Springer spaniel - 6 weeks cage rest - help 😩

[cheeseandbiscuitsplease]

I have 2 lovely springers. One aged 5 and his nephew who is almost 2. They are lively dogs who get unlimited access to the garden and 2 x 2 off lead 90 minutes walks per day down the beach or over the common.
My 5 year old boy had an operation on Tuesday. He had small hairline fractures in his elbows, apparently quite common in springers. So he had both elbows pinned.
He now has to have cage rest for 6 weeks 😳😪😩. The vet we saw first said 3 weeks, as we explained we are going on holiday 5th August and the boys come with us. The vet that did the operation has said 6 wks.
I'm so stressed about it. Poor boy is pawing at his cage, which won't do him any good so I have been letting him out to lie in his bed as they said this would be OK. I'm keeping very close eye on him, no stairs, he doesn't jump on the furniture so this isn't an issue. I have bought baby gates to keep him contained in our back living room which leads out to the garden but obviously I have put a gate there too.
I just feel so dreadful. He looks so upset and obviously my other boy is just bounding around as usual.
Thankfully I am now off work for school hols so I guess I just have to take one day at a time but I'm finding it very hard already.
The whole holidays feel like they've been spoilt as I can't relax at all. I've explained to him he's done nothing wrong but he looks so sad 😪😪😪😉.
I obviously want to look after him the best I can. Has anybody any tips as to how we are going to survive 6 weeks of cage rest with such an energetic boy? He looks genuinely devastated. I feel so upset about the whole thing. I cannot see how we're going to cope with it 😩. Sorry for the essay.
Thanks in advance for any tips.

My old boss used to prescribe phenobarb occasionally to take the edge off the bonkers ones and get them through their cage rest. Ask the surgeon if it's OK to swim him on the lead in the sea after a few weeks...non weight bearing so might be OK?

I will ask about swimming but the surgeon seemed very strict about the 6 weeks rule. I don't know how we're going to survive. Feel like our holiday is ruined too. We go for 18 days of walks, paddle boarding etc in Devon. I know in the big scheme of things..... But owners of lively dogs will know where I'm coming from. Thank you for your idea.

You can get large dog buggies...for a change of scene walk without walking perhaps and somewhere new to sniff a little?
Stimulation of new sights and smells might help him cope?
Visitors to make his day more interesting?
Ds1 had an upper femoral fracture (couldnt bear weight for some weeks) when he was 9 and funnily enough this worked for him too! Was used to lots of exercise before...
I have a dog too btw, and notice how he does adapt to less walks in the heat if he gets stimulation tasks and sniffing

As the owner of a working cocker (I'm always hoking anxiously at her elbows if she so much as takes a lame step in front) who spent half the morning in and out of the sea todayI have every sympathy. I always feel really sorry for owners of dogs who need ortho surgery at the startof the summer.

DS obv in wheelchair rather than dog buggy.

Thank you, we are going to buy a dog buggy. £250...wouldnt it be brilliant if vets could hire them to you when your dog is recovering?! I'm not sure what he will think of it tho. 😩 He might not even stay in the
bloody thing.....

He just looks sad. 😪

Excellent image of 9 year old boy in dog buggy 😉

This would be my nightmare. No advice op but just wanted to say good luck.

It really is a nightmare. Only on day 5 of 36 😪 I'm going to need medication myself at this rate...😩😉

Thank you Biteyshark 👍

My dog has a pushchair, he's on 12 weeks rest currently

@cheeseandbiscuitsplease you don't need a dog buggy, an old kids bike trailer works, you can buy cheaply secondhand

I have no advice but wanted to add my sympathy- my 8 year old had surgery to remove lumps a few weeks back and tbh the aftercare was a nightmare, really feel for you!!! Xx

Deep breath. I totally understand we had a similar event with a ripped cruciate the year we were going to walk the south west coast path. Our dog was a fit young working lab. We did use a buggy and do the walk at the end of the time period. Initially the buggy would be too bouncy for the injury but fine near the end of it.

However it was not as bad as we thought. If you use a buggy you will need to train your dog to be happy to sit in it. This took a while. So reward for sitting in it still for a second or time and build up the time over a few days, then reward for one push etc. TBH this will help tire your dog out for a few days.

Brain work really does tire them out and also they do tend to get used to a slower pace of life (yep even the wcs!). The great thing with the spaniels is that they can still use their noses. So loads of scent work Hide food in containers and put them in front of them, they have to sniff out the food, you can make this harder and harder for them by buring the food more of having very tight lids on the containers etc.

Going out in the car can be an option, but go to more towny places to sit and watch. So open the boot if safe and watch the world go by. Reward for eye contact with you when out and about. So your dog looks at something then looks back at you.

In my experience the thinking of it was worse than the reality - I hope this is the same for you too.

Thank you for all your messages. We have ordered a dog buggy. I have several treat puzzle toys which he does love. It's going to be a hard time but it is just literally one day at a time I guess. Thank you do much.

Fellow springer spaniel owner here. This would be my worst nightmare. There is a book “Brain Games for Dogs” which might have some suggestions? Good luck!

I sooo sympathise! Our poor dog had surgeon his hind thigh and was on 8 weeks' crate rest which was awful. But we didn't actually put him in a crate because he was getting so distressed and just jumping on his hind legs to get out, which was defeating the whole purpose of the crate. We simply had him on a lead inside the house and were restricting his movements as much as possible by keeping him on a lead and carrying him a lot(!)

Sorry to hear this! Have you thought about Kongs or lickmats to try keep him entertained for a little bit in his crate? Obviously you might want to monitor how much he is eating if he is on bed rest and not using as much energy but you could use his normal food and maybe split it into several portions to keep him busy for a few hours. We have done this the last few days to keep ours entertained whilst it has been too hot for walks.

We have lickimats and Kongs plus some puzzle toys. He is doing well. I have let him into the garden this afternoon and we fenced off a small restricted area in the shade. He relaxed and dosed all day. He is looking good. I find the worse bit is when I take my other boy out for his walks and Trio can't come 😢he looks very sad then. Thank you for your replies everyone. It is hard but we are just taking it one day at a time.

My Springer had the same condition, the fissures in the elbows. We kept him in the utility/ kitchen with an old carpet on the floor so he can't slip. That made it a bit better. We are now 2 yrs later, he's completely recovered. Hang on in there.it will pass .