Taking care of a injured boxer puppy

Question
QUESTION: I have a 14 week old boxer puppy.She had a tibia fracture recently and had a surgery . As you may be aware this means she will need to be crate bound with no play, run or jump for the next 8 weeks until she recovers completely. She is crated for 4 hours and we then let her out  for a potty break with a little walk using the leash and a feed.My question how long can I leave her in there?? Just so I can plan around work beacuse I have been  looking after her since the accident but now its time for me to go back to work. At night she is crated for 7 hours and she is generally good until last night.Is it too  long for a puppy this old??She also has an elizabeth collar which restricts her from playing with toys in the crate.We do however remove it when we are around .What do you recommend we do to keep her from getting bored in her crate. Its hearbreaking to see her suffer but have to do this for her to get back to normal.Can you advise on the above?

Thanks,
Shilpa.

ANSWER: Hi Shilpa,
The puppy at this age may be only able to hold her bladder about 3 hours maximum. I would recommend a pet sitter,family or friend to come in and allow her out for potty, water, food and companionship every three hours. Try putting a kong chew toy or other toy that will hold peanut butter or cheese in the crate with her to relieve boredom, just to see if she can chew on it with the collar in place. If not then it is essential to get her out every two-three hours to allow her to play with the chew toys only, potty , water and companionship.Continue the leash walking as you have been. Good luck and thank you for your question.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Angela,

My boxer pup's bandage and stiches came off this morning. She is alright but she still has a long road to recovery. How soon do puppies with spiral tibia fracture to hind leg take to heal. She had dermatitis on her paw due to the bandage. The hair in her paw are all brown and skin soft. I washed with oatmeal shampoo and the surgeon said that it should heal by itself and we should keep a watch on it now that the badage is off it should heal. What should I check to see that its getting better? She doesn't put much pressure on that foot. I feel so sorry for her coz  she has one thing after another.

Thanks,
Shilpa

Answer
Hi Shilpa,

I'm so glad to hear your puppy is doing better. Since these types of fractures are complicated and each case is different, I believe you should call your vet and ask him how long he expects this fracture to take to heal and what you should be looking for like swelling or foul smells,etc. In my research of the subject it depends on the complexity of the fracture but you should expect no less than 10 weeks to 3 months to heal and then the dog may or may not have complete mobility of the leg at that time. I know its hard to see her like that but try not to feel sorry for her as she'll pick up on it and act helpless. Try very hard to be strong for her and act like she isn't hurt, this will help her psychologically help herself and become more confident.With that confidence she may try walking on it, if not don't worry she'll know when the time is right. Good luck and thank you so much for letting me know how she is doing.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com