Luxating patella

Hi, I know there are alot of threads on this subject but i cant find any on the part i need help with, occupying my dog after the operation.

Bert (a border collie 15 months old) had the op last week, unfortunatly he slipped and has had to have another op today. we have been told that we now have to keep him in his crate for upto 6 weeks!

Does anyone have any sugestions of ways to keep him entertained whilst in there? I have a feeling that he is going to go stir crazy in there.

Thanks

You could put his food in a kong...a bit at a time.

Thats a good idea thanks, we have a kong and have treats we put in but were concerned that he might put on weight. we will try that thanks

I had a dog in a similar situation for the same reason. I kept him in his cage but about every couple of hours I let him into a room with a carpet and sat and stroked and groomed him for about an hour. I was lucky that we lived in a bungalow so at night I took him into the bedroom with us so he could rest out of the cage without the others interfering or stimulating him. He must not jump on the bed of course. Perhaps you could consider a mattress on the floor in a room downstairs where you could sleep with him and allow him the freedom to relax out of his cage.

I'd go buy one of those huge big crates and climb inside too,to keep him company.You could always give him a nice juicy bone from your local butcher,he'll chew that for hours at a time.There are toys in pah too which stimulate dogs kind of drop a treat when they are moved in a certain way.If he's not a heavy dog now,you shouldn't have too much to worry about as in weight gain in such a short time.Good luck and give him huge hugs from me,he must feel really fed up,poor wee soldier,xxxxxxxxx

Hi, 6 weeks in a crate can seem a lifetime but cage rest is essential & you will just have to steel yourself to do what is right for him, as to entertainment , i have had the same problem my own working collie had to have 5mths strict cage rest any toys etc were a no no as they just encouraged too much excitement in the cage, i used to give her a massive raw marrow bone (at least 5hrs chewing time), lots of chews but reduced her food amount by 1/2 to avoid weight gain. I put the cage outside so she could watch the goings on & generally avoided any stimulation as i wanted her to have the best possible chance of recovery. It isn't easy but they do accept the situation better than we do.Not much help but I gave my dog the odd soft toy that she could rip to shreds & de stuff which helped alleviate boredom for a short time as she could do this without moving about & they are very cheap from the charity shops , take out the eyes & plastic nose before dog shredding ! Good luck
X K

Hi Emma, sorry to read about Burt Hopefully some of the above idea's have been of help to you, Keep us updated on the little fella x

Sorry to hear you have gone thro all this and now the 6 weeks crate rest - Hope the advice helps you

Sorry the only experience I have that a friend of mine is going thro the same thing at the mo with one of her dogs and it seems like a life time, but the dog has adjusted ok altho gives the big soppy eye looks, can I go out and play.

Hope the 6 weeks go past really quick for you and your dog
The only way to get your dog better unfortunately is to follow the vets advice and keep the dog crated.

Thanks for all your help, i will invest in some bones from the butchers and the cuddly toys seem a god idea too.
Im sure he will be fine and i will keep you all updated. Thanks once again x

So sorry to hear this. It must feel like you're standing at the bottom of a mountain at the moment. My thoughts are with you.

((Big Hugs))

Heidi