Crate Rest Day 4

Dear Everett,
Marshall had his first rehabilitation session at the University of MN today. The rehab group had a bunch of questions, and gently let me know I've done some pretty big things very wrong. Their biggest concern is why is it taking a young pup's leg so long to heal?

The bad things I've done:NO ROLLERBLADING for ANY puppy so young, EVEN if I let him (or her) choose the pace. Rough play in the yard is fine for a healthy puppy, as they will stop or pace themselves...but NO BLADING! Boy did that make me feel like a bad parent. So Paisle...no blading for you either. Sorry, Beannie.

Next--NOT ENOUGH PROTEIN. I've cut way back on the amount of food Marshal is eating, to make sure he doesn't gain the wrong kind of weight, i.e. excess fat. Due to his allergies, he's been eating Natural Balance since I've had him, but it only has 20% crude protein. Their rule of thumb is 1 - 2 grams of protein per pound of dog, so he should be getting between 66 and 132 grams of protein a day. He's not getting anywhere NEAR that. So I've called around--Chuck and Don's carries a high end food called EVO, which is 42% crude protein. I called my vet, to ask what is the happy medium between worrying about a growing puppy growing too fast, and getting enough protein to heal his leg. Vet called back and said take care of leg now, so let’s not worry about him eating too much protein yet.

Last--NO TROTTING, NO JUMPING, and NO STAIRS. So sure we've been sticking to walks, but again I had let him pick the pace...rehab said WALK ONLY, so slow the pace down. Make sure his pincher collar--new since our mandatory walking started Friday--is used correctly and no lunging after squirrels, Paisle, moving leaves, nothing. I had no clue the stairs were bad--good thing my house is all one level but the stairs in the garage to the house are the MOST he can do (three only).

Now the good:STICK WITH THE CRATE. Rehab was questioning the multiple walks per day with the 2 hrs rest in between, saying even that amount of repitition might be bad. The crate rest is only 2 weeks, and we want to see improvement on his next set of rads on the 26th, so suck up and deal with his complaining, and DO NOT LET HIM OUT. I didn't confess to his two mid-evening outings from the crate where he immediately went to sleep on a doggy bed. The whole point of the confinement is to keep him off the leg, right??

WEIGHT--they were very pleased with his weight distribution. He has a nice waist, you can feel his ribs with a light touch, and can see his ribs while he's standing. Their scale says he's 66lbs, so I am assuming the two scales--vet vs. University--are off a bit from each other, as I don't think he's gained 4 lbs. in 4 days.

He's tired, FINALLY! He spent 15 minutes on the underwater treadmill, in 17 inches of water. His maximum tread speed was 2.0, which I think is mph, but my job was to keep his attention at the front of the tank and all four feet on the tread, instead of standing on one of the sides or front, i.e. cheating. So I didn't pay too much attention to the speed increases. We have 12 more sessions, three times per week. Rehab said swimming will not do him any good, as he needs to have weight bearing time on the bone to heal it. That confused me, but I guess the way to heal the bone is to use it in long slow impact movements, like walking. The longer his stride, the better, but no trotting. Fifteen minutes on the tread is the equivalent of 30 to 45 min. of street walking; the added resistance of the water makes the forward motion more strenuous. I think he is also tired mentally--he really did not like the measuring tape rehab wanted to use on him, and the blow dryer really scared him. He'll have to be desensitized to the dryer, however, as they won't let him go until he's completely dry in the coming colder weeks. For the measuring tape, he kept sitting down when they wrapped it around his 'thigh,' and would not resume standing, even when lured with a treat. I have both a measuring tape and a blow dryer at home, so I'll work on using them near or on him, a few times per day. And so, Eve, the learning curve continues. Rehab was really an eye opener for me. I had no idea I was doing so many things wrong, for growing dogs. The more I think about it, Paisle’s food should probably also be changed, as she is barely older than M, and probably in need of more protein and minerals specific to growing puppies. I hope it isn’t too late to give both of them a helping hand now, so they are strong solid dogs in the future! One last note—rehab did give me the encouraging news that bones are the only part of us that heal completely. So, now it is a matter of getting Marshal completely healed, as soon as we can!