One of the frequent recommendations I make as part of my patient’s treatment plan is exercise restriction. It sounds easy enough, but oftentimes, it is the hardest part of the discharge plan to follow. My patients don’t actually listen to me past “such a good boy” or “have another treat”, so they do not understand the game plan of rest and recuperation that will lead to their recovery.
The good news is that the daunting task of trying to enforce rest is so much easier today than it was when I entered practice 23 years ago. Back then, we were limited to cage rest and confinement. And while there is still a time and a place for that, the options we have today are a far easier pill to swallow.
The use of medications to aid in recuperation is gaining traction, and many of my clients are already familiar with these options. Trazodone is one such medication that works by increasing levels of the “feel-good” neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.This effect aids in acceptance of post-surgical confinement or reduction of exercise. In essence, it is the pill that convinces the patient to rest.
As time requirement for medically prescribed rest increases, I take a novel approach to convincing Fido to comply through the use of “brain games”. Boredom busters have the ability to exercise the mind and placate most canine patients to some degree. Starting with a simple “touch” exercise, where Fido has to make contact with their nose to your hand for a reward is a great way to begin for the patient that is extremely limited with mobility. Increasing the level of difficulty from there may be asking Fido to select the hand that a hidden treat is in, or moving to use 3 upside down containers to shuffle one treat in. When mobility is allowed to increase, scent games by hiding treats and teaching them to search for them is a great way to encourage movement in a controlled environment.
More complex dog puzzles and treat balls are now widely available and come in a variety of difficulties, all having the theme of trying to figure out how to get the reward (food). A simple Kong Toy stuffed with canned food encourages chewing and creative pawing which lead to increased serotonin levels in the brain naturally, increasing Fido’s sense of well being. Moving up from there, a plethora of toys that require touch to release the food reward. For the creative bunch, ideas online for DIY puzzles that can be tailored to best suit Fido’s level of activity allowance. As little as 20 minutes of such activities two or three times a day will be of benefit.
While puzzles allow for some degree of independence, your dog should always be supervised while using them. So the next time you need to convince Fido to rest, tap into the mental game to increase the feeling of well-being while skipping the run in the park.