My dog chews his crate blanket. Why does he do it and how to stop?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Lameness can be caused by a number of things. Unfortunately, in this breed, ACL injuries are common and are typically due to degenerative changes with the ligament (if this is a back leg lameness). Also, if this is an ACL injury, there is a > 50% chance that the opposite leg will be affected by the same problem down the road. On the examination with the veterinarian, they will check her knee joint and see if there is an instability called a cranial drawer or a tibial thrust. Both of these manipulations help confirm the suspicion of an ACL injury. Most of the time, an ACL injury requires surgical correction to fix. This can be discussed further with your veterinarian once diagnosed. This may not be an ACL injury and may be osteoarthritis or hip dysplasia causing discomfort. I would recommend x-rays of the affected leg. If this is a front leg, there are other possibilities such as arthritis, a bone fracture, infection, ligament injury, elbow dysplasia, etc. I would definitely get Bliss on a joint supplement along with omega 3 fish oil. I typically recommend Dasuquin and Welactin for supplements, which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Lameness can be an indication of an orthopedic condition. This can be due to conditions such as a soft tissue injury, ligament conditions, a fracture and even a tumor. For this reason, I recommend that you have Jo evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. A veterinarian should be able to perform an examination and localize where the pain is so that further diagnostics like radiographs can be performed. Treatment will be highly dependent on what is causing the lameness. At the very least your veterinarian can start Jo on pain control medications to provide comfort. In the meantime, keep Jo's activity level to a minimum avoiding any jumping, running or rough playing. I hope you find this information useful in helping Jo. Wishing Jo a speedy recovery!

This is a difficult behavior to stop. The more she does it, the more she's practicing the behavior, and harder it is to break the cycle. First, increase her physical, mental, and emotional/social activity. For example, take her on a couple 30-45 minute walks a day (physical), do 2-3 10 minute training sessions with her (mental. It doesn't really matter what you're training, it's the brain workup that's important), and spend 5-10 minutes a day sitting and brushing her (social/emotional). Next, I would recommend removing all the blankets that are problems for her. Consider using a basket muzzle to prevent chewing if you can't remove the blankets. She can be in a crate when not directly supervised to prevent destruction. Give her other toys to play with with the blankets totally out of the picture. You may be able to bring them back later, but you may not. Some dogs that chew/destroy are anxious. If she seems like a nervous or skittish dog, I recommend talking to your veterinarian about some treatments or doing a consultation with me to talk about OTC options. Good luck! Behavioral issues can be very frustrating.

Unfortunately, this is one of these situations that really stinks. Yes, of course you want Moose to be comfortable, but you also don't want him to be in surgery the next day having blankets removed from his intestines! If it were my dog, I simply wouldn't risk it. I would maybe try to put something very thin in there, like a bed sheet, and see if he still tries to destroy that. One other option you can try is to spray whatever you put in there with bitter apple spray (https://www.chewy.com/grannicks-bitter-apple-original-dog/dp/46006?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Grannick%27s%20Bitter%20Apple&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKEAjw85DIBRCy2aT0hPmS1jkSJAC1m9Uvv8OwVDmskFB6pFbR3iGy9Bna8uuuI2KuZPeahNIfOxoCtIzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) Dog's usually don't like how it tastes so they won't put it in their mouth. Some dog don't like how it smell either unfortunately, so it may not be the most enjoyable experience for Moose. The safest best would be to leave the crate empty. My dogs regularly sleep on the cold, hard floor in my house voluntarily and seem quite comfortable. I wouldn't fret over this issue too much.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Intermittent, painful lameness in dogs of her breed is often related to slipping patella, hip problems (for the hind leg) and sometimes elbow dysplasia (for the front leg lameness). A visit at your local vets is recommended. Full clinical examination should allow making the diagnosis and starting treatment, if required.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is something that she needs to get used to. There is not necessarily a magic trick to make them stay in the crate without complaining about it. What I find helpful is to reward them for being in the crate. I like to give them a long lasting chew or treat (such as peanut butter) right when you get her inside (not when she complains). She will then associate the crate with something positive which may help make this more ok. This should help. Have a good day!

With an intermittent lameness in one leg this sounds like he has injured his knee. The most common cause of lameness in a lab is a cruciate ligament strain or tear. As Felix improves with rest he probably has just strained this ligament. This is similar to an ACL injury in people. Dogs who have this injury off and on will eventually tear the ligament completely and require surgery to repair it. I recommend you stop running Felix, walk him only and prevent him from jumping and roughhousing. This may heal and if you don't run him and he may not get lame again. If he continues to be lame it's time for a veterinary exam and X-rays. They can feel his knee and look at the X-ray to determine whether surgery is needed or if they think he will heal with rest, medication and rehab. He also could have a torn meniscus in his knee which would also need surgery to remove. Many dogs overwork the other leg when they are lame so sometimes they get cruciate injuries on both legs. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Felix.