Extended Confinement

[all that glitters]

If a dog needs to be crated/confined for 6-8 weeks say for a cruciate tear surgery, how do people do this when they work fulltime? If you have a dog that carries on a little when you leave (say for 5mins) and is moving around a lot upon your departure, that would be a problem wouldn't it? Do people take time off work to be with the dog the whole time so they can watch them?

[W Sibs]

Is Shyla ok?

When Charlie first got sick, the boyfriend and I took turn staying home with him for a week. We are lucky that we can work at home though. After the week, Charlie got use to it and was fine. Our neighbours helped a lot, they would come over to check on him a couple of times a day when we were at work. The boyfriend and I also adjusted out working times so that Charlie was never alone more than 5 hours a day though.

[smooch]

When Smooch had a spinal stroke, he had to be confined for quite sometime, so as he was quite excitable when left behind I would take him with me everywhere I went, my daughter would go shopping with me and one of us would go do our shopping while the other stayed in the car with Smooch, than the other would go do what needed to be done. He was to have been kept on low sedition but I wasn't happy doing that. I guess I had the luxury of being able to be with Smooch 24/7.

[Tiggy]

Sophie had to be in a crate for eight weeks but I only work ten minutes from home so I came home on my lunch break to let her out to the toilet and have a lay in the sun.

[all that glitters]

Thanks guys! Yeah Shyla doesn't destroy the house or overwork herself or anything, she will spend the first 5 or 10 minutes after we leave though sooking and whining and barking and howling a bit (whatever she feels like on the day LOL) which can result in a bit of trotting around before she settles.

Hubby has the luxury of being able to take her to work so could take her and keep her upstairs in a pen with the a/c on, but my fear is after having 6 weeks of human company, will she develop worse anxiety when we leave her, or since she was brought up from a pup being alone a lot, will she 'remember' how to be alone still?

I guess if hubby is downstairs doing work (and she is up) she will be separate from people on and off through the day, but can still be checked on.

This isn't definite yet but I am preparing for the possibility of a cruciate tear And just seeing the "what ifs"

[persephone]

Just make sure that whatever crate/pen you use is wide and low!

Low- so dog cannot stand on hind legs..

WIDE, so dog can comfortable wear an elizabethan collar, and/or stretch leg out to sleep...

when my old Mitch had his patella op.. his leg was bandaged and stiff.. he was lucky to have an 'aunt & uncle' who looked after him ..carrying him everywhere, and spoiling him

No crate needed ..he was with someone , or his leash was attached to the wall.

He enjoyed his recovery!!

[KJ]

Henrietta (Lab) recently had 6 weeks of crate time. I would take her to my parents place (25 min away) each morning before I started work (not sure they appreciated the 5.30 am wake ups) and then collect her at the end of the day. She loved all the extra attention!