thank goodness its finally friday! its been a long and stressful week - lots of sleepless nights ...but we're all still here - in various forms! meg is now a proud owner of her own crate - and has taken to it very nicely - it will be a permanent fixture here for a good few weeks - she has to rest and stay calm and quiet - ha easier said than done! her hip has displaced - she has had it popped back in place - we tried having it tied up in a sling to limit her movement - it didnt prove very successful and she couldnt move about at all really - needed help with the toilet etc - made her v anxious - so she removed it herself - a trip back to the vet (feels like a second home at the moment) and he decided to leave it off - she is much happier and is able to move about happily
just got to keep going with the calm and crate - the joint is good and if we manage to keep it in place naturally we can avoid having it pinned and tied
- i started my pgce training mon and it has been pretty intense, oh has been working so my fabulous sister came up from poole for a few days to help out - couldnt have coped this week without her ... we are all now ready to collapse this weekend - fingers crossed no more drama!

by the way does anyone have any ideas how we can keep madam entertained for the next few weeks? or any advice as to how we can deal with the situation best? how much /little exercise? any advice gratefully received.....

Glad Meg is on the mend. Did the vet give you an exercise sheet? Angel isn't allowed to run, jump, no slippery flooring (lino/laminate) and she is only allowed to walk to the garden and back on the lead.

You can give her stuffed kongs but remember to take it out of her food allowance. Angel has been in her crate since august 27th and as she is now feeling well it has actually started to get a bit harder. As she is fed dried food i sometimes just scatter it around her crate and hide it in the bedding so she has to find it. I also rotate her toys so she doesn't get any more bored than she already is - huge raw carrots that she just chomps on and then spits out.

Good to hear she's on the mend Scary stuff.

Whatever the vet said. Don't be tempted to go against the vets advice. You may start feeling she needs more freedom or a bit of exercise, she may give you the springer pleading look. She doesn't know whats best for her- DON'T GIVE IN. Cruel to be kind and all that - it's in her best interest.

since 27th aug ... arrgghh!!! must be hard work - at teh moment meg is still pretty quiet but i dont think it will be long ....laminate floor is under control
have an appt at vets again mon - says he will give us some physio exercises -
and yes - those springer eyes are already making me feel sooo guilty....

I agree with spaceman, go by what your vet says, but saying that your vet should be specific in what he means by rest.

If you can't speak to your vet tomorrow, i think i would err on the side of caution. the following is the Rest Instructions from my vet.
"No steps, no stairs, no jumping onto beds/chairs/sofas. No slippery floors.
Taken to the garden only to go to the toilet and must be on lead"

If you can't be sure that meg wont try to do any jumping etc, i would keep her in the crate until you can check with vets.

Angel can start her 5 min walk regime next thursday - then only another 2 months to go before she is allowed out of crate properly!!!

glad to hear you get a 5 min walking reprieve thurs.....sounds as though it will be an exciting event! are you concerned at all about angel pulling on the lead - or being a little too over enthusiastic?
we are 'lead on' for garden - although meg makes her way to front door rather than back when lead comes out (and is at points a little over enthusiastic - esp if local dogs are barking)- and keeping crated - apart from time for a cuddle and fuss - when you say steps would that include step out of back door into garden?
she is desperate to get on the sofa - looks at it longingly when shes being made a fuss of out of crate - we have been sitting in room with crate door open - so she doesnt feel too restricted - but cant trust her - take your eye off her for a min and shes out of it and eyeing up the sofa - so door shut from here on in! its not as if its not comfy in there - i'd get in and sleep in there rather than the bed settee we have set up in the lounge at teh moment....

I have a canny collar for Angel, but i know she will still go loopy when she realises she is actually going out! shecan have 3x 5min walks on thursday, which i think will be hard for her as no sooner than we are down the road we will have to turn back (2.5mins outward bound and 2.5mins homeward bound!!) it will be an interesting day!

I think Angel misses proper snuggles on the sofa and that is quite hard for her. I have been sleeping on a mattress next to the crate at 4am the other morning i clipped her lead on and let her have a snuggle next to me on the floor, i had to do it that time because as you say any distractions and she would of been trying to leap up to look out the window etc.

With regards to the step out of back door, i think until you can double check with the vet, it isn't worth risking it, so just lift her over

You just feel so sorry for them Hope all goes well on Monday, hopefully the vets will say you won't have to be quite so strict - fingers crossed!

let us know how you get on
Sam and Angel

I would tend to agree with Sam,it's better to air on the side of caution! After two and a half weeks,i've only just started letting Molly go up and down the step. Her joint is probably more secure than Meg's as she has a screw in it I know the meaning of those springer pleading eyes,But don't give in, give her an extra cuddle instead My knees are feeling the strain at the moment! kneeling into the crate to give her some attention....Take care it will be worth it in the long run

Tracey and the Munchkins

Ps. If the weather is as good there as it is here, put the crate in the garden She will love it

How did Meg get on at the vets today?

Sam and Angel

today went well - so glad we made a scheduled visit to vets rather than an emergency! all good - and healing up nicely - vet was v impressed with progress - she marched herself in on the lead v pleased with herself - what a difference from last week as we carried her looking so very sad .... receptionist was amazed - still inflamed but all in place - so another week of keeping quiet - we are letting her potter about downstairs when we are about keeping close eye - other than that crate all the way ... not something i ever understood before now but is a great piece of equipment - gives us great peace of mind when not about - we were able to pop out sat for lunch for a few hours with no worries which was lovely - another visit to vet next mon for check up so fingers crossed ....

we let her walk from car to door of vets on lead and she was really very nervous of traffic aroud her ... is completely understandable but i didnt think she would be bothered / remember / associate - quite amazing how they are affected by things...hoping she will be able to build her confidence back up in time

ps read about angel's problems with eth crate today - glad to hear she didnt do herself any great harm - definately taken note - many thanks

Thats good to hear. Its funny i used to think crates were cruel, then when angel was a pup she chewed through the phone wire while i had gone shopping - it frightened me to think of what would of happend if it had been a mains cable. I went out that afternoon and got a crate. After all the amount of money i have spent on doggy stuff the crate was the best investment. Before her op we rarely used it, though it was still up in the living room and she would often just put herself in there, plus when i have young children around who Angel maybe a bit bouncy for.

Maybe when meg is 100% you can start some gradual introductions to traffic to help build her confidence back up

Sam and Angel