After your dog has some type of injury, your vet will typically recommend that you “crate rest” your dog. What exactly does this mean? Is it necessary? And how the heck do you this so that you AND your pup are both happy?
We get these questions many many times, so you are not alone!
Crate rest simply means keeping your pet confined and low key for a duration of time, which is specified by your vet, to allow your dog to heal properly. Crate rest is prescribed for a variety of different injuries including CCL tears (similar to human ACL tears) and back/neck injuries.
The best kind of set up that you can provide your dog is a crate, cage, or enclosed area that is large enough that they can stand up and turn around comfortably, but small enough that they are unable to walk or jump around in. This allows your pup to stay low key and limits movement to allow for proper healing. You can place comfortable, but firm bedding in the cage to make your pup comfortable. The softer the bedding, the harder it is for your dog to move around and get comfortable, so stick on the firmer side for bedding materials.
Crate rest is 110% necessary for your dog to heal from most injuries. Dog’s don’t have the capacity to realize “I’m hurt and/or in pain, I should not run, jump or play right now or I might hurt myself!” We as pet parents need to be adjusting for these circumstances to best help our pets and crate rest really is the best way to do that.
Most pet parents keep the crate in a family room so that the pet can still see what is going on, stay mentally stimulated and continue to be part of the family. If you place your pet in a separate room, alone, they might become scared and have a negative association with the crate, which will make this whole process very difficult.
The best way to get your pup used to the crate is feeding him in the crate or placing his favorite toy or treat inside. You can also place a blanket over the crate so that your pup feels like this is his safe and quiet place.
The next part of crate rest is when your dog is not in the crate! Yes they do get to come out. When your dog has to potty, he or she should be on a leash and under control at all times. Let your pup sniff around, but do not let them chase squirrels, play with other household pets or children, and do not allow them to jump up. Depending on the pet’s stage of injury, you may be able to start them on short 5-10min walks. Speak to your rehab therapist about this.
Lastly, when your pet is out of the crate, he or she should not be allowed to jump, run, play, or roughhouse at all. This is the best way to ensure that your pet will fully recover and not re-injure himself. If your pet re-injures himself, you might have to start this process all over again!
If your pet is not a rest and relax kind of guy or gal, you can make or buy low key interactive games. By allowing your pet to use his nose to find treats, for example in a muffin tin with large objects, toys on top to cover the holes, he is engaging his mind which expends energy for those energetic dogs. You can also create a “snuffle mat” by sprinkling dog food/treats on a towel and rolling it up so that your pup has to nose and scratch to get the food. These are easy games that you can have your pup do in the crate to keep his mind engaged and release some energy!
Have you ever played interactive games with your pup? Post in the comments below!