how to keep a 7.5-month-old sheltie pup with hock laxity and damage to knees happy on less activity

Fainlysmom

Fainlysmom

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Our sweet almost-8-month-old puppy, Fainly, has been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel syndrome almost since we got him and is on prednisone. We took him to the doc for a checkup and discovered he has severe joint laxity of the hock (ankle). He also has damage to his knees from the hock laxity. We can't see a specialist until October 6. Do you have any ideas about how to keep him happy for two weeks while we wait to see the specialist? He is to be kept on a low-activity lifestyle. He probably will need surgery and have to have more low activity then too. I'd like to keep him mentally stimulated at least. He seems depressed now; the steroid he's been put on for IBD is hard on him, I think, and now this. Thank you for any advice you can offer.
 
Oh man he has got a triple whammy! :( I'm super sorry to hear this. Poor little tyke. I would say, dog puzzles, chew things, like bully sticks (no cow hooves, can crack teeth, I know first hand). Training with low cal treats (we use Cheerios), he can learn some tricks like shake, maybe sit up, roll over etc. Treasure hunt with small pieces of treat or kibble in a room. It is devilishly hard to keep a young dog quiet, I had this issue with Meadow, plus I have two other dogs who all just wanted to play.

Good luck and let us know what the specialist says. :fl :hugs

PS - I hope you let his breeder know - she may not want to repeat whatever breeding produced Fainly, just in case.
 
So sorry to hear about your boy! I hope he doesn’t need surgery and I don’t envy you trying to keep him quiet. I second Sharon’s suggestions, all great. You can also stuff small kongs with something like yogurt and freeze them. I also love the small puzzle toys you can put treats in for him to work on. Or hide the Cheerios or small treats around a room under small containers or boxes turned upside down and let him search.

Good luck! Give Fainly a pat for us and let us know how it goes.
 
Poor guy...so young to have so many problems happening! I know what your going through...my 3 year old Finnie hurt his hock almost 2 years ago and it’s still an issue. I’d be careful doing any training or teaching tricks that require a lot of repetitive movements like a sit from a down as that could aggravate the hock. You could teach touch, start teaching nose work and once he knows touch you could teach more specific touches. A few things that I found with Finnie...doing stairs really hurt his hock (he actually refused to take the stairs) and I started taking him out on leash and then carrying him up the stairs (he isn’t light!) and absolutely no jumping.
Did you ask the vet about a hock brace? I would use it if Finnie was going outside or if we were going for a walk. It was only on him if he was going to be a bit more active but was never on in the house.
Hopefully he won’t require surgery and I second the suggestion of talking to the breeder about all that has happened.
 
You have already gotten excellent suggestions, but I just wanted to say how sorry I am your sweet boy is dealing with so much...it is simply not fair. Definitely let his breeder know about these issues.
Trini
 
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