Walking two large dogs post-TVH?

I'm having a TVH July, 3rd. How long will I have to wait before walking my two big dogs? I plan to ask the doc at my pre-op, but for now my husband & I are "debating" how long it will be before I'm back to walking them for a minimum of a half of an hour each morning.

I guess that depends on how well you trained your dogs. If they drag you and it is more like they are walking you, that pulling on you will be very bad. If they walk *with* you then you should be able to walk them as soon as you can walk outside for the half hour comfortably. That will depend on how you recover which is a very individual time table.
Good luck to you.

I was going to post the same thing! I live alone so I think I am going to board them for a week and see how it goes. Mine are both 15 month old 70# dogs , and I walk them seperately. I'm just afraid since they are young they might bump my stomach. After the first week I am considering a dog walking service a few days a week.

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Originally Posted by pawprinter I guess that depends on how well you trained your dogs. If they drag you and it is more like they are walking you, that pulling on you will be very bad. If they walk *with* you then you should be able to walk them as soon as you can walk outside for the half hour comfortably. That will depend on how you recover which is a very individual time table. Good luck to you.

Thanks, my dogs are not very well trained/behaived. Sometimes they are great, other times they are on full out squirrel patrol & I have enough trouble getting them under control as is. Which is why I'm so concerned about taking them out by myself anytime soon after the surgery. I'm hoping I'll have full support of my husband, but since he's already griping...

I'm not too sure (and can't find the book) but I vaguely remember reading in some literature I was given to refrain from it untill 4-6 weeks poste op... we have a GSD who is not too well behaved on the lead either (too many new smells ... too much to sniff). Perhaps hubby will take this 'job' on untill you are recovered?
I think like pawprint says it will depend very much on the individual. I too will be following this thread with avid interest as there is sure to be another lady who has been where we are now & has a personal account

I was really afraid to handle my dogs (80 and 100 pounds) until I was 6 weeks, and that was a vet visit. Somehow the dogs are 'his dogs' but their care just doesn't occur to him as 'his responsibility'. Its ok, the dogs know whose dogs they are....

They are great 90% of the time but I was afraid of the rabbit, squiral, dog at a fence thing. My thinking was, if I wasn't released for vacumming, the dogs had to be off limits. Take them out now and see what goes on in your abdominal region when they pull. Sure you feel it in your shoulder but really the muscle line goes right down to your foot when you brace yourself.

Maybe its a shorter time for a TVH but there's still a lot of healing going on in there. You would hate to tear something.

Best wishes,

Julie

I would think 4-6 weeks. I went for a walk about 3 days after I was home and could only go a block, which was at a snail's pace. So much for the dogs. Do you have snails you could walk??? j/k !!!!

But I bet the "4-6 weeks" answer is the most accurate/appropriate/safe. Good luck to you! I love dogs!!!

I will be 5 weeks on Thursday and as I have been getting more and more mobile and doing well my husband and I took our 2 rottweiler/lab/german shepherds out yesterday, first I had the 90lbs one and he lunged and it hurt, so my husband took him and I had the heavier 93lbs but a better behaved. We walked one full block and I was tired and a little sore.. also wet. I was bleeding. It was really just heavy spotting, did not last long and my husband was concerned. We concluded it was probably a bit too ambitious and to leave it for now. So in conclusion I would say hang on and talk to the Doctor about it at your post op check up. Incidentally. My Doctor had told me he thought dog walking would be fine and good for me, but I must have misunderstood WHEN.

Glad to see this info--walking the dogs is one of my fears post-op. We have 2 labs and they are obedience trained, but can still lose focus & pull when they forget what they are doing. I am counting on not holding onto their leashes & going back to our e-collars for reminding them where they are & what they are doing...

Oh I just had a thought. I do use nuzzle harnesses when walking them as it minimizes their pulling ability (and interest in it). I actually found these in desparation after my lab learning to walk on 2 feet when in a body harness. Very hard on the hands.

They work by using the dogs own body weight against them. The leash hooks at a ring under their nuzzle. When they pull, their weight spins them around. They don't like it, so they stop pulling.

Julie