Today, we want to share the inspiring journey of Breeze, our beloved Rottweiler, who recently underwent a cruciate ligament surgery. Breeze's recovery taught us valuable lessons about supporting a dog during challenging times. In this blog post, we will explore various ways to help a dog during their recovery and provide insights into Breeze's healing process.
Physical Comfort
Ensuring Breeze's physical comfort was a top priority for us. We provided her with her usual memory foam mattress in the crate (yes, Breeze loves comfort!). Additionally, we made sure to keep her surroundings cozy and created a calm and safe space for her to rest. This meant we covered her crate especially during the first week of her recovery.
Emotional Support
Breeze is used to being a very active Rottie; running in the forest, digging, bite work, chasing squirrels, you name it! The sudden change in her routine was hard for her. She was only allowed to walk for a limited time and on the short lead only.
So, we made sure to spend quality time with her, offering gentle affection and reassurance especially during the first few days. We found that our presence helped alleviate her anxiety and provided her with a sense of security. Taking a few days off work, was a must!
Mental Stimulation
To keep her engaged and entertained, we not only have given her Kongs and Bones to chew on, furthermore we were able to play her favourite "out" game with the kong and other toys. She was able to play this game whilst laying down and it was because of her training and fantastic impulse control that she stayed laying down whilst we played with her. This game provided mental exercise and kept her mind sharp. We noticed that it helped alleviate boredom and promoted a positive mindset.
Maintaining Routine
Keeping Breeze's routine as normal as possible played a significant role in her recovery. We continued to take her for car rides, as this was a part of her regular routine when I have my daily dog trainings. This familiar activity helped further to reduce any stress or anxiety she may have felt.
My heartfelt recommendation...
... to you is this: investing time and effort in training your dog can greatly contribute to their recovery process.
Let's take a moment to imagine the challenges Breeze would have faced if she had not been crate trained, lacked lead manners or impulse control. Her recovery would have been undoubtedly been much more , both for her and us.
This highlights the significance of dog training, which goes beyond making everyday life easier. It serves as a safety net, providing support during emergency situations and, as we have witnessed with Breeze, making the recovery journey more sustainable.
How is Breeze today?
At the moment, Breeze's main focus is strictly following the exercise restrictions to ensure the healing of her left leg. Later in May, we are looking to get her right leg done... and then hopefully in August she will be back in the forest as normal and feeling stronger than ever before!
Can you share the vet practice that did the surgery_ if you are happy with them of course!