When I went to get Pippa at Mt. Hope Vet Hospital this morning she looked traumatised, having had to stay there in a small kennel for two days after surgery. I had been waiting for someone to deliver a dog crate, since the vet had advised that she have strict confinement (to ensure minimal leg movement) for at least the first ten days until her stitches are out. Then, 6 - 8 weeks of continued confinement and limited movement.
When I put Pip into the dog crate, she immediately fought and broke her way out of it, even though there was a lock on the door. The poor thing (understandably) hates small spaces. She's a very playful dog, accustomed to running and jumping all over the garden, which is quite big.
Driving home was a bit of a task, manoeuvering through flood waters with Pippa sitting on my lap (it was the only place she would go), squashing up under the steering wheel.
Now she is quietly resting indoors, tied on a short chain. The girl at the vet down the road said to keep her in the crate because if she bursts her stitches she will have to go through the operation again (as happened to another dog she knows who had the same op).
I'll monitor how she is on the chain, however, when Pip sees people she tends to stand up and get playful, so ... as distressing as it is to think of her being in the dog crate for extended periods, if that's what has to be done to ensure proper healing of her leg, then so be it.
. . . Unless I can find a small but spacious cage with lots of air and light coming into it.
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