Hi , Have bought a kong for my pup who is recovering from an op ..The lady in the shop said to use banana ... is this ok ? I am so scared of giving him anything that might cause an upset .

Banana is fine...if he'll eat it.  My two tend to behave like I'm trying to poison them if I try to feed them banana but maybe your dog will be less fussy :-)

what op did the puppy have? i give my dog banana occasionally as a treat, never a full one, a few pieces mashed up to plug the kong, he loves it!

He has had his cruciate ligament done ... the vet said it was oblitareted (sp). He eats anything so thats ok , suppose it is a good substance to pack it with and a lot cheaper than the squirty filler's in the shop . thanks

oh, poor thing. my boy had his done to :( he's grand now though, so don't worry, it passes!

i like to use pate for tios kong as its cheap (you can get value and smart price ones for about 40P)- he likes brussels best :) or a touch of soft cheese.

My boxers love banana, mind you there isn't much they don't like :-)

thats fine, was just checking he hasnt had abdominal surgery incase banana was too rich! last week i mashed banana and natural yoghurt together, filled the kong and froze it overnight, he LOVED it! also put his biscuits in and cover with a smear of peanut butter, loves that. often i'll jam something like 2 bonios in, takes him ages to get them out!
hope he recovers soon!

> i mashed banana and natural yoghurt together

what a good idea.

banana, peanut butter, few pieces of kibble. Youghurt makes so much mess, takes them ages to lick it off each others face!!

Thanks everyone .. poor lad looks all sorry for himself and bald.. I am sure he will love peanut butter  ...Astarte . Did you use hydrotherapy for the recovery process?

no, just lots of bed rest and then gentle walking i think (he was living with my parents at the time and i wasn't that involved to be honest- he only became mine a few months ago). hydro might have done him some good but i don't think the vet up at mum and dads offers it :(

Well, i have got him booked in as soon as his stitches are out . been searching all day for one close to me and got one not too far away .Hope it helps as i am dreading trying to keep a husky pup on crate rest for a few weeks (neighbours have been warned the howling might happen )... But think the tips of peanut butter and soft cheese might help and have asked the butcher to save me some real big bones ...lol... thanks

my lad is a bullmastiff so not nearly as high energy but he was at the approx 1 year tigger stage and was a nightmare. he needed sedation from time to time to keep him still. it was horrid.

more positively though he's great now, so don't worry!

My boy (large crossbreed) has had both cruciates repaired (first one aged 2 and 1/2 the other 10 months later).  He didn't have hydrotherapy as he detests the hydro place but, with the vets agreement, we took him swimming in the river at places where he could wade in so no scrambling up and down banks and I am sure it made a vast difference as he recovered really well and very quickly on both occasions.  It is a year since his last op and, although he has been left with fairly severe arthitis in both knees, he is fit, active and pain free :-) 

How long was recovery ? i am dreading it ,trying to keep him in his crate . This morning he is trying his hardest to wander off in the garden but have been told to lead him for a wee and poop then straight back ...And he can't get in his Kong at the min as he has a collar on ...poor lad he is dying to play with the others too ...

I don't think I could put a time on how his recovery took each time but he was allowed short, frequent lead walks from he came home from the vets which was about 1 week post op both times. He was allowed to swim about 4 weeks post op.  After the second op I think I noticed that he was properly bearing weight on the leg continuously after maybe 8 or 10 weeks but I seem to recall that it was a bit longer after the first op.

I didn't have to use a collar to keep Milo from bothering his staples (plu Milo just doesn't do Elizabethan! LOL) but if your boy is going to have to wear one for awhile he might find something like this more comfortable.

Thanks Lori. that might just do the trick .....Have been takin it off to feed him as he was really struggling with being in his crate ....and when he goes for a widdle too or i have to open both patio doors for him to get through ..lol....He can't even get to his bones , poor lad ....So hopefully that collar should help , i hope it comes fast though ....
cheers everyone for the help ...

Yeh but isn't it cute to watch:)

astarte - i have to admit, i got the banana and yoghurt idea from the kong webpage so i cannot claim the credit for it :)

a few year ago my girl had C.Lig surgery.  she was caged a long time. I borrowed a XX large crate and I could go in and keep her company and my old girl would go in an just lay beside her.  I got middle cut marrow bones from the butcher and tool most of the marrow out. she got a bone a day and this kept her occupied for a long part of the day.

Very and funny  : - ))

My dogs love banana.  Apparently it's very good after a course of antibiotic ... when antibiotics finished, feed live yoghurt/probiotic powder to restore the healthy flora in the gut, but also feed banana as this apparently acts as a 'food' for the good enzymes, etc to feed on.

Probiotic powder ?? Never heard of that .. is it just for pets or humans too?He has finished the antibiotics and is wolfing anything i put near him .. he is loving the banana , but do you think i could freeze just the banana so it takes him longer , as he is struggling in his crate ..and think i will need some kind of sedative to keep him in it for the time the vet said ..so trying everything i can to keep him occupied for a few hours ...

wot about a large raw carrot ? mine love um and it take ages for them to chew there way through it :)

Carrots he has had from being a little pup and take him about 5 min's to eat ...lol...wondered if turnip is good or bad ..lol... anyone know ?

Probiotics - can get powders like protexin, or do what I do and give live natural yoghurt. They are basically the 'good' gut bugs to replace the ones killed off by the antibiotics. Same as the probiotic drinks for humans and stuff. :-)

shusky1 - already mentioned in a previous post but i freeze a mix of banana and yoghurt in his kong and it takes him a while to get through that.

There are lots of good Kong stuffing ideas here http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/kongrecipe.php

I quite often give my crowd Kongs stuffed with tinned Butchers tripe - pack the tripe into the Kong and freeze ... takes them quite a while to finish it.

Thanks for link .