Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluebells  I hope I can say this without further inflaming a difference of opinion over one pup’s medical care: we need to be careful not to create a situation where a reader might generalize one vet’s opinion about the appropriate care for one specific set of medical issues (spinal cord injury and/or degenerative spinal disease) to the appropriate care for other kinds of medical issues. I suspect a lot of dog owners come here looking for information about their dogs’ health issues, and some of those dog owners might not be as knowledgeable or experienced as some members here. They might see a thread labeled “crating your dog for healing” — which contains a paragraph expressing concerns about possible physical, mental & emotional deterioration from being confined in “a small box” and another paragraph about the drawbacks of “enforced stillness” — and inappropriately generalize that opinion to questioning whether their dog should be put on crate rest in other situations — recovering from sprains, injuries, surgeries, etc..
I’m not criticizing anyone here. I’m just suggesting that all of us need to be careful not to say things that could be dangerous if taken out of context. |
Yes! I would hate to think someone might read this and let their dog with IVDD run around out of a fear of damage from crate rest. I didn't respond to this post to specifically point out the care of one person's pup.....I did it because of my concern that it was not valid and/or safe information for all pups.
I have had so many pups who needed "crate rest" for various reasons...I have used strollers so that I could move them easily from room to room; and if they are adverse to being crated, I pad a bathroom well and restrict to a small area. I have also leashed them to my desk chair so that they can be still and be with me.
Crate rest is crucial in dogs with IVDD, during heartworm treatment, and after surgeries.