Puppy suffered head injury..sleeping a lot

[JessieRM]

My 5 wk puppy suffered a head injury yesterday and we were able to get her to the hospital within 1/2 hour.  We transferred her back and forth to day and night facilities for the last 36 hours and now she is home.  She is eating very well and is using the bathroom with no problem. Her breathing is good and all the x-rays showed there were no fractures or punctures.  However she is sleeping a lot and not playing with her sister (only two in the litter).   The Vet told me she would do this but how long is too long? I know there is a healing process she must go through before she is back to herself but I can't help but wonder if I should try to motive her or just let her rest for a couple days.  If so, how long will it be before she should be active again?  

[lab_labra1]

dnt worry
juz lov n care her a lot
she might go in dark corners or sleep bcz she is injured
nothing to worry
she will b fine when all the pain is gone dnt let her play n jump n run or she will get in pain again

my pup fell from half a meter table n resulted in a front knee injury
she wasnt ok for abut 4 days .

jus w8 for a week n she wil b normal again

shes jus utilizing her energy to heal the pain and jus sleeping
if shes seems fine even then dnt let her play n run for 1 more day ok

[seeana]

Your pup has been through a trauma you must let her sleep as much as she can as she heals when she sleeps.
Just let her be and let nature take its course.Trying to get her motivated is the worse thing you can do.
The main thing is to make sure she is quiet and dont let the other pup jump all over her.
Be patient she will play when she is ready.Remember she is only 5weeks old you do not say where mum is as she is way too young to be parted from her yet.
8 to 10 weeks is the norm.

[crackerjack4u2]

I let the little gal sleep she is a very young pup and they need to sleep a little more often anyway, just like a baby.  It is possible she has a concussion from the head injury and that would not have shown up on x-ray.  It will make her want to sleep too.  Give her a few days, hopefully she'll be good as new and playing up a storm soon.

[JessieRM]

Thanks for the comments and encouragment.  She is improving everyday.  She is still sleeping a lot but her strength is beginning to return.  As for her mom...she is here.  We tried to get her to bond with her mom but she rejected her (her mom did).  I think this is because she was gone for a couple days and had the scent of others on her.

During her stay at the hospital they were able to get her to eat puppy food.  I am giving her tons of love and have not slept well since her injury.  I also have been taking her to a sitter while I am at work so she won't be alone.   I pray this will be what she needs to help her get back to normal.  

One thing I noticed is she howls now.  She didn't do that before and I am not sure what to make of it.  I don't think she is in pain...maybe you can shed some light.

[crackerjack4u2]

I'm not sure on the howling whether it is pain or not either.  Little pups get really LONELY at times.  I always gave mine a medium size stuffed animal to cuddle up with and it worked like a charm and the howling stopped.   (It makes them feel secure and safe, the fur I Guess reminds them of momma.  All babies need their mommas and since the mom abandoned her, she really didn't get that security feeling that only momma dog or stand in mom can provide.  Make sure there are no hard eyes, ribbons or tags that the pup can possibly eat on the stuffed animal.    Take the items off if they are present and watch closely for chewing, if chewing occurs remove the stuffed animal.