The Holidays are a very busy time of year, for us, and for our pets. Many of us will tend to have people over to visit during The Holidays, and just like us, our pets also get excited to see new people. Whether you are preparing for, recovering from, or trying to conservatively manage a torn/ruptured cranial cruciate ligament, it is important to think of your pet first and foremost before having any house guests. While it is important that you make your guests comfortable, it is imperative that you make your dog comfortable and make sure that he/she isn’t put in any situations that could further injure the knee (pre-op) or re-injure it (post-op). Here are some simple guidelines that might help you in preparing your home and dog for holiday visitors.

1. Make sure that your dog is restricted. Most dogs love to greet guests when they come in the door, and many dogs get excited and stand on their hind legs – DO NOT even put your dog in a situation where this could happen. Keep your dog in a pen. Depending on your situation, you may want to:
   1. Put your dog in another room, away from all company and activity.
   2. Put your dog in a crate in a location where he/she can see and hear most of the activity that is going on in the house. This will help keep the dogs spirits up.
2. If your dog is penned up, make sure that your guests know that he/she is injured and not to rile him/her up.
3. If your dog is penned up, ask your guests to go visit with and pet him/her. Dogs love company, just like we do.
4. We don’t feed our dogs from the table, nor do we encourage it, but we do make exceptions when our dog is crated up and unable to interact. Remember, dogs have a great sense of smell, so just imagine how much they want some of that turkey and gravy!

Hopefully these small tips help you and your pet make it through the busy holiday season!

Photo by turtlemom4bacon

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