abdominal surgery - Page 1

My 6 month old puppy had a small umbilical hernia repaired . She is restricted to leash walking only and the crate. The weather is bad, I don't mind taking long walks..and we do. The thing is, she is bored,and needs something to do and I am running out of ideas. There is no place in the house where she can be loose because she gets too excited and the vet considers that off leash time and she is not allowed. We have 9 days of this to go. Any help appreciated. I feel so sorry for her. I have given her a variety of toys she waxes and wanes on those.

Give her a soup bone with some of the marrow removed *(just in case it is too rich for her). In a few days, she will do better and you can see if you can contain her by letting her stay on leash and following you around. Make sure the bone does not have the cartiledge on it at the joint as some dogs throw that back up. Marrow bones I am talking about are the femur of the cow. A segment cut about 4-6 inches and given to her for a few hours a day at different times will keep her occupied. An alternative is to get a Kong, a hard one, and stuff it with dog treats that she has to work to get out. Good luck. I am sure she will do fine. Your vet is being conservative and that often is the best course.

Tough to restain a young energetic pup but good advise above. You might even look into hiring a trustworthy teenager to take her out for additional walks. Good luck

You might want to consider asking your vet for a light sedative, so she sleeps more over the next week, taking her out of action for the time required. Stephen

GSDlvr2, take her to a pet store for a walk and a bit of shopping. That will take both of you out of the house for a short time. Bob-O

Bob-O, though we almost always agree, I have to strongly disagree with your suggestion to take a pup who just had surgery, minor though it was, to a pet store. Most pet stores in my area are filthy and frequented by many dogs, some of which surely are not properly vaccinated. If the store sells pets, then there is the great likelihood that animals within the store are ill or potentially carrying a virus. There are plenty of places to walk a dog without putting the dog at risk of picking up bacterial, fungal or viral infections in a pet store....... As well, the dog does not need to be sedated at all. Walking her, playing gently with her, spending time with her as you can, giving bones, perhaps taking the suggestion above to hire a teen to take her out for more walks are all positive suggestions. I have lots of experience rehabilitating dogs with serious injuries, some of whom had to be confined for 3 or 4 months. Dogs are very adaptable and with a little bit of attention, this pup will do just fine without sedating it. Frankly, unless the incision was really large, it is probably much like a spaying incision and within a few days she will be back to normal other than being allowed to jump or run.

Hodie, no problem. I agree with you. Some time after submitting my post I finally thought about the presence of filth and accompanying disease that might be present. A bad suggestion on my part. I cam back here and saw your post. Gsdlvr2-pay no attention to what I said-it was bad advice. I thought about suggesting that you take the dog to a Lowe's or Home Depot store, but I thought that a pet store might be more fun for you two (2). Hodie, thanks again. Bob-O

Bob-O, You and I are almost always in agreement and I think your suggestions are always very good. Again, I suppose there are some pet stores which are clean, but I prefer my clients who board their dogs, and my Schutzhund club members to keep their dogs out of places where no one monitors the conditions and the health of the dogs frequenting such an area. In my part of Colorado, as an example, we are seeing a lot more Parvo. Once introduced to an area, such diseases can be very difficult, if not almost impossible, to eradicate. I try like hell to do what I must veterinary wise here, and fortunately, my vet will come here. If I must go to the clinic, I go and make sure I have the dog in the clinic as little as possible, even though they DO monitor and clean rigorously. We know from studies and microbiology that many pathogens survive on surfaces for many hours, and some for days and others for months. A pup who has just had surgery which is so minor is probably not terribly immune compromised, but it is always good to be cautious. Does Lowe's and Home Depot in your area allow dogs inside? They sure do not here, but then again, I never take my dogs to any place where other dogs go, unless it is a show or trial and then I minimize the time they are out where other dogs have been. Even walking a dog through areas where other dogs have urinated gives a chance for certain pathogens to be picked up. I am a fanatic about this, but I have never had a really sick dog because of it. best regards, Hodie

Hello Hodie. Yes, I have brought a maturing puppy into both a Lowe's and a Home Depot after clearing it in advance with the store manager. Basically I did for for further socialization and exposure to different noises and smells, and typically did this during late evening hours when the stores were not very busy. I of course realize that my success with gaining permission for soemthing like this is probably very limited. You know it's funny, but I have been very tempted to purchase a "Service Dog" vest so I can take one (1) of the adults into more places than I can. I just hesitate to do this in case I am ever confronted and asked to show proof of the dog's certification(s) for service work for that of course I have none. And, I don't want to abuse the rights of the people who truley have and require service dogs. Bob-O

Do it Bob, Do it! LOL I take my pups in the mall, Walmart, every pets store but one cause it's dirty. Havn't gone inside Home Depot yet but I'm sure they would let me. I just say they are prospective future service dogs, needing socialization. AFter all I don't know who will buy the pups. No harm, all they can do is say no. Doesn't hurt to ask. It's great for the dogs and the customers love it. Just make sure Fido has done his business outside! :) I love Home Depot for their parking lots, lots of shopping baskets, metal carts to walk on and the sheds are great to check dark, close quarter reactions. They sometimes have stacked pallets they can walk over and all that crazy stuff, lawn mowers, grills, plants they can check out. We weave in and out of all of that. Good exposier to cars as well.