She’s not a working dog, but I don’t think she knows how to be still. She is used to a solid 6 hours of physical activity a day, and has never gone more than 24 hours without some heavy physical exertion. Short of a medically induced coma, how do you keep these dogs from injuring themselves during recovery? And advice is appreciated!
Try and discourage the REALLY rambunctious activities, when possible. Don't panic if there's some slips.
Start looking up mental enrichment, because it can be as tiring as physical activity. Things like Kongs, snufflemats, training games, playing hide the toy under the towel, let her go for a slow walk and sniff EVERYTHING for as long as she wants ..
The first few days, while she's a little uncomfortable, she'll probably restrict her own activity a little. So that will help.
If she's really off the wall, talk to your vet for more help.
@juniper64 Thanks for your reply! We do use a lot of mental enrichment daily, she seems to require both to keep her happy and out of trouble. I will definitely hit amazon and see what new things we can come up with. I have no idea what a snufflemat is, but I’m in!
Well TBH, you may want to ask your vet for a sedative. Trazadone is perfectly safe, and it may be necessary for the first few days until you can get her out for a slow sniffy walk.
Definitely try keeping her busy with enrichment activities all day long (scatter feeding meals is one of my favorites and it takes them forever), but I'd also just ask for the medication off the bat. My vet automatically gave it to us post-op but if yours does not, just explain that she is VERY high energy. If you're hesitant to give it to her for whatever reason, you can hold off and see how she does with just increased enrichment activities. But at least that way you'll have it if you need it.
A final thought is that if her inability to be still is troublesome to you, working through Relaxation Protocol could be a great post-op activity. It will work her brain and help promote calm behavior in the long run.
@tamalyn I didn’t know this was an option, I will definitely be bringing this up with my vet! We waited through her second heat for the calming effects it’s supposed to have on ACD’s and it’s been fabulous - all traces of that puppy hyperness are gone, but she will still run all the other herding dogs into the ground without breaking a sweat during play time. She came with her bags packed full of temperament issues, and I don’t want her backsliding on those out of frustration, but I guess more importantly I don’t want her injuring herself. Thanks so much!!!
@raindrops27 Ah yes, we are getting there with our MAS. He's about 15 months now and will snooze all day if he gets a moderate amount of exercise. It's a beautiful thing to see them start to mature and settle!
But even at 12 months when he was neutered, the Trazadone was a life saver. He's just used to being able jump on furniture, chase squirrels in the yard, etc. A mild sedative seemed like a more reasonable alternative to keeping him constantly crated or leashed.
@tamalyn I also want to thank you for the Relaxation Protocol tip, I gave it a google and definitely think this is something we can work into our routine!
