Recovering Puppy

[woo879]

Hi all,

I just joined you to learn about different ways to help my 8 month-old puppy recover from a broken hip and fractured pelvis.

His name is Brody and he's an American Eskimo, he was run-over by a truck on Tuesday

Luckily, we have a great veterinary school nearby and the orthopedic specialists say he should make a full recovery as long as we adequately restrict his movement for the next three months. I am determined to keep him from moving, but it will be a rather large challenge, because he is very restless and has a lot of excess energy (and before the incident we were teaching him to walk on his hind legs- they're circus dogs). Fortunately, I also have an 10.5 month-old who is giving me lots of practice being a mean mommy. And the vet sent home lots of sedatives- but it will be sad to keep him in that state for such a long period of time.

I'm looking for advice on your experiences on being forced to kennel an energetic dog for a prolonged period; what made it easier, what worked to keep him calm- besides drugging him/ her all the time, and any other lessons you learned.

I am also considering starting him on some supplements, Glucosamine was recommended by a friend, saw some mixed reviews on calcium for puppies. Let me know what else you know of that might help him heal, and what labels you have had good/ bad experiences with please, thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge with me.

ps. I have already gotten a stern talking-to from my husband, and in addition to the deep sense of remorse that I have, watching the whole thing play out over and over in my mind, the time and money that's been spent, and the fact that I am obviously and will continue to pay the price for letting him get run-over; I don't really need any more lectures on being a responsible pet owner:/. Understanding Appreciated.

[GoldenMom]

Lots of big yummy raw bones. They will keep most dogs occupied for hours. Start clicker training the pup. You can do lots of stationary "tricks." Speak on command, nose touches, sneeze on command, etc., etc. He'll be miles ahead then when he can get back to learning more active tricks.

Doing the glucosamine/chondroitin will be fine. NO on the extra calcium. Commercial food is balanced for calcium and phosphorus, adding extra calcium will throw that balance off and can seriously impact a puppy's growth.

Good luck! It's going to be worth it in the long run.

[Maura]

Ditto the bones. Bones have everything needed for growing bones, and in all the right amounts.

[canine14]

www.handicappedpets.net

[Ravenlost]

Our dog Tom had to be kept in a crate for four months after having been in the hospital for three months! However, Tom was an adult dog and it turned out to not be nearly as problematic as I expected.

Definitely give the glucosamine supplements. Tom and our elderly dog Drake are both on it and we can see a difference. The stuff helps!

I agree with bones, maybe a Kong toy or something similar...anything that will keep his mind occupied while he's in the crate.

Good luck! I hope he has a complete recovery.

[woo879]

Thanks for the tips.

Ravenlost, what brand do you give your dogs?


Just found a breeder's site (http://www.filadog.com/your_new_puppy.htm) that outlines some supplements that may be good for dogs with joint problems, especially those with arthritis, under the section titled "This information came directly from Dr. Shawn Messonnier's book:
"The Arthritis Solution for Dogs."" Looks like some of these might be worth trying.