Environment Enrichment Tips for Dogs, Please

Honey_Bear

My 10 year old collie x spitz dog's cruciate ligaments have gone, so he's having extremely restricted exercise while they heal as much as they can. He's got a dodgy front leg, too, so he's not a candidate for surgery.

He's a rescue that I've had a for a year, and part of his backstory is that until he was nine he lived with his sister. When they had to be rehomed they were separated, and I knew when I took him on that he found being on his own stressful. He doesn't have full blown separation anxiety but he could, very easily, develop it. Fortunately he loves human company and as long as someone is in the same room he's calm and happy, not demanding or hyper.

It's becoming clear, after two weeks, that he's finding the space restriction and lack of walks quite frustrating and has started paw licking. I'd like to nip this in the bud by enriching the environment he has access to, but I'm a bit short of ideas.

He's never played with toys, he doesn't chew things, balls just puzzle him, and obviously I don't want to do anything that would encourage him to jump about.

He's on a very restricted diet and a stuffed Kong works up to a point, but I need to find ways of engaging and occupying his mind that idealy don't involve much food.

Has anyone got any suggestions?

Person_one

What's the reason why he can't have any surgery? If he has a bad front leg and both cruciate ligaments in his back legs have 'gone' (I assume you mean fully rather than a minor tear by that) then surely he'd have better quality of life with a proper repair of one or both?

Honey_Bear

Yes, both cruciate ligaments are torn, and no, neither is minor. The specialist orthopaedic vet has told me that he is not a candidate for surgery having x-rayed him herself. The front leg's is not fixable.

His spirit is willing, his flesh is weak, and a third opinion isn't going to change his prognosis which is why I need help and advice with managing his situation.

Person_one

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Yes, both cruciate ligaments are torn, and no, neither is minor. The specialist orthopaedic vet has told me that he is not a candidate for surgery having x-rayed him herself. The front leg's is not fixable.

His spirit is willing, his flesh is weak, and a third opinion isn't going to change his prognosis which is why I need help and advice with managing his situation.

If they're both fully torn, they aren't going to heal no matter how much he rests, are they? How can he have any hope of being mobile again with three non functioning legs?

Poor dog, sounds like he's in for a miserable time. You say a third opinion so I'm guessing you've already been to two orthopaedic specialists?

When mine have been on cage rest, I used stuffed songs that have been in the freezer, and sometimes I'd put them in old socks that I didn't mind getting destroyed to add an extra level of challenge to keep them busy.

Honey_Bear

According to the specialist vet, scar tissue will form provided he is given the correct care right now, and he will have sufficient mobility for the rest of his life to allow for enough exercise to keep him very happy when combined with careful management. She was the second opinion - my vet diagnosed the problem and asked for a second opinion immediately because she'd mis-diagnosed him when the first knee's ligaments ruptured.

This dog has excellent care, but no-one's 100% right about everything all the time and the first vet is devastated by what's happened. She adores this dog. He had the xrays three days later on all three limbs, hips and area of his spine that between us we thought might be problematic. The x-rays showed up and confirmed problems that we thought might be there, confirmed the first vet's diagnosis and allowed the specialist to identify the best way forward for this particular dog. I don't doubt there are other courses of treatment for other dogs with a similar basic diagnosis of ruptured cruciate ligaments, but for this dog, this course was carefully thought through by someone I respect and trust whose training is bang up to date.

I think once we can get him past the stress of feeling deprived of his long daily walk he'll cope because he's so people-orientated. Hydro-therapy has been mentioned and I'm waiting for the referral to a local facility, but in the meantime I'd like to find a way to deal with his obvious stress by nipping it in the bud.

If he were a candidate for surgery and had both legs done his exercise would still be severely restricted while he convalesced. I'm trying to find out how other people have managed that situation, despite the fact that he's not going to have surgery.

If we can't get this solution to work there is no hope for him.

Thank you for your suggestion of putting an old sock over the kong, which was very helpful and much appreciated. When he's worked out how to get all of the dog food out of the ones he's got, I'll add the extra level straight away.

Person_one

You have had a second opinion though, haven't you?

I know its not what you asked, but I have an elderly dog who's had two cruciate repairs in quick succession. He was only restricted for a matter of weeks each time and since then has returned to essentially normal function. He can run on the beach, play with other dogs and he isn't in any pain or discomfort.

If there isn't another underlying reason why he isn't a candidate for surgery (heart or other issues perhaps?) and its just that this one surgeon has said he doesn't think it will work, please please please at least get a second opinion from another ortho vet. If you're in the north west at all I'll happily recommend the fantastic vet who operated on my boy twice.

(Just seen you're in the Southwest, but I'm sure there'll be somebody local to you who can make a recommendation.)

Person_one

A second opinion would be from a second ortho vet, a 'general' vet isn't really qualified enough to advise on treatment options even though they're very good at diagnosing cruciate ruptures.

You have all the information, I don't, and its fine if you don't want to tell me exactly why your dog couldn't have a surgical fix for his knees, its not my business.

I just can't imagine what this poor animal's quality of life will be like with no surgical intervention when he is left with only one functioning leg and I feel like I can't ignore it and I have to urge you to seek another opinion, after all what harm can it do if both agree? Nothing has been lost except a consultation fee. You're absolutely right that no vet is right 100% of the time and when the course you're planning to take has such serious consequences for the dog why not just take a chance at least that somebody else might have other ideas? You can find lots of vet opinions just by googling who believe that non-surgical options rarely work, and only ever on small dogs when they do.

You don't have to listen to me, but why would I take the time to plead with you? Its not for my benefit! I'll leave it there, and wish you and your dog the best.

Honey_Bear

We may be cross-posting, Person One, no, I haven't sought a second specialist's opinion. I trust this vet, particuarly given how careful she knew she had to be given how devastated the first vet is by missing the first cruciate ligament when it happened.

The first vet operated on him twice last yaer, having picked up two areas of real concern, pretty much immediately after he came out of rescue with a clean bill of health - which in my experience is about normal when taking on older dogs. He did not react well to the general anaesthetic, so the x-rays were a risk in themselves which is why we took so many at the same time when we realised he'd ruptured both sets of cruciate ligaments.

If what we're doing hadn't, after two weeks, produced a significant improvement in his mobility, I'd be very concerned and would have sought more advice. The reality is, it has and combined with hydro-therapy it might give him enough non-weight bearing exercise to fulfil his need for movement and to build up the muscles at the same time.

In the meantime, he's showing signs of stress and I'd like to nip that in the bud before it becomes obsessive behaviour.

krlyr

I'd recommend joining a specific group ("Orthodogs" on Facebook is great) for some views or recommendations for a good orthopedic vet. If nothing else, they'll have some great ideas to occupy his mind without stressing his legs.

My 9.5 year old Rottie cross, with arthritis in her front shoulder, recently had cruciate surgery (TTA). OK, not as tough as having both, but she recovered remarkably well from it. Also, if he's a bit smaller, there may be less invasive options - such as a false cruciate ligament, which is a much, much less invasive surgery. Someone on the group may come up with a suggestion your vet hasn't considered.

orlao

OK, so he's not having surgery.I have known smaller dogs that have made good recoveries from CL ruptures with rest. I wish it had been an option for mine but he was too big (40kgs) and only 2 or 3 when he ruptured his CL the first time. The first surgery was wrecked when he hurdled a baby gate the day after coming home from the vets, the 2nd surgery was both cruciates done at once as they were so bad and I would never put a dog through that again with hindsight as that was very tough on him.

I can't recommend hydrotherapy enough - as long as it's with a properly qualified hydrotherapist - but your vet and/insurance company should be able to point you in the right direction. The difference it made to my rott after he had 4 lots of ortho surgery in 2 years which left him with hardly any muscle mass after such a long time on restricted exercise was close to miraculous. Warning though, it wasn't cheap and it was time consuming as he started with 3 sessions a week for about six months, 2 sessions a week for another six months and for the rest of his life he swam weekly. He loved it (despite being a dog that stayed on dry land prior), it wore him out safely while recuperating.

The other things we did while he was on house rest were food balls, stag bones, hiding toys/treats in a box with loads of paper, trick training - quiet ones like which hand is the treat in, get the post, bring me my shoes (don't let a slobbery dog get suede shoes btw :eek:) - and he loved the TV, cookery programmes were a favourite for some odd reason. Hoovering the dog amused both of us....and confirmed my neighbours belief that I was bonkers.

As a special treat I'd sometimes let him 'steal' the kitchen roll and shred it

Katiehound

What about a Buster dog cube? Food again I'm afraid but the dog pushes the cube around until treats fall out- totally unpredictable