Top Activities For Dogs After Cherry Eye Surgery

Introduction

While cherry eye is not a life-threatening condition, it is best to treat it as quickly as possible to avoid discomfort and possible secondary problems such as infection from the exposed nictitating membrane or the third eyelid. The surgery to correct the cherry eye is pretty straightforward and your dog should be able to resume their normal activities quickly. However, because the eye is involved, you do want to take some precautions and not allow them to play tug-o-war or other games that involve pulling with their mouth. This can cause strain on the eye and this needs to be avoided until healing is complete.

Puzzles

Popular

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Any Day

Cheap

Normal

30 min

Items needed

Puzzle

Treats

Activity description

There are several canine puzzles available at dog specialty stores ranging in difficulty from easy to difficult. Start your dog with a simple puzzle so they do not become discouraged and give up. Hide favorite treats in the puzzle and let your dog work to find the treats. You can make your own canine puzzle without too much trouble, even if you do not consider yourself a crafty person. Simply use an old muffin pan, tennis balls and treats. Fill some of the holes with treats and cover with a tennis ball. Your dog will then have to figure out how to roll the tennis ball out of the way to retrieve their reward.

Step

1

Introduce the puzzle

If your dog has never seen a puzzle, let them explore with their feet and nose; just do not let them damage the toy! Start with an easy puzzle to keep your dog from becoming discouraged and use a treat that they find simply irresistible. You may want to demonstrate how the puzzle works before you hide the tasty morsels inside.

Step

2

Hide the treats

Your dog will use their nose to find the hidden treats but you do not want them to know where the treats are hidden beforehand. Take the puzzle into a different room to hide the treats and then let your dog search for a way to work through the mystery for their prize. You may want to use a special tidbit that will only be used for puzzles so they are more excited to look for it.

Step

3

Encourage and repeat

Do not let your dog give up and keep encouraging them to find the reward. Some dogs may be intimidated by harder puzzles so be sure to help them if they seem about to give up. You can show them how to flip open a compartment or move the puzzle to find the treat but do not pull the tasty tidbit out, let your dog do that so they become more comfortable with the puzzle.

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Search and Sniff

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Any Day

Cheap

Normal

30 min

Items needed

Treats

Items to hide

Activity description

Search and sniff is a play on hide and seek; your dog will use their sense of smell to find items that you have hidden. Search and sniff can be played either indoors or outside as long as you have plenty of places to stash good smelling toys and treats. You can even use search and sniff activities to work on their scenting abilities and have them find items with different scents on them such as towels, shirts or gloves. You can figure that the activity will take about 30 minutes to play; anything longer may cause them to become bored and not focus on the interesting scents they are supposed to find.

Step

1

Introduce items

If you keep playing search and sniff with the same scents rather than changing things up, your dog will quickly lose interest and not want to play. Use different smells and items each time you play and also give them plenty of praise when they correctly find the item that they are sniffing out.

Step

2

Use strong scents

When you first start playing search and sniff with your dog, make the hiding places and scents easy for them to find. Use strong scents that are not easily mistaken for another smell and make the search area smaller. As your dog becomes comfortable with the activity, you can begin expanding the search area and using milder scents. Eventually, your dog will be able to use their nose to find almost any scent you ask them to find. Because your dog is recovering from cherry eye surgery, do not hide items in areas that are difficult to reach or could rub against their face.

Step

3

Go searching

When you send your dog to search for the specific items be sure to encourage them as they search. When they are first beginning the activity you may have to walk with them and keep reminding them of the scent they are searching for. Once they have successfully completed a few search and sniff activities, you will see a new confidence bubbling from them. Always encourage your dog as they try to find the item you have hidden and reward them with a tasty treat when they find it.

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Clean Up

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Free

Normal

30 min

Items needed

Toys

Toy box

Treats

Activity description

Teaching your dog to clean up their toys is a relatively easy thing to teach. First, you teach them how to fetch and then you instruct them on how to put that toy into the toy box. It will take patience and practice before your dog becomes a pro at cleaning up their belongings after playtime. Dogs recovering from cherry eye surgery can clean up their toys as long as they are not straining to lift heavy toys or picking up toys that could potentially rub against their eye or the surgical site. Obviously, cleaning up their toys would probably be done in the house but you can also have them pick up any toys that they play with outside.

Step

1

Teach to fetch

Teaching your dog to fetch their toys is pretty simple; you just have to be patient and give them plenty of praise and treats when they do it correctly. Once you have taught them to fetch, the next step is teaching them to pick up a specific toy without you having to toss it first.

Step

2

Lend a hand

When teaching them how to clean up their toys, you will have to work with them and help them place their toys in the toy box. Sit next to the toy box and have them bring you their toys. Once they bring you a toy, guide them to the toy box and give them the command to “drop it”. Once they drop their toy into the toy box, give them praise and a treat.

Step

3

Praise and reward

Your dog will work for a treat and your praise! As they become more confident in what you are expecting of them, they will pick their toys up easily and put them in their toy box. Be sure to give them a lot of praise when they complete each task and then once the job is complete, give them a yummy treat that is well worth all the work they just did!

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More Fun Ideas...

Snuggle and a Movie

While your dog may not enjoy watching a movie, they will enjoy spending time with you and snuggling on the couch or a pallet on the floor. Recovering from cherry eye surgery is the perfect time to spend an afternoon lounging around, watching a movie and snuggling. Add a few snacks for you and your dog for the best time ever!

Treat Ball

Some people would argue that a treat ball is the same as a canine puzzle; if that is the case, it is a simple puzzle. Stuff a Kong or other treat ball with treats or even peanut butter for a quick way to keep your dog busy for a while. Freeze the treat ball on a hot day for an even better treat!

Conclusion

Dogs recovering from cherry eye surgery will need to take it easy for the first few days and should not do any strenuous activities until they have been cleared by their veterinarian. They can do activities that do not stress the surgical site, cause them to strain their jaws, such as tug-o-war, or get dirt into the surgical site. Surgery of any kind will stress your dog so spend extra time with them while they are recovering so they know that they are loved and all is right in their world.