it through that without going mad. Hugs to you and Saxon. |
| Thanks for all the great suggestions and support - it's great to hear success stories too! (Dino looks great!!) We brought Saxon home last night and he is absolutely fine, doesn't appear to be in any pain, and is being pretty good about being in his crate. Not sure how long that will last though. Ashley wrote: Although they say there is a window of time to socialize your dog, that isn't all that true. The world won't end and you won't have a crazy dog just because he didn't get all that socializtion as a young pup. Socialization is an ongoing process This is very reassuring to hear! I was worried that we'd miss the best time for him to get used to the world.. we've already transferred his place on puppy classes that start at the end of July so he should be able to get going again as soon as he's able to and hopefully not miss too much. SheepieBoss - Don't think he is too big to carry right now but might be in a few weeks (he's about 15kg now) and I asked the vet if that would be ok, which he said it was, so I think we'll try that route so he gets to meet people a couple of days a week at least. But I do agree that it's better to keep him confined than risk another surgery, that would be just awful. Mim wrote: He was ball obsessed so I used to sit in front of his bed and throw him his tennis ball from about two feet away I love this story!! I definitely need to find something that will keep him occupied like that.. I was thinking about teaching him things like touch too, think I'll start tomorrow and see how it goes. |
| Good luck! |
| Glad to hear pup is doing well. There are some games by Nina Ossoman I think her name is. They ar "mind" games for dogs and supposedly really tire them out. They are games you sit with the pup and play with. No running or jumping involved. They are like wood puzzles and the pup has to find the food or something. You can also play some scent games. Hiding a treat under a cup with other cups empty and the pup finds the treat...I find a toy called the Everlasting Ball is wonderful that keeps them busy for a long time. Its a big rubber ball you put a special treat ball inside and half of it sticks out and they lick it and play with it. Just buy the one suitable for your pups size. Hope improvement continues. |
Ahhh yeah, think I've seen those wood puzzles/games before - that's a really great idea and should get his mind going (might distract him from tearing up the newspaper in his crate at least  )I'll look up the Everlasting Ball, but I have tried him with a kong with treats before he had his accident, and he wasn't that bothered by it. His attention span seems to be pretty short and he just gives up really easily. Though maybe it will be different now he's confined and hasn't got anything better to do. Thanks for the good wishes - I sure hope 4 weeks goes by quickly and uneventfully!!  |
| Mine weren't too interested in the Kong either. But LOVE the everlasting ball... The four weeks does go by fast. Hang in there! |
| oh bless him but at least he is on the mend. I love the throw ball trick ....Summer would catch frisbee for ever... |
| Love, love, love this forum. I found Nina Ottosson's website. I will be doing some shopping (but don't tell David). Great to have these for a dog who is convalescing, or for a stretch of rainy days (or -30C days here in Ottawa). I hope your pup heals quickly and gets back to bouncing around. http://www.interactivedoggames.com/ |
| Just wanted to post an update on Saxon - not a good one unfortunately One of the implants that they used (the screw that goes across his elbow joint) has had to be removed because it wasn't holding his bone anymore - the vet explained because his bones are so soft the screw had basically worn the bone down and wasn't holding it anymore. So he had another operation yesterday to replace the screw with a bolt that is held at each end with a nut, essentially pushing the bone from each side to close the fracture and let it heal. Apart from the fact this is his third operation in 3 weeks (he had one last week too to tighten the screw because it was coming loose), we are now faced with a further 4 weeks of cage rest - and the last 2.5 weeks have been hard enough, I don't know how to cope with another 4 weeks. I tried playing sedate games and doing some training in the first week, but everything got him over-excited and then after the second operation I was far too paranoid to do anything with him - so apart from toilet breaks outside he isn't getting a lot of things to do. He does have lots of toys in his cage to play with, and I'm with him constantly (sleeping down here still), but I just feel so sad for him. By the time 4 weeks have passed he will be 4.5 months old, and I won't have been able to teach him anything or let him get used to the world in general. Already I see potential problems brewing (he gets very jealous of Inca, and has barked at other dogs in the vets) and I just feel absolutely at a loss about what to do about it whilst he's restricted to his cage. Sorry for such a negative post - just can't really see the positives at the moment and felt the need to vent to people who will understand my frustration! |
I know you feel sad for him but he needs confinement in order to heal properly so he can go on to live a normal life. We sometimes just have to do what you have to do. Honest, you can make it up to him once he's healed  Put his crate in an area where the family gathers frequently. Personally, I'd keep a crate in the living room, one in the kitchen or workroom and rotate him each time he comes in from pottying. I'd keep different toys in different crates and rotate toys kept in those crates too. I'd allow the TV to help occupy him if he's a dog that will watch, if nothing else, the sound may be soothing. I know this is tough for everyone and I'm sorry you have to go through this.  |
Thanks for the reply  - I agree, it is something we just have to put up with unfortunately, just feel like we're missing out on all of the puppy experiences  His crate is in the dining room at the minute, pretty much the cente of the house so it's working out well. To be fair, he doesn't seem all that bothered by it - I just worry we're missing out on so much socalisation and early training - ah well, nothing I can do but wait, so I'll just suck it up and hope another 4 weeks flys by! |
| Hi Just read this after searching for ideas on my puppy Bailey who is 4.5 month.Bailey shattered his front left elbow 12 days ago,he had an operation to pin the bone,the vet explained that due to a puppys bones being soft he would do the best he could and that Bailey has with your dog Saxon would have to be kept in a cage for 4 weeks,today we took him back to the vets to see the surgeon for his stitches out and we were told one of the pins has moved,he said he could take him and x-ray him and then do the op again but with no guarantees at all and it would cost us another £1000 on top of the £1800 we have already paid or wait another 4 weeks keeping Bailey caged and see how the bone heals,and then re-look at the options then...I feel if it doesnt heal that we will be advised to have Baileys leg removed We want to give Bailey the best chance possible regardless of cost which we will manage somehow(Wish we had been insured)so we will keep him off his leg as much as physically possible and cage him when he isnt being carried or sat on our knees where he is content to lay,how did Saxon recover and does anyone have any advice whatsoever to keep him from being bored an o what puppys do which is try to jump about...any advice welcome |
Sorry to hear about Bailey's injury The repeat operation sounds very similar to Saxon's situation - we were also very concerned he would lose his leg if it didn't repair We were really fortunate that we had insurance (final figure was well over £3k  ), and we were referred to a really good orthopeadic specialist vet. The attempt with a bolt implant rather than a screw type worked really well. Although, as well as the bolt, he also had two pins implanted to repair another fracture, and within a few weeks both pins had moved. Our vet was not too concerned that the pins had moved, but I think if I recall correctly they did do xrays and found that the bone that the pins were there to repair was already pretty much healed at that point. In fact, if I remember right, by the time they did the third operation (for the bolt, after about 2.5 weeks) they said that the 'pinned' fracture was already healed - so I hope that Bailey's is ok already too!! Could they do an xray now to check it? seems like it would be better to find out now, rather than wait 4 weeks and then have to start all over again at the point (worst case scenario of course!!)I was so paranoid after the bolt was implanted that I stopped trying to keep Saxon occupied.. everything just got him too excited - but the good news was he completely healed and he runs and plays and leaps around without any problems at all. We were told he might develop arthritis when he gets to old age.. but there is no guarentee that he wouldn't have developed it anyway, even without the implants, so we are quite optimistic! Behaviourally, he is very very different from our other OES, but I don't know if I can accredit that to his long period of cage rest or not (and he was 4-5 weeks younger than Bailey is now, too). Wishing Bailey a very speedy recovery without any further problems!!  |
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