Hi everyone. On Boxing Day my 8month pup got hit by a car as a lady ran a red light and came straight into us. I managed to jump back and yank Ash away but he was still hit. Tomorrow he has surgery to fix a bad break as the growth plate has come off his leg bone and the tendon may be damaged, so he needs pins. The lovely orthopaedic vet surgeon over in Dewsbury says he will need confining to a small empty area for six weeks and can only go outside for a max of 5 mins a day to toilet. I know he will be on pain meds and may sleep a lot the first few weeks but he is a very active dog normally so I've no idea how to stop him being bored other than chew toys and kongs. Has anyone else have experience of keeping an ill dog entertained? I'm at home all day so he won't be alone.
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Oh my lord, poor you and poor Ash! I can't offer suggestions - other people will have much better ideas - but lots and lots of sympathy. Please let us know how you and he get on. Rosie
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Oh no how horrible :'( I'm glad you are ok. I hope the woman stopped!! I hope the surgery goes well. If you look in the health section, Julie T posted a lot about her Charlie's recovery along with activities etc whilst he was recuperating. Please let is know how Ash is tomorrow. Big hugs to you both x
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Oh my goodness you poor things . I can't offer advice, but there will be others who can. Hope he gets on ok tomorrow.
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Oh good grief just awful, poor Ash and you :'( :'( I hope everything goes well with Ash's surgery and will be thinking about you. Please pop back if you can to let us know how your boy boy is. Fingers and paws all crossed here. Lots of hugs to you and Ash {{{{xxxxx}}}}
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident That is horrible - all fingers crossed the operation goes ok. Julie will be able to give a lot of advice about keeping a young dog entertained and yourself sane during his convalescence. We are all rooting for Ash and you. X
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Hi poor you, so glad you are okay, hope tommorow goes well. There was a toy I came across at puppy class, where you put treats in, and you have to make things slide or pop up to get at them, someone else might know where you get one, but there is a site called pets pyjamas, ( good site to have a look at anyway ) that might stock one. Great you are at home all day. Julie T, is an expert on all this, and knows lots about stuffing kongs, which will be another good thing to do. Frozen kong stuffing good for teething pups too. Big cuddles for your poor pup XX
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Oh no, how awful - I do hope he is going to be ok, and heals up well. You poor thing, that must just be awful. Yes, my boy had surgery on his knee. First six weeks were strict crate rest but with timed walks that started at 2 minutes 5 times a day. We also had to ice his leg, and he had passive range of motion exercises to do. But that was it for the first six weeks. Then, it was lead walks only for 4 months. Then off lead but no interaction with other dogs, or fetch, or explosive exercise, for another 2 months. For me, the key was routine. I worked out a routine and I stuck to it. This was based on the principle that if I had to make 20 or 30 decisions about what I was going to do next for my dog it would just drive me mad. So I worked out what I was going to do, wrote it down, and followed it. You do have to find a way that your boy is not jumping on furniture etc For most boisterous young labs, that means: in a crate; on a lead; or in a room without furniture. I know on a lead in the house and garden sounds difficult, but both you and the dog will get used to it. Although the first six weeks for Charlie were strictly in a crate. It helps to the house set up as well as you can - non slip flooring, crate near an exit to the garden, and so on. I had a crate in a pen, with gym mats on the floor (crate because he couldn't be in the pen and risk him jumping up). I also cleared the kitchen of furniture, put down mats and pretty blankets, and spent six months on the floor with him. There is now a book that might help. It's called "No walks? No worries! - Maintaining wellbeing for dogs on restricted exercise". Here are some ideas that I wrote down for people before - hope some are helpful to you. [quote author=JulieT link=topic=7855.msg110148#msg110148 date=1410898390] In terms of keeping your dog occupied on restricted exercise, this is what I did: Write down everything you can do with and for your dog - eg 10 minute on lead sniffs round the garden, packing up meals in frozen kongs, clicker training, allowed safe chews, teaching tricks, massages, find kibble in boxes, tearing up paperback books, teeth cleaning training. Write everything down. Then stock up on what you need - kongs, save packaging etc. Then look at your schedule and work out how many activities you can fit into a day, and spread them out as much as possible - or grouped around the times when your dog is least likely to settle and go to sleep. Then stick to that routine. In between activities, if the dog won't settle put her in a crate or pen, if that's necessary - it certainly is for us - and they just have to learn that means quiet time. [/quote] [quote author=JulieT link=topic=4350.msg52625#msg52625 date=1391691150] In terms of time fillers, I can't claim credit for them - I think every one of these has been suggested on the forum and I've just collected the ones that work for us: 8in1 filled rawhide (small - only one a day) Anco roots Pizzles Frozen kongs Hard packaging with kibble inside An entire newspapers scrunched up in one big pass the parcel with a bit of kibble in each sheet Frozen rice hedgehogs filled with soaked kibble Kong goodie bones (I fill these with sea wraps - sticks of sweet potato wrap in fish skin) Kong wobblers Kibble hidden between the balls of a trixie cube The best quiet game is he has to lie very still (if he moves, we don't play) and catch a soft ball (we use the trixie cube balls) and give it back to me. He loves it, and will play it for ages. [/quote] [/quote]
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident I think JulieT really is the expert with this one! Just wanted to say I'm sorry you had a horrible accident, it must have been frightening and it's good that you or Ash weren't hurt much worse. I hope he makes a speedy recovery!
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident So sorry about this - what a horrendous experience. I'm so glad that Ash was not hurt even more badly, but obviously it is simply awful that he was hurt at all.
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident I am so sorry to read this,what an awful thing to happen....i hope the surgery goes well.Whilst it's a serious injury that never should have happened Ash is a young healthy dog with a great owner so I reckon he is going to be just fine .....We're all around to chat to as you go through his recovery time. Very best of luck xxx Angela
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Oh dear, so sorry to hear this! I hope the surgery goes well. It's not going to be easy to mange with Ash on restricted exercise but Julie has shown it can be done, so keep heart!
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident How upsetting, to say the least. You must be still in shock. I wonder if the vet doing the surgery has suggestions for you. Good luck to Ash.
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident So sorry to hear this :'( Here is a good article and a link to the book 'No Walks? No Worries!' http://www.thelabradorsite.com/no-walks-no-worries-labradors-on-limited-exercise/
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Oh my Gosh! Hope everything goes well. How awful for you all Really wishing all the best x
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Just want to send good wishes for your pup' s eventual recovery. It must have been a dreadful experience for you both.
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident We all 'bust a gut' trying to be good, responsible dog owners and something like that happens. It really is most unfair. Hope all goes well tomorrow. Be sure to let us all know how it goes.
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and some brilliant advice. I've started writing lists so I can keep him entertained. I do have a sliding puzzle from his early puppyhood that I'm going to get out again and stuffed kongs are now in the freezer. I have built a giant pen as luckily I bought another one for our Christmas tree, so it all connected together. I can now be in there with him all day & do my business work on my laptop when he naps. Our kitchen is always boiling so he's going to be in the front room as the back door is there for toilet trips. Ash came through the op with only one complication - being sick during it, so they now have him on antibiotics as a precaution. They think the tendon is fine so that's good news. The cross pins are in but they won't hold much weight so it's lots of rest and recouping ahead. I'm so grateful to the wonderful surgeon who came in on a Sunday and worked so hard to fix my little man.
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident Poor Ash and poor you! That must have been an absolutely terrifying experience! I'm glad your little man came through the op well and wish you all the luck in the world caring for him in the weeks to come. x
Re: Entertainment ideas after car accident So very, very glad to hear the op went well. Best of luck with it all.
