Puppy got her jaw stuck in crate at vets

I have whippets and they feel the cold really badly. I keep duvets in the crate and because of the sides and the roof they can snuggle under the duvet. I have vet bed in them, too. As puppies they’re very destructive and will steal dangerous things that it wouldn’t occur to anyone that they would steal eg reading glasses. Some counter surf as well so nothing is out of their reach! People travel more with their dogs these days, too, and their crate is a home from home for them. And, if they do have an accident and have to be prevented from running around for a while they are already used to being in one. Dogs now have to be secured when in a car so either have a harness attached to the seat belt or travel in a crate. Mine only uses hers now if I’m in the garden and she decides to lie in her crate in the kitchen. Or, if I go out without her I can shut her in the kitchen and she’ll sleep in it till I get back. She’s a lockdown dog and I don’t know how she would behave if given the run of the house when she’s alone. Now she’s an adult I don’t shut the door. My daughters Miniature Schnauzer spends her life sleeping under cupboards or curled up in a corner of a room: she was crate trained as a puppy and I sometimes think she would have liked to have still had her ‘cave’ to go into.She used to take all of her toys into her crate when she was little. What I hate to see are crates with hardly any cushioning on the floor. I keep mine covered, too, so it’s snug but it’s a fitted cover. They can pull blankets or sheets through the bars and injure themselves.

A dog thread that I almost missed…..poor little soul and so glad it worked out okay for her. Crates are very useful training aides although I rarely shut the door on any of mine, they all loved their own safe spaces.

I should add, mine have a crate only

Thanks for the update mumofthree.

grandtante, I crate trained my last five dogs. I’d always do so now. It’s never a punishment and becomes their safe space. Several years ago, I put one up for a puppy and found my 13 year old boy fast asleep in there.
It helps with toilet training and helps avoid separation anxiety. With my current young lab, it meant I could build up to leaving him home whilst I nipped to the shops. He’d snuggle down and sleep rather than eating the skirting boards etc.

It’s a Boone if the are ill, need to rest, avoid jumping or if they have to stay at the vets.

What I really do not understand is this new idea that dogs should be kept in crates in their homes.

Please would someone explain why this is now thought to be a good thing?

Obviously, animals have to be caged at the vet's, but in their own homes?

The dogs I grew up with were part of family live from the day we got them. A newspaper spread in front of an outside door while house-training puppies, and a dog's bed for each dog, but we would have thought it cruel to cage a dog.

What has changed? And why?

Sorry, had visitors and didn't see the update.

Great news. Let's hope she doesn't have to go to the vet for a very long time, poor thing.

Good grief. They put her in a crate in a side room and say the poor thing had separation anxiety. I’d say your vet doesn’t even understand what separation anxiety is. Glad she’s ok and back to her normal self. My whippet had been crate trained: we put her in a crate when we were away from home and when I shut the door ( which I had been doing at home) she was so distressed she started projectile vomiting. It was the last time I ever shut the crate door.

Yes, I had a little dog who had an awful experience at the vets once. So much so that she had to be muzzled on her follow up appointment as she tried to bite the veterinarian nurse who had hurt her first time round.

That was a year ago and since then we have worked with the vet practice to change her perceptions. On the last visit she allowed the vet to give boosters unmuzzled and no one was bitten. Fingers crossed that’s all resolved now.

Fleurpepper

Any news Mumofthree??? Please.

Aw I'm sorry for late response. My little pup Martha is doing great, we went back for a checkup last week and she pranced into the vet no problem. However the vet I saw said he's never seen such an extreme case of separation anxiety!! I said I beg to differ, my dog doesn't have separation anxiety, I can leave her quite happily for a good 3-4 hours while I go shopping or elsewhere, I have a camera to keep an eye on her whilst I'm out, more for my benefit. She goes camping with me loads of weekends in my campervan and is good with people and other dogs, shes happy for me to pet other dogs, she doesn't cry for me so I think he's wrong. They did tell me they put her in a crate in a side room and went to check on her when they heard her crying loudly that sounds more like panic due to the situation she was in.
Anyway she's back to her usual 1 yr old self now which is a teenager in dog years and shes getting lots of cuddles and gentle strolls. Thanks everyone. 😊

Any news Mumofthree??? Please.

I’ve been scouring the internet looking for a groomer who does teeth.

We have a rescue dog whose teeth were brown they had been so neglected. She was two when adopted and had never been injected or been to the vets. They wanted to put her under anesthetic to clean her teeth but after seeing the state she was in after being spayed as the anesthetic seemed to knock her about and she hss been terrified by the vets since so I resisted. We take her to a groomer who mentioned her bas teeth and said she had just trained to clean dogs teeth.
We decided to go ahead as she would have her own toothbrush head that the groomer keeps. All the dogs have their own head which are kept in labelled pockets. After 3 cleans which she has done at the same time as the normal grooming her teeth are beautiful with just a tiny bit of tarter which I reckon will be gone by the next clean. Perhaps you might find a groomer who offers this service.x

Great idea from Sally which I'm sure will help.

Hope she's OK Mumofthree. You'll be relieved to get her home and it's amazing how quickly they recover.

Socialise her outside and inside the vets with her absolute favourite treats.

See if you can have the same vet (as far as possible) when you go.

If you have another dog take them along too for doggy support.

My lockdown girl literally used to ‘shut down’ at the vets. But I have done all the above and she is much much better now.

How awful. I put my dog in her crate when she was a puppy and another dog came to visit and she got her jaw caught in the crate: I’d been warned that they can do that. It only lasted a minute or so but it was terrifying. Mine hates the vets anyway even though, apart from being spayed, she’s not had anything too bad done to her. When I took her for her booster the other day I took some chicken with me. She’ll do anything for chicken and she was the best she’s ever been there.For a while after her spaying she used to shake in the car so I bought an Adaptil spray. After she was spayed she wasn’t hungry but she was very thirsty so I boiled some chicken water for her to drink. She’s got to have her teeth cleaned under anaesthetic in a couple of years time and I’m dreading it already!

Good advice SALLY 97 that's what I would do.

What a great idea Sally.
Sorry to hear about Martha

What a trauma for her and you.
Hope she is home soon.
I had a flat coat retriever who had a bad experience and was scared of the vets. On the vets advice
I used to take her walk past, then started just going in and the receptionist used to give her a treat. It did help although took time and patience.