Broke my dog! : (

[yhanni]

Hi, My 14 month old English Bull Terrier broke her hind leg last Monday while she was playing with her rope in the garden. She had the leg pinned on Wednesday and we brought her home on Friday afternoon with strict instructions to keep her crated, except for toileting, when she is on a short lead, for 6 - 8 weeks. She is usually very active and immediately wanted to go for a walk as soon as she got home! She has a Kong which I fill with pate when I take the other dog out for a walk but can anyone recommend other ways of keeping her entertained? She has a buffalo horn and a crunchy Kong sheep. I tried to have her sit with me in the garden the other afternoon but she was attempting to hurl herself at every bird, insect etc that she could see so I gave that up as a bad job and put her back in her crate. I know the confinement is necessary but I feel very sorry for her!

 

[Sandstone1]

Try stuffing her Kong with soaked kibble and freeze it for a couple of hours. Takes them longer to eat it. You can also stuff hollow smoked bones in the same way. A little soft cheese spread smeared inside a Kong works too. As does peanut butter. Just make sure you use one that's safe for dogs as there is a addative in some brands that's dangerous for dogs.
A little marmite used in the same way but not too much due to the salt content.
Google nina Ottasan toys. There may be some suitable ones.

 

[Moobli]

Sorry to hear about your dog.

One of our sheepdogs broke his femur earlier this year and had to have 8 weeks of crate rest. He coped very well with it actually, which was a pleasant surprise as he was only 12 months old and full of energy.

I gave him frozen, stuffed kongs, lamb/beef scalp and pizzle, fish skins and raw bones. I spent quite a bit of time grooming and massaging him, which he seemed to enjoy. Thankfully he has now healed and is back at work.

Hopefully once your dog gets over the initial lack of activity he will settle down and cope okay with it.

 

[darli]

We have had two EBT's and both have had accidents resulting in a broken back leg. They were however older than your girl and resigned to their cage quite quickly. Kongs, particularly frozen ones are good. Perhaps you could move the cage to wherever you are so she isn't alone. I would have tried the telly or radio but both of ours were deaf but could be something to try. You could look up T-touch I have a friend who uses it for all sorts of issues. Even if it doesn't work it won't hurt her. Both of ours were really stoic dogs and it was easy to assume they didn't need their pain meds and allow them to do too much to soon. I had to police what the OH did. Beau our first dog had no problems in recovery. Spiral fracture so was plated and pinned. Poppy had a rougher time she had a run in with a transit van and demolished the femur. She had several operations at Bristol with scaffolding and rods. She did develop arthritis and her leg was a little shorter than the other one but she lived with it quite happily for another fourteen years.
I hope she recovers without any problems.

 

[yhanni]

Thank you for your supportive comments and suggestions. Freezing the Kong is an excellent idea! At the moment, she is completely crippled as she has a tiny ulcer between her toes and is very miserable about it - coping with a broken leg . . . not a problem but an ouchy toe . . . quite different! She has been to the vet tonight and the fracture repair site is healing really well and we have a change of treatment plan for the toe ulcer. I have bought her another, slightly smaller, cage that we can move more easily and have in the sitting room/garden etc so that she can always be with us when we're home. The radio is always on and my other dog, a 9 year old Rottie is a solid and calm presence. I will have a look to see if there is anybody nearby who does TTouch. I have already found her a hydrotherapy place for when she is able. She's the sweetest girl. Poor Poppy - transit vans are not to be meddled with!!