Crate Rest

[brady's mom]

Brady ended up ripping open his paw and puncturing a toe all the way into the joint when we were at the river yesterday. One trip to the ER Vet and 330 dollar bill later, he's all stitched and bandaged up. He should heal all right--I hope, anyway--but he's such an energetic dog who likes to keep busy, busy, busy. Already, he's starting to get antsy and this is his first day of not being sedated and under super, super light activity. Unfortunately he just won't chill out on his own, so he's condemned to crate rest and a short, leashed walk.

 

What do you guys do when you have to restrict your dogs to crate rest due to injury? We have a few Nina Ottosson games, but he loses interest in those pretty quickly and I don't know what tricks I can really teach him that don't put weight on his injured paw. He's also a certified conehead for the next few weeks. I'm just having a little bit of trouble thinking up things that will keep his mind stimulated and off of the fact that he can't be going, going, going all the time.

 

Here's to hoping I can keep myself, and him, sane over the next month!

[rushdoggie]

I feel your pain, I just recently spent 4 weeks with a 2 year old on crate rest. Maybe this will help.

 

Category: Fun Stuff ¤

Author: Susan Fraser ¤

Title: 101 Things To To With a Dog IN a Box ¤

 

Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 23:08:18 EST

 

Sez Andrea:

<< **Susan, I remember that someone else had asked for "resting" c/t

and I thought

of you but I had not kept any of those posts. Maybe a recap of what

you did with

Shammie might be enjoyed (please pretty please..... G) >>

 

Well, since you said pretty please... <g>

 

First, I took the Rx for crate rest to mean "lying down" rest. So I

put a mattress

on the floor next to the crate and when Shammie was awake, I tried to be on the

mattress with her. She had already learned "down" so she got lots of c/t's for

just staying in a down. Now remember too that she was just 3 months old, so some

of these games might be too juvenile...

 

We played a lot of "mouse under here" where I put my hand under a towel and

scritched and moved it around by her front feet, and she would bat at

it with her

front paws. Then I would put a sheet or towel over her, and tickle

her. And I would

hide a treat or toy under a towel and she learned to nose under it.

That progressed

to treats under empty cans, even sliding the cans around - "guess which can"?

 

I stuffed torn strips of an old sheet in a FisherPrice plastic ball

with holes and

she would puuullllll the strips out. (Again, again, and again!! ) I also would

leave a tail of a strip dangling thru the door in the crate, and she

would pull it

in there, too. I let her shred a few pages of the newspaper every day

(probably not

the best idea <g>).

 

And she got lots of ice cubes (beef, chicken, even fruit), carrots,

broccoli, hooves,

real bones, and STUFFED Kongs (my husband said that HE was tempted to lick the

stuffing out a couple of times! LOL!), etc. Also drill holes in

Nylabones and fill

with cheese, pate', etc.

 

As far as teaching with the clicker, she learned to put her paws over her nose

("Shame, shame!"), Hold (she's a retriever!), and touch her nose to the correct

one out of three toys in front of her when I said it's name.

 

And then there's the Fisher Price crib toy. We spent a LOT of time

with the Farmer's

Pop-up Barn. When she pushed the round thing (with her nose) the

chicken popped up.

She used a paw to slide a bar, and that popped up the cow. Also a dial

for the farmer

and a lever for the sheep.

 

The chicken was her favorite, and self-rewarded, as it honked and

popped up whether

she got a treat or not. (Now, it's a cute party trick for little kids,

who get more

of a kick out of her getting it WRONG - I say "Where's the cow?", she bonks the

chicken, and they say "That's not the *cow*, Shammie, that's the *chicken*!!"

Over and over...:->)

 

I also taught her "speak" and "quiet". And we watched T.V. shows with

animal sounds.

And she got brushed with one of those hand mits, and learned about

brushing teeth.

Did I mention belly rubs and aroma therapy?

 

She had vet's permission to go out to potty on a leash. He never said she had to

come right back in....<g>. So we sat in the yard and tore up leaves

and pine cones

and made cloud pictures pretty often, too. And there were the car

rides in suckerdaddy's

arms...

 

Oh, and she had a stuffed bear almost as big as she was, that she took

out a lot of

aggressions on. It's name was "Omega Bear". (We're on about the 5th

generation

'Mega now...)

 

I'm sure there's more, but the bottom line is that this doesn't have

to be such a

bummer for you *or* the dog. We both got frustrated, but really,

having a dog lying

down and looking to you for entertainment is an incredible bonding experience.

 

My biggest problem was keeping the OTHER dog from going nuts!!

dog in a box

[brady's mom]

Thank you! We're gonna have to try aaaaalll of these out.

[scullywags]

Brady ended up ripping open his paw and puncturing a toe all the way into the joint when we were at the river yesterday. One trip to the ER Vet and 330 dollar bill later, he's all stitched and bandaged up. He should heal all right--I hope, anyway--but he's such an energetic dog who likes to keep busy, busy, busy. Already, he's starting to get antsy and this is his first day of not being sedated and under super, super light activity. Unfortunately he just won't chill out on his own, so he's condemned to crate rest and a short, leashed walk.

 

What do you guys do when you have to restrict your dogs to crate rest due to injury? We have a few Nina Ottosson games, but he loses interest in those pretty quickly and I don't know what tricks I can really teach him that don't put weight on his injured paw. He's also a certified conehead for the next few weeks. I'm just having a little bit of trouble thinking up things that will keep his mind stimulated and off of the fact that he can't be going, going, going all the time.

 

Here's to hoping I can keep myself, and him, sane over the next month!

 

Mines been on crate rest since January KNUCKLE BONES frozen kongs with babyfood peanut butter stuff like that frozen also frozen cups of unsweet applesauce

 

[brady's mom]

Eek, long time to be on crate rest, I hope they get better soon!

 

Thank you! I'll have to go out and buy some knuckle bones. I think I'm going to go out and buy another kong or two, having just the one isn't cutting it. I need a rotating system, lol.

[DieselsGirl22]

This is fantastic! diesel is on crate rest right now and though I've done some of these it's a great list of things you have there!

[Donald McCaig]

Dear Doggers,

 

I've never succeeded keeping either my guard dogs (nasty broken foreleg) nor sheepdogs (acl tears, bad hearts, dislocated hip, amputation, torn pads) on crate rest (in the house in its crate except when on lead outdoors to empty). Too many dogs going in and out. I did find that the vets drip IV bags, held with thick rubber bands made the best outdoor foot protectors.

 

Donald McCaig