Skip to main content

Taking care of an immobile dog

By Pet Labs
Coming across many dog patients who turn  immobile or even less mobile due to various reasons makes anyone's heart break. Their life could be miserable. So are the lives of their owners.  This article is dedicated to such pets and their pet owners to know that the dog's quality of life won't be that bad as you think it would 

Taking care of immobile dogs is not an easy task. While you follow your veterinarian recommendations consider the following tips as well for your pet's betterment 

1. Resting
Certain health conditions need resting to recover. If your vet has recommended complete resting, it means 100% rest. Not 99%. Cage or prepare a boundry around your dog where the length is a little more than the dog's length and the breadth of the cage being a little bit more than the dog's height, basically the space being only enough for the dog to sit, sleep and turn around. Until when, is the next question. Until your veterinarian recommends. Certain diseases need long term rest for about 6 months and some cases only need resting for about 3 days

Image 1: cage rest for a dog with IVDD
Note the length and the width of this crate; as means of complete crate rest

2. Fomenting
There are two main ways; hot fomenting and cold fomenting. Depending on the dog's condition your veterinarian will decide which method to adopt. Infra red ray therapy with an Infrared lamp can also be used as therapy 

3. Removing excreta
This is never an easy task but important to talk about. Do not let the immobile dog get soiled. Always, Always keep the dog's rectal region and the genitalia clean and dry. Moisture can attract bacteria, flies, maggots and all sorts of organisms which can be a hassle to the dog's quality of life. Always use clean cloth to wipe the dog. Spray veterinary fly repellent sprays around where you dog is. Diapers can be used once in a while when you're unable to remove excreta as soon as the dog passes it (if you're leaving the house for a few hours or if you're involved in some important matter). Diapers are not recommended on dogs for full time use as it can cause sores on the skin

4. Avoiding pressure sores
If completely immobile, turn the dog from one side to the other every two hours. Use baby talc, smooth rugs or cloth to avoid rough surfaces 

Image 2: a smooth rug to avoid pressure sores 

5. Massaging
The immobile limbs of the dog should be given a thorough massage everyday. The unused limbs will get atrophied if left alone for a long time. Add your digital pressure on the dog's limb muscles to massage.  A twice daily massage for about 10-15 minutes would do

6. Swimming or hydrotherapy 
Depending on the illness or the stage of the dog your veterinarian may recommend swimming. Hydrotherapy facility for dogs is now available in Sri Lanka: Pet physio

Image 3: hydrotherapy for a dog

7. Water beds 
It's a solution to pressure sores. For the moment they are not available in Sri Lanka but can get it imported

8. Wheels for dogs
This is a way of improving an immobile dog's quality of life. Remember that only certain illnesses will indicate a necessity of wheels on a dog. This facility is also available in Sri Lanka: KennelSri
Image 4: cart for a dog

Is your dog unable to walk? What other remedies do you adopt to improve his quality of life? Share with me in the comments below 

Have a peaceful day folks!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What took me to the UN

By Pet Labs
I was invited to the United Nations' International Labour Organization for a consultative meeting with the stakeholders of the entrepreneurial system to conduct a start-up ecosystem mapping for the first time in Sri Lanka on the 17th of January 2025 This is my first time to even go to the United Nations and I'm grateful that I was invited. In my invitation it mentioned that I was invited for the potential that I showcased as a young entrepreneur  There were only four young entrepreneurs who were invited while the rest was about 50 other massive stakeholders and entrepreneurs themselves But, what exactly made me to the UN? I was pondering about the "potential" and yes, I think I figured out  1. social impact : aligns with 10 SDGs of UN From healing pets to creating industries, employment and promoting innovation, my work expands in the most sustainable ways 2. health impact : promotes longevity and sustainability of pets directly and human beings indirectl...
Post a Comment
Read more

About the author and the blog (as of 2025 January)

By Pet Labs
The most common questions that I get asked by pet parents are what to feed their pets? Which food is the best for my pet? Is it necessary to give supplements? Which supplements are the best for my pet?  About me I'm Dr Romela Salgado, a Veterinarian,  Veterinary Nutritionist and a formulation scientist in pet food and pet supplements. I'm registered with the Sri Lanka Veterinary Council to practice and have years of experience in companion animal clinical medicine since 2018. I'm a national award winning veterinarian innovative serial entrepreneur My mission is to heal pets through food and help pets live longer without medication. I also love to empower pet parents in their pet's journey to longevity  About the blog Through this blog I aim to help pet owners rely on sustainable pet care. Pet care comes in different ways and what's focused in my blog is to care for pets with the least amount of medication while the pet owners adhere to non invasive therapies when po...
Post a Comment
Read more

Leptospirosis as a zoonosis

By Pet Labs
Leptospirosis awareness A timely topic as there's a Leptospirosis outbreak in the Northern province of Sri Lanka. I see a gap in the level of awareness on prevention and transmission regarding this topic although there are plenty of sources to explain the symptoms of the disease. It's vital to raise awareness on prevention of spread of the disease among the non-infected at a same level as of the attempts to cure the already infected individuas! Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease - a disease that is transmitted to humans via animals Leptospirosis, also known as "මී උණ" in Sinhala is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira The carrier of the disease is rodents such as rats, mice and even squirrels The carriers can transmit Leptospira bacteria to most of the mammals such as humans, dogs, cats, cattle, horses, wild animals and marine mammals How does the bacteria enter into an individual? There are several ways by which the bacter...
Post a Comment
Read more