Sedatives for Dog on Stall Rest

[MtyMax]

*Sigh…advice needed.

My dog may or may not have a partially torn ACL. 3yr old Pit Mix was out running with another dog about 8 weeks ago and came home with a slight hitch. The next morning K was 3 legged lame, but worked out of it later in the day. We kept her quiet for a week and then back to the barn we went. Once again, got up the next day with a limp, but not as severe. Fast forward 3 weeks (or so) and dog still isn’t right. A none horsey/dog person may or may not even notice. We have not been back to the barn, and have kept exercise to the “zoomies” around the house and controlled walks on leash. I also have stairs and the hitch is most noticable up the steps. Its either running up the steps with both hing legs hopping up together, or the left leg always leads.

We went to the vet and the vet thinks that K’s very mild luxating patella was tweaked. The vet generally doesn’t recommend surgery because it is mild. There may be a partially torn ACL but without sedation the vet couldn’t really tell because the dog is so heavily muscled (must be that pit heritage!).

The plan is to keep the dog quiet (no more “zoomies” around the house), no stairs, no exercise. K is on an anti-inflammatory twice a day. After the New Year we’ll start back up with walks on leash only and see how it goes. If necessary she’ll go back to the vet and be sedated to really check for any tears. By the way, Xrays were clean although this dog has terribly square hips that may very well cause problems in the future.

I am about to go bonkers:o My poor girl doesn’t crate well (has eaten through a metal crate) so we are not crating her but we are trying to keep her brain working everytime she wants to go tearing around the house. We keep the stairs gated off during the day and she gets a kong full of frozen food when no one is home. She is allowed to slowly walk up the stairs at night (she knows the command SLOW!), as keeping her downstairs alone results in terrible whining/howling/screaming and anxiety. This poor dog is constantly up and down and paces and is in general driving me nuts because she can’t get her usual amount of exercise. She is eating the cat scratch pads (I am actually leaving pieces of card board and Kleenex around just for her to tear up instead of the scratch pads), but so far isn’t destroying anything that isn’t replaceable.

Would it be terrible to ask the vet about a sedative? What sedatives are out there? Anyone have personal experience while on “stall” rest?

I cannot wait for our lives to return to normal. My poor girl is sooooo stir crazy :no:

[SquishTheBunny]

Ace and Tramadol

Definitely have the vet sedate your dog in the new year for a thorough feel of the knee. Luxating patellas dont require much rest, where cruciates do. Would hate to put your dog through the rest period if it was her patella bothering her.

[BuddyRoo]

Poor kiddo. Yes, I would ask about sedatives. But like Squish said, I think a definitive diagnosis would be best for all.

The thing about “stall rest” also is that while it’s absolute torture for us sometimes, it’s better to go a little longer than cut it short, reinjure, and have to start all over. But as Squish said, a patella vs a cruciate makes a difference.

Once she’s off of stall rest, btw, my experience has been that it’s best to stick to leash walks only for another 4 weeks or so. More exercise, but controlled exercise since there is muscle atrophy after that much crate rest. Best to build those muscles back up in a controlled, straight line approach than turn her loose to tear around and reinjure.

Best wishes!

[trubandloki]

Yes, get some medical help so both you and the dog are happier during this time.

Not medical advice, I am not a vet:
I found that simple Benadryl worked very well as a sedative for my pit. (She was on it for allergies and became very zombie like after the second day.)

[betsyk]

Tramadol. Definitely. We didn’t realize how much of an effect it was having until we stopped giving it.

[FrenchFrytheEqHorse]

[QUOTE=MtyMax;6730813]
*Sigh…advice needed.

My dog may or may not have a partially torn ACL. 3yr old Pit Mix was out running with another dog about 8 weeks ago and came home with a slight hitch. The next morning K was 3 legged lame, but worked out of it later in the day. We kept her quiet for a week and then back to the barn we went. Once again, got up the next day with a limp, but not as severe. Fast forward 3 weeks (or so) and dog still isn’t right. A none horsey/dog person may or may not even notice. We have not been back to the barn, and have kept exercise to the “zoomies” around the house and controlled walks on leash. I also have stairs and the hitch is most noticable up the steps. Its either running up the steps with both hing legs hopping up together, or the left leg always leads.

We went to the vet and the vet thinks that K’s very mild luxating patella was tweaked. The vet generally doesn’t recommend surgery because it is mild. There may be a partially torn ACL but without sedation the vet couldn’t really tell because the dog is so heavily muscled (must be that pit heritage!).

The plan is to keep the dog quiet (no more “zoomies” around the house), no stairs, no exercise. K is on an anti-inflammatory twice a day. After the New Year we’ll start back up with walks on leash only and see how it goes. If necessary she’ll go back to the vet and be sedated to really check for any tears. By the way, Xrays were clean although this dog has terribly square hips that may very well cause problems in the future.

I am about to go bonkers:o My poor girl doesn’t crate well (has eaten through a metal crate) so we are not crating her but we are trying to keep her brain working everytime she wants to go tearing around the house. We keep the stairs gated off during the day and she gets a kong full of frozen food when no one is home. She is allowed to slowly walk up the stairs at night (she knows the command SLOW!), as keeping her downstairs alone results in terrible whining/howling/screaming and anxiety. This poor dog is constantly up and down and paces and is in general driving me nuts because she can’t get her usual amount of exercise. She is eating the cat scratch pads (I am actually leaving pieces of card board and Kleenex around just for her to tear up instead of the scratch pads), but so far isn’t destroying anything that isn’t replaceable.

Would it be terrible to ask the vet about a sedative? What sedatives are out there? Anyone have personal experience while on “stall” rest?

I cannot wait for our lives to return to normal. My poor girl is sooooo stir crazy :no:[/QUOTE]

First, I’m sorry to hear about your pup :(. When I posted about my girl’s patella, I was hoping you would have a better update about your pittie!

I don’t want to be a downer, but I would get a second opinion on that patella from an orthopedist that specializes in them. From what I understand having spoken with the orthopedic surgeon (ours does 2-3 repairs a week, and is a “go-to” for this surgery) luxating patellas are graded in severity on a scale of 1-4. My dog is between a 1 and 2, which is generally not indicated for surgical repair. The issue is that hers luxates laterally (to the side), which aggravates her ACL every time it happens.

She discussed ACL repair with us, and told us surgical ACL repair has a much lower success rate than surgical patella repair. She encouraged us to have the patella repaired before we experienced an ACL issues because of this. If your dog’s ACL is not seriously damaged at this point, I would encourage you to discuss whether or not the patella issues are related to the ACL aggravation. As I understand it, generalized lameness is not a symptom of patella luxation, but it is a symptom of ACL/soft tissue injury. She told us that her biggest concern for our dog is that we would be bringing her back in a few months from now with an ACL tear, at which point she’d be doing both the patella repair and the ACL repair.

Our girl is going in early January for her patella repair and we’ve been told no stairs for 8 weeks, no running for 4 months. We are really worrying ourselves grey on how this is going to work, as she’s absolutely WILD (typical). I’m looking forward to the suggestions on this thread, as I will need them soon enough…

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=FrenchFrytheEqHorse;6731214]

Our girl is going in early January for her patella repair and we’ve been told no stairs for 8 weeks, no running for 4 months. We are really worrying ourselves grey on how this is going to work, as she’s absolutely WILD (typical). I’m looking forward to the suggestions on this thread, as I will need them soon enough…[/QUOTE]
Do not fret yourself silly. For the first couple of weeks your dog is going to be on the same page as you about not wanting to do much.
Add in lots of mentally stimulating toes and human interaction and the time passes quickly.
(My dog had patella surgery many years ago, well worth it.)

[LauraKY]

We ended up having to give our lab Ace after tumor removal surgery (vet’s idea). We just couldn’t keep him quiet.

[threedogpack]

I am sorry for all the owners here who are having trouble with active dogs who must remain quiet.

Tho I have no medical advise, I do suggest you look into clicker training while they are laid up and use their daily allotment of food as the reinforcement.

Ideas to teach while dog is in down:

Wack this (choose something like a small box) with a front foot
teach right/left
teach head up/head down
look right/left
target with a front paw

to keep them amused I would recommend 2-3 kibbles left in a box inside another box, nose work which can be taught from a sit or a down.

Good luck! I feel for those of you that have active dogs who need to be on crate rest!

[Seriously_Hunter]

This is a very helpful (timely) thread!

My boxer has been on stall rest for 12 weeks now, she has some pinched nerves in her spine. (working with a massage therapist and chiro currently looking into acupuncture) Although, we are not optimistic that she’ll recover. She’s 3 legged lame constantly

I’ve also been clicker training and teaching all sorts of “mental stimulation” activities…they tire her out almost as much as regular exercise used to (almost )I’m working with a trainer to strengthen her core and teach her how to use her front end and core more than her back end.

We’re doing lots of:
“step” (this is onto things, a cereal box stuffed to hold her weight with front and back legs)
“back” (her moving backwards with her head up and in line with her spine)
“dance” (sideways movements that help strengthen her middle)
“up” this is both front paws up onto a whatever object (an 80’s stairmaster is awesome for this!)

We also do a lot of stretches (these are great for her back, but she also has to work for the treats so it does tire her out) Nose to chest, nose to right shoulder, nose to left shoulder, nose between front legs (without laying down) etc etc

There are a lot of core strengthening moves that we’re doing (I can give you some ideas and post videos if anyone is interested)

I LOVE 3dogs ideas, especially the targeting of objects with paws and Wack this! just sounds fun!!

[MtyMax]

Thanks for the ideas on the mental stimulation. I cant wait to try a little clicker training

We are on Ace as of Friday pm but it isn’t enough. I’m going to try increasing the dosage slightly today. Stairs are also an issue. As the master bedroom is upstairs and my girl goes into hysterics if left alone down stairs. Does anyone have suggestions on the best way to carry a 45lb dog?

Frenchfry- thanks for the advice. I have no idea where to start looking for a specialist, but it sounds like I really should be looking for a second opinion.

[superD]

Well my VERY active 1.5 yr old dobe shredded her ACL 6 weeks ago. She had the TPLO sx the next day. She was up and ready for a run within 2 days. Let me just say it has been absolutly the LONGEST and most frustrating 6 weeks EVER!!! She s currently on Xanax and Tramadol just so she will sleep through the night. 2 more weeks to go and she gets her recheck radiographs and I am afraid my wonderful surgeons will have a lot to say about her activity level.

I second that you must get the surgery done by board certified orthopedic surgeons. In the long run you will save money by not having to get the surgery done multiple times!!!

[threedogpack]

Very often (here and other places) people post about how to calm their very active puppy/foster/dog down and the answer most often given is to exercise them more. The post above, is exactly why I advocate teaching your dog to be calm and quiet in the house, rather than exercise more. Exercise has a place and it’s useful, but that shouldn’t be the answer all the time.

There are times when you simply cannot exercise more and if the dog has not been taught how to settle down, you can be living in hell.

Right now, I’ve got a year old male Puggle foster. He’s nuts. He wants to be busy all the time. I have, over the past month been working on getting him quiet, and settled in the house, off lead. I’ve done this by first teaching him a down, then gradually requesting duration. When combined with the Relaxation Protocol, it has finally started to sink into his little pea brain that the towel on the floor = a quiet down over on a hip.

superD, I’m sorry you have had such a hard time with your dog, I hope s/he heals quickly and completely.