AIBU to leave dog in shower for one day?

[showerdog]

Elderly dog has back issues, can't be left unsupervised not in a crate because he will jump on and off furniture and risks hurting himself. He is not destructive and never has been, but his crate is broken. Can I leave him in a large, walk in shower for one day whilst I'm at work? He sleeps in the shower in the summer when it's shut, only difference is the door will be shut. He will obviously have his usual blanket and water. AIBU? I can't think of another safe place in my open plan house. Even the toilet is a risk as he will try and sit on it or jump on it.

Can’t believe how many people would lie and pull a sickie rather than use a perfectly logical solution for a few hours . My dog had a crate when he was young and took himself into it to get away from the children. It was his safe space !

I was thinking the same, dog injured and needs to have restricted movement in order to recover effectively and minimise further injury and people are not reading past the word crate in their haste to rip someone to shreds and feel superior.
It would be irresponsible to not restrict the dogs movement while recovery takes place, it really does come across from some that they'd rather the dog have freedom while recovering and risk reduced recovery, reinjury and paralysis just as long as he doesn't need to go in a crate short term. Absolutely bonkers.

You can't leave an old dog in the shower(this has got to be a joke),how would you like being locked in shower/crate,it's just wrong!

I'm really surprised at the number of people saying that crating a dog is inhumane. It's not. Many dogs are crate trained, some prefer it. It replicates a den in the natural environment and many dogs feel more safe in a small enclosed area.

Our dog needed surgery in lockdown, we couldn’t get an appropriately sized crate in time for him coming home. He was to be on strict cage rest for seven days, then slowly increasing his activity levels. No shower cubicle here (but good idea), so we used an upside down cot.

Can you not pen an area off with his crate in it with door open in your house so he can stretch legs etc & choose the crate also. I have a dog with spine issues & has had surgery & they have to be confined to long periods of crate rest - which is heartbreaking but necessary for their healing or condition. We are lucky that we can pen off an area & our dog whilst still very restricted isn’t crated for long periods.

I’d be quite happy on bed rest if it significantly reduced my chance of paralysis, clearly others would rather pick paralysis.

I guess, as mentioned, the main issue I'd have is the shower doors being unstable. Mine are old and come off their tracks infrequently. Are your shower doors totally stable?
I'd maybe do a practice run to see how your elderly dog copes in the shower with the doors shut (it sounds like you've done this before, but doors open- doors shut would worry me a bit... might stress your dog a bit with the doors shut).

You know how your dog ticks and kicks best of all.
I think it's a needs must situation.
Check the shower doors and see how stable they are.
See how your dog copes during a supervised practice run.
If all else fails, can your vet advise you on suitable care for your elderly, recovering dog, short-term?

That a very long time to leave a dog..

These aren't ordinary conditions: it's a one-off for 4 hours, the dog's sick, it's a small/light dog, the dog's used to being in the shower (during summer and it's its decision/choice), the shower's a walk-in, shower's bigger than a regular bath, the dog's used to a much smaller crate, keeping the dog in a crate is a medical decision not the OP's.
OP, I honestly don't think it would be the end of the world and I don't think your dog would hate you. I think it would be fine. Some people mentioned the glass breaking so maybe you could put duct tape on the bottom half, and maybe turn on a radio so your dog won't feel so lonely?

A dog has no idea that he or she might further injure themselves.
It's the length of time left alone shut in a small space that is so unstimulating.
The hours must drag interminably, for them, waiting for a familiar key in the lock.

A crate is a cage? How big would that be?

Everyone worrying about how long the dog is going to be left - have you ever had a dog recover from spinal surgery?

Crate test is prescribed!! It is not the norm it’s a post op necessity & without it surgery will be useless as will the use of the dogs’ legs!!

Plse don’t worry Op you know what you’re doing & good luck it’s really worrying having to rehab a pet with back probs 🍀

Crate rest!

As a dog owner of a dog who has IVDD I can't stress enough how important the crate has been for us and still is.

As a puppy we did a half arsed attempt at crate training which helped until we felt confident enough that he wouldn't hurt himself when we weren't around.

Age 2 he suddenly became paralysed in his back legs. It was absolutely awful to watch and we thought we had lost him. A disc in his spine had exploded and he had to have an 11 hour surgery! This was followed by 8 weeks of crate rest. He was allowed out of the crate several times a day to toilet in which we had to carry him outside and back in again. We invested in every enrichment toy that we could find, we had friends drop off rags their dogs (our dogs pals) had slept with etc so that he didn't get bored.

We spent hours a day doing rehab exercises, massaging and eventually when he was allowed taking him to hydrotherapy

6 months later the same thing happened again!!!

He's 4 now and he's a happy little doggo! He enjoys his walks and playing in the garden and it's lovely to see him up and about, but his life will never be the same as it was before he was diagnosed with IVDD, same as people with disabilities our boy will always be more fragile and for his own good he still goes into the crate when he's not supervised.

I can tell you what he does for the 4 hours that we might not be at home... he sleeps... on his side (the only time he sleeps on his side is in the cage because that's where he feels safest) I know this because I watch him on a camera.

When he's tired, overwhelmed or wants a bit of space he takes himself off to his crate even when are home, the only difference is when we are home we do not close the door.

When you are caring for a dog with specific needs then need to do make adjustments to meet those needs just as you would for a child for example. Please if you have no experience in caring for a disabled dog just keep your shitty opinions to yourself, we are already living with guilt and fear of relapse!

I wonder how some of these posters would react to the idea that you can put a baby in a drawer if you don't have a cot.

I just don't think people understand. I had to cage my chihuahua. She had disc issues and developed ataxia. She couldn't control her hind quarters or walk properly. She actually "recovered" or regained movement before the surgery - the vet had been very nervous about working on such a small animal and wasn't at all sure it was going to work and she'd have to be put down. The vet said that if she jumped off a chair or a bed she could be back with ataxia. We caged her for a couple of weeks to give her a chance to recover because she was quick and needed constant supervision. (Obviously she was let out for short walks on a lead and as long as somebody had hold of her.) She lived to a ripe old age without a recurrence. She had plenty of company and was a happy dog.

"How would you like to be left in a cage?"

As much as I'd like shitting on grass as my neighbours watched but I'm not a fucking dog.

Op ignore these responses, shower is fine until crate is fixed. One of my dogs dislikes a crate, she's a basket girl, but my others love their crates and take themselves off there most of the time.

@showerdog you really shouldn’t so this. 3 weeks ago this happened to one of our shower doors during the night whilst we were all asleep - it shattered (the noise sounded like it had exploded) & the tempered glass was forced everywhere.. should someone have been in there they would have been seriously injured, the tracks were forced out of the wall & bent with the pressure…I also say this as a dog owner myself who understands crate rest -also the use of one too. Please don’t do it…

We got a crate as instructed by woodgreen when we adopted our dog. The crate is in the living room with no door on it, just an open cage with blankets over the top and a bed in.

He goes in it all the time. He is free to leave it, there isn't even a door but it is his space and he actively chooses to be in there.

Eek! That's scary

I'm guessing you're dealing with something like IVDD OP? If so, you have my sympathies. I've been there and it is awful.

Boxowine · Today 03:02

I wonder how some of these posters would react to the idea that you can put a baby in a drawer if you don't have a cot.

My husband was born abroad, 2 months early and not allowed to travel, so did indeed spend his first several months of life sleeping in an (open) drawer!

I’ve never used a crate for my dogs, but I guess if your dog is used to being locked up for 4 hours and he chooses to go and lie in the shower cubicle himself and usually stays there for hours, then you could risk it for one day. It would personally make me feel very anxious though. 😥

I think what you have proposed is ok. It's only for a few hours and he has obviously found it comfortable enough in the past as he has chosen to sleep there. I know it's not the ideal to use crates or similar, especially for older dogs, but his safety needs to come first