How to entertain a shika pup that must be crated 24/7?
Fate somehow managed to break a piece of his elbow bone off [ our guess is from jumping so much when he runs around outside...he sort of jumps back & forth more then runs ] Unfortunately, this piece of bone was attached to a growth plate, & is the bone that holds the triceps to the leg. We managed to get him to an orthopedic specialist at the University of Florida the day after it happened, his surgery was done the same day, and he's on his way to making a full recovery.
Other then the fact that the growthplate is now dead, if his recovery is successful he'll be a normal adult dog...with a slightly smaller elbow bone lol [ no function loss, or arthritis, and he'll look normal tho ]
Here's the crux...in order to have the best chance at recovery, Fate has to be crated 24/7. He is only allowed out to pee / poo, in which case he must be carried to his spot, & then not allowed to stand for more then 5 minutes. For the next three weeks...or more.
So...that said...any ideas on how to keep a 17/18 week old shikoku puppy entertained without having him stand / put weight on his leg? As of now, I've just been rotating the toy he gets in his crate every few hours.
Likewise, I can get a prescription for a sedative, but he's already on two painkillers, & I'm not sure if I want him taking that many pills.
Any ideas would be great. Thanks in advance, as always. ~
Other then the fact that the growthplate is now dead, if his recovery is successful he'll be a normal adult dog...with a slightly smaller elbow bone lol [ no function loss, or arthritis, and he'll look normal tho ]
Here's the crux...in order to have the best chance at recovery, Fate has to be crated 24/7. He is only allowed out to pee / poo, in which case he must be carried to his spot, & then not allowed to stand for more then 5 minutes. For the next three weeks...or more.
So...that said...any ideas on how to keep a 17/18 week old shikoku puppy entertained without having him stand / put weight on his leg? As of now, I've just been rotating the toy he gets in his crate every few hours.
Likewise, I can get a prescription for a sedative, but he's already on two painkillers, & I'm not sure if I want him taking that many pills.
Any ideas would be great. Thanks in advance, as always. ~
Comments
Saya goes nuts for deer antlers keeps her busy for a good amount of time with bully sticks keeps Saya busy for a bit, but she is a smaller dog of coarse.. =\
Sometimes Saya looses interest in the deer antlers, but peanut butter gets her going again and she goes gnawing on it..
Good luck with it hopefully better suggestions come in.
It's a timely topic for me, though, as I have to think about how to keep Bel settled down too, due to her severe luxating patella, and while we haven't done the surgery yet, I need to keep her off it before and after. She's an active girl, but not quite as young, so it will be easier for me than for you, I'm afraid.
it may be best to let him sleep a lot...The kong is a good suggestion. Also, I wonder if bringing him out of the crate into a very small area (like a bathroom?) for an interactive game might work? Like the Nina Ottoson games where the dogs have to smell where the treat is and get it out? Even that might involve too much standing, but maybe not. Maybe you could teach him to play such a game from a laying down position?
When I'm down and cant take the pups for a walk, I also use the kong. I just fill that sucker up and let the dogs burn energy trying to figure it out.
So sorry...poor shikoku puppy! Kuma hated crates as a puppy, so I really feel for you.
What's tougher is Fate doesn't seem to know pain. Before the surgery he let anyone touch the broken spot, & was running around on three legs like nothing was wrong. Silly shikoku puppy doesn't know he's suppose to be hurting lol ~
They're really tough dogs, these NKs, though come to think of it, my GSD was like this too...
Rakka really likes car rides, even though she just sits there and stares out the window. I don't know how exactly you could implement that, or if you could get him to stay still enough in the car, or if you could put the crate in a place where he can see out the window or what. Or maybe put the crate in a wagon :oP There aren't a whole lot of fun things a crated dog can do. There's sleeping and chewing/playing with toys and... I don't know. Does he like being pet? You could pet him lots, since he won't be able to come to you for affection. That's one thing when Rakka was recovering from her surgery, she was able to walk fine, but she was confined for a while so she would rest, and I think she felt isolated because we were all moving around and doing stuff and she was just stuck there.
Just thought I would add that while buying an antler the other day, the owner of our local natural pet supply store recommended soaking the antler in chicken broth over night. She said her dogs went crazy over the antler when she did it, and were occupied for hours. I haven't tried it yet, but it would be worth a shot for you to try for your pup, to see if it holds his interest.
@JessicaRabbit ; Thanks for the link!
@atlas; Deer antlers seem to be a popular suggestion. I'll have to see if I can find some & do the broth trick, thanks! ~
@downright - Other then the broken bone, he's doing pretty great. I have some photos of him & my other boy playing together [ pre-broken elbow ] that I should probably post. He's a pretty mellow dude, loves other dogs & people, loves water, a bit stubborn when it comes to training...oh & he has pretty awesome recall.
All in all, he's probably the most un-shikoku ever lol ~
Jesse
I actually think they do train dogs to retrieve antler sheds...or at least, I remember reading about it somewhere.... ~
I'm only two days in of keeping Bel less active (ie. not crated, she's just not supposed to be running around so much, and she's getting used to a leg brace which she will wear after her surgery), and I'm going crazy. She hates the brace so only wants to be in her crate. And let's see....it's been 14 hours since she peed. She refuses to pee while on the leash all of a sudden. Last night this resulted in mega-pee in the house. I think I'm finding this more frustrating even than she is!
Then, because Fate has to be near us in the living room [ where we can keep an eye on him ] Wraith isn't allowed to roam about [ he approaches Fate's crate & gets him really excited ] so Wraith is spending a lot of time crated too.
Accident wise, I think this was the best thing for Fate. He's actually got his potty training down now! LOL He was horrible before, but I guess knowing he's in his crate 95% of the time makes him not want to make it dirty.
Poor Bel! I hope everything goes smoothly for her. Oh & the not wanting to pee on leash, Fate did that for a while...LOL I hope her surgery & recovery all go smoothly, poor babe
Hopefully, we have a week & a half left of this...then he can slowly return to activity.
How long will Bel be in recovery for after her surgery? [ & good luck!