[3iggys]

Smokey broke his leg April 22/10. No matter how hard I tried to help his bones be strong he still broke it. Just jumped to catch his ball (did it a million times) came down and POW - clean break.

After much research I found that in BYB broken legs run in the litter - if one has a break there will be other littermates that will suffer the same consequences. Also if they break one leg they will break the other in years to come. GREAT!!!! On the bright side being in a small town saves on the cost of the vet bill. Friends in the city have paid way more that I did.

Question: How do you keep the dog quiet? Smokey is only in week 2 of healing from surgery (April 27/10) and I can't keep him from going crazy in his kennel when the other dogs are playing, chewing on their bones or waning to go outside. Should I get the vet to give something to calm him down until he is healed?

[cigwyllt]

What about a really meaty bone? Or a Kong stuffed with meat paste or cheese? To be honest, if he was my dog I would be more concerned about his mental state than his diet right now. I would be inclined to allow a couple of treats more than normal and work on his weight/fitness when his leg has recovered. My cousin's dog was in a serious car accident back in the summer and broke his pelvis in three places. He was on cage rest which after 48 hours they changed to a pen because he was so distressed but within 8 weeks he was almost fully recovered, nothing but a slight limp. And now 10 months on he is absolutely fine.

[Todd]

There are things you can try to calm him down a bit, but most of all you should take him out of his kennel often and sit in a quit room alone with him and pet him and show him love. Make him feel loved in this time. He obviously has to stay put and heel so he will obviously be stir crazy. I would seriously recommend going out and getting him a kong and some spray and look up some recipies. Also a raw meaty bone would be great! This would keep him happy and still at the same time. This is probably your best bet. Here are now some further natural methods of calming him down which may help calm him down...

Rescue Remedy is something to try.

Give your dog chamomile tea, or mix chamomile in with their food. Chamomile is especially good and works best on dogs who are anxious or stressed out. Chamomile will calm your dog and act as a mild sedative.

Fully cook oats and then mix them in with your dog's food. Oats are a great natural and safe remedy to help calm your pooch. Also, oats are just as good for your dog as they are for you, so it's a win-win herbal remedy.

Put lavender essential oil on a cotton ball or piece of cotton cloth and then put it in an area where your dog is frequently, but where he cannot get to it. The scent of lavender has calmed people and animals for hundreds of years.

Give your dog the herb valerian if he is extremely excitable. Valerian is a safe herb that you can use to calm dogs who have trouble with extreme excitability, anxiety and tension. Valerian comes in tinctures, teas and capsules. You can mix the tincture or the powder from the capsules into your dog's food, or you can brew a tea for him to drink.

Give your dog St. John's wort. People have been successfully using St. John's wort to control anxiety and depression for several years now and it can work just as well with your pet. St. John's wort comes in tincture or capsules and one or the other can be mixed in your dog's food. If you use the tincture you can even put it in your dog's drinking water, although he may notice the taste more easily than if you put it in his food.

There are also meds but the natural way is always the best way to go. Discuss this with your vet. There are also many commercial natural or herbal products on the market to help dogs calm down.

Good luck and I hope your dog gets well soon.

[Yogi]

First to point out the "natural way is always the best way to go" is not in fact true but opinion only. There is no guarantee that natural will even work and may take many options to find the proper ones which simply put means the dog is suffering in discomfort while trying to find them. Contact the vet for a sedative to help calm the dog during this period of time. Take if from one who has gone through issues for years where their dog had to be created to allow time for healing. A sedative is safe and effective and does exactly what it is prescribed to do. As for broken legs in IG's being any different from a BYB or a reputable breeder, this is not necessarily true. It is linked through sire and dam which any breeder will tell you that the IG is susceptible to this injury simply based on the breeds natural build. They are fine boned including in the legs. Just because one broke does not mean down the road all of them will eventually break. More often than not a break is due to improper landing on uneven surface. Grass may appear to be even but the ground more often is not. I deal with this issue daily when Charlie and Bella run through the back yard. Always fearful they will misstep and break a leg.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Yogi

First to point out the "natural way is always the best way to go" is not in fact true but opinion only. There is no guarantee that natural will even work and may take many options to find the proper ones which simply put means the dog is suffering in discomfort while trying to find them. Contact the vet for a sedative to help calm the dog during this period of time. Take if from one who has gone through issues for years where their dog had to be created to allow time for healing. A sedative is safe and effective and does exactly what it is prescribed to do. As for broken legs in IG's being any different from a BYB or a reputable breeder, this is not necessarily true. It is linked through sire and dam which any breeder will tell you that the IG is susceptible to this injury simply based on the breeds natural build. They are fine boned including in the legs. Just because one broke does not mean down the road all of them will eventually break. More often than not a break is due to improper landing on uneven surface. Grass may appear to be even but the ground more often is not. I deal with this issue daily when Charlie and Bella run through the back yard. Always fearful they will misstep and break a leg.

All I'm saying is try the natural methods in this case before resorting to meds. I personally believe that in this situation natural techniques may be sufficient if utilized properly but if meds are necessary so be it. I'd only go for the meds if the other suggestions which are natural that myself and cigwyllt mentioned.

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by Todd

All I'm saying is try the natural methods in this case before resorting to meds. I personally believe that in this situation natural techniques may be sufficient if utilized properly but if meds are necessary so be it. I'd only go for the meds if the other suggestions which are natural that myself and cigwyllt mentioned.

Let me ask you a question, if you had a broken leg what are you going to take for it to relax you and ease the pain.....?Are you going home and attempt to mix what ever you think will do it while in the mean time you are suffering and uncomfortable....I doubt it, you are going to take what the doctor prescribes. In this case then, why should the dog suffer just because you want to take time away from a med that can work immediately so that you can try and test out for how long it takes before you find something that does work. It is time to put the dog first not your personal beliefs or opinions. You are experimenting while the dog is in discomfort, something that can easily be remedied by proper medication. Most vets will not prescribe unless they hear back from the owner that the dog is restless. It is their hope the dog will sit calmly in the crate and heal but in most cases are unaware of the home issues which could prevent this. This is why they want to hear back if there is an issue such as this so then they can prescribe something that works immediately without experimenting to see if and when it does. The concept is the dog is to be kept comfortable and quiet not allowed to become agitated which can only cause injury and prevent healing.
When the time comes you have had to deal with this, than maybe you are better off pointing to something that in fact works. I have and trust me, you do not have time to experiment with combination's of home remedies that offer no assurance as to whether they will work or not, especially when there are medications there at the ready for just this purpose. Be reminded most medications come from natural sources. Just because they come in pill shape does not mean that that is they way they were originally.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Yogi

Let me ask you a question, if you had a broken leg what are you going to take for it to relax you and ease the pain.....?Are you going home and attempt to mix what ever you think will do it while in the mean time you are suffering and uncomfortable....I doubt it, you are going to take what the doctor prescribes. In this case then, why should the dog suffer just because you want to take time away from a med that can work immediately so that you can try and test out for how long it takes before you find something that does work. It is time to put the dog first not your personal beliefs or opinions. You are experimenting while the dog is in discomfort, something that can easily be remedied by proper medication. Most vets will not prescribe unless they hear back from the owner that the dog is restless. It is their hope the dog will sit calmly in the crate and heal but in most cases are unaware of the home issues which could prevent this. This is why they want to hear back if there is an issue such as this so then they can prescribe something that works immediately without experimenting to see if and when it does. The concept is the dog is to be kept comfortable and quiet not allowed to become agitated which can only cause injury and prevent healing.
When the time comes you have had to deal with this, than maybe you are better off pointing to something that in fact works. I have and trust me, you do not have time to experiment with combination's of home remedies that offer no assurance as to whether they will work or not, especially when there are medications there at the ready for just this purpose. Be reminded most medications come from natural sources. Just because they come in pill shape does not mean that that is they way they were originally.

My understanding was that the OP wanted something to calm the dog down not a pain reliever. She indicated that the dog was in the crate and got restless because the other dogs in the house were going on with their daily rotines while the injured dog has to stay in a crate. To my understanding she said nothing about the dog being in pain. If my understanding is correct the dog would not be suffering. It may be restless because it want to play with the other dogs and such but its not physically suffering so I'd still try the natural suggestions first like the bone, kong, and other natural remedies.

[Lara's mom]

Thanks! My thoughts exactly!!!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Thanks! My thoughts exactly!!!

Again, he is referencing that the dog would be in pain when the OP never mantioned the dog was in any pain whatsoever. She said the dog was restless because it wanted to get out of the crate and be with the other dogs in the house hold...

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by Todd

Again, he is referencing that the dog would be in pain when the OP never mantioned the dog was in any pain whatsoever. She said the dog was restless because it wanted to get out of the crate and be with the other dogs in the house hold...

Todd, again common sense. If you had a broken leg and were restless than do you honestly think there would be NO pain? I have suffered from broken bones and sometimes even the slightest movement caused pain. The OP could elect to put the dog in another room crated and see if that would help. Obviously not seeing the other dogs being active may calm it naturally. Otherwise vets commonly expect you to notify them if the dog is not remaining calm and inactive as this increases the chances of the dog not healing. Which is why they want them calm. The idea is to provide the dog with something that will calm it thus in turn there will be no pain but to assume no pain when it is restless, sorry it does not work that way.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Yogi

Todd, again common sense. If you had a broken leg and were restless than do you honestly think there would be NO pain? I have suffered from broken bones and sometimes even the slightest movement caused pain. The OP could elect to put the dog in another room crated and see if that would help. Obviously not seeing the other dogs being active may calm it naturally. Otherwise vets commonly expect you to notify them if the dog is not remaining calm and inactive as this increases the chances of the dog not healing. Which is why they want them calm. The idea is to provide the dog with something that will calm it thus in turn there will be no pain but to assume no pain when it is restless, sorry it does not work that way.

Well then I guess it would depend on how much pain the dog is in, which is often hard to tell because dogs often cover up pain and express it quite differently then you or I would. I have broken my arm and wasn't in any pain but then again I have never broken my leg which I would assume is more painful. Problem with some meds for pain (pain killers) is that they can be potentially dangerous. Addictive, but that's obviously not going to be too much of an issue with a dog. I would say use your own judgement based on the situation. I am obviously not there and cannot see the dog so I wouldn't know. Depends of the severity and situation. Would be the owner's responsibility to make the determination.

[Lara's mom]

Yogi is right. I was a dancer (ballet) a very long time ago and I've broken a lot of bones. Trust me, it hurts!!!