What are the best ways to keep a dog from dying of boredom when on Restricted Activity?

Question

This past weekend my dog slipped while playing and ventrally luxated (dislocated) her femur and in the progess, she broke her acetabulum. She is had to have major hip surgery and has 6 weeks of recovery time. During this time she is on restricted activity, no running, jumping, etc. She has to be on a leash at all times. She is a 1 1/2 y.o. husky, and as you probably know, is full of energy! Two days after the surgery and she already wants to play! Anyone know any good ways of not only keeping her calm but also ways to keep her from being bored? Any suggestions will help!

Answer 1

chew toys and kongs are good. try to also stimulate her brain if possible; e.g. are there any commands she can do without putting stress on that hip? perhaps a down/stay. watch me is always a good mind game. hide and seek is also possible if you hide a treat in one hand and she has to figure out which one or hide a toy around your back or under your leg, etc and she has to find it. my friend with a husky the same age as yours has hers on restricted activity also, but only due to a groin pull so not as restricted. she says mostly her dog has been content to just eat, sleep, hang out with her, chase occasional squirrels (not supposed to, but when she goes outside - oops), etc.
perhaps you can also spend some time grooming her.
it's hard when these things happen to such young, energetic dogs.

Answer 2

Limiting activity is always hard for an energetic pup. Ask your vet if he will prescribe Ace. It is a mild sedative and I used it for my dog post surgery from a hematoma. I hate to give drugs but the benefits outweighed the negatives, this way I could give his body time to recuperate, rest and not to exacerbate the issues. You can also give yummy, long lasting treats. My dog loves bully sticks or frozen bones w. peanut butter inside.

Answer 3

one of our MinPins slipped a disc and had to be on total crate rest for 10 weeks!! We had to carry his crate outside, put his leash on, let him potty, put him back in the crate and carry it inside. We made sure he had lots of different chew bones, and we kept him in a quiet room. We also talked to the vet about something that would "take the edge" off and calm him a little and our vet recommended Benadryl. Talk to your vet and see if there isn't something that would help your dog be calmer. We also reduced the amount of food he was getting so he didn't gain weight.

That was about 4 years ago -- --our boy is now 10 1/2 --continues to compete in agility, obedience and tracking so he is doing fine!

Good luck!!

Answer 4

My dog gets bored a lot so I put peanut butter in a Kong. You can by them at Petco or other pet stores. If you want you could also freeze the Kong with peanut butter. Also get the rubber toys. they keep my dog busy. Give her lots of attetion. Also you can get a puzzle type thing like something that makes her work to get at what ever it is. KInd of like the Kong idea.

Answer 5

You may need to get the vet to give you some medication for her for the first few days. Motion sickness pills will also make them sleep. but call you vet.

Answer 6

get a huge bone that will keep her amused for hours.

my dogs are the most energectic lot, but we give them a bone each and its silence for 3 hours :)

just get a huge one from a pet store

Answer 7

this is where stuffed toys and tennis balls come in especially handy.Sit in the floor close to her and play.Roll a ball straight at her.One with a squeaker inside to chew on helps.give her stuiffed animals to chew and toss and sit in the floor and play with her so she does'nt get over excited.Give her massages too.She'll appreciate it.

Answer 8

Kongs are great. You can fill them up with penut butter and freeze them, it takes them awhile to clean it all out. Rawhides or other chew toys.

Answer 9

Let your dog watch tv,just dont fight over the remote.

Answer 10

buy her a ginormous rawhide bone