A question was brough up in another thread about what people like to have for kennel surfaces.

I like pea gravel better than concrete. I have concrete now, and am starting to miss the gravel. If you wash the gravel down with any one of the cleaners on the market for kennel use, no parasites. You can also change the gravel pretty damn easy. I would do it about every 3-5 months. A completely new surface every few months. . . .

With gravel I scooped as much as possible out if there was a messy area, then hosed it down with a cleaner attachment, then put down a little fresh gravel to fill in the holes, and let dry. It really worked well, and none of the dogs had any concrete abrasions. I also had a raised cedar plank platform in the back of the kennel for the house and a spot to lie on. I would cover it with the cheep outdoor carpet tacked down. I would replace it as needed. You can get huge rolls of the stuff.

VanCamp
Sounds pretty much what I had in mind, especially the raised platform. Gets them off the ground in wet weather. You mentioned abraisions on concrete. Is this a big problem?

I live in a very wet climate so the entire kennel is covered, BTW.

I'm not sure, but I've seen lifer kennel dogs with those big nasty calluses on their legs. . .

I don't really know if it is a big problem or not??

I think the callouses you refer to are commom in "lifer" dogs, also the heavier breeds. My daughters overweight Rot has them and he sleeps on a rug, in the house. I just wasn't sure if that is what you were refering to or some other abrasions on feet. How deep would you advise for the gravel?

Vancamp/oldearthgog, I have concrete floor in my kennel, both dogs do have callus's. It hasn't been any type of problem for either. (dogs do not stay in kennel 24 hours a day, only when we are not at home).
I can see where the pea gravel would be much better on a young developing dog.
Vancamp, how thick is the pea gravel in your pen?
May want ot use pea gravel with new pup.

Heck, my dog lives in the house and has elbow calluses.

Could you explain what you mean by calluses and abrasions?
I noticed that my pup's right elbow seemed bigger than the other one. It was almost the size of a golf ball. So I took him to the vet yesterday to have it checked out and it seems that he hurt it. The vet says that this is common with dogs kept on a concrete surface. It happens when the dog lays down and pushes himself up with his elbows to stand up. This causes a small rupture on the joint and fluid seeps out inflammating the skin. I think he called this a sagroma(sp?). He's been put on anti-inflammatory pills and antibiotics for two weeks. Vet says that if by that time it hasn't gone down, surgery will be required. The procedure consists of just putting in a drain until all the liquid comes out. Apparently, it keeps on growing if left untreared.
The dog isn't limping and doesn't seem to have any pain. Above you said that it happens to overweight dogs. My pup is 8.5 months and weighs 71 pounds with his ribs showing. He's got nice bones but not fat. And he isn't a lifer kennel dog either. The vets recommends putting rubber padding on the kennel floor to prevent it from happening again.
Does anyone have this padding on their kennel floors? Is it hard to keep clean?
Also, has anyone experienced this condition before and has more info on it?
Thanks

The high falutin' boarding kennel/dog spa Max is going to stay at during my vacation uses pea gravel in their runs. Also, when our local SPCA built a new multi-million dollar facility a few years back they used a deep pea gravel base for an exercise pen for the dogs (30ft. X 30ft. approx.).
I would think if a dog is doing a lot of running and quick skidding/stopping on rough concrete he'll get something like rug burn on his pads. It happened to my dog when we used to play ball down the side of the house.

(dumb question... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> )Regarding the gravel-is the chain link embedded a bit into the ground to keep the dogs from digging out which they'd be unable to do if built on concrete? I'm in beginning plans to build a few kennels at my house. I definitely like the sound of gravel better than concrete but would not want the dogs to be able to dig out.

Posted by Workinggsd...
I noticed that my pup's right elbow seemed bigger than the other one. It was almost the size of a golf ball. So I took him to the vet yesterday to have it checked out and it seems that he hurt it. The vet says that this is common with dogs kept on a concrete surface. It happens when the dog lays down and pushes himself up with his elbows to stand up. This causes a small rupture on the joint and fluid seeps out inflammating the skin. I think he called this a sagroma(sp?). He's been put on anti-inflammatory pills and antibiotics for two weeks. Vet says that if by that time it hasn't gone down, surgery will be required. The procedure consists of just putting in a drain until all the liquid comes out. Apparently, it keeps on growing if left untreared Just wanted to say here that one of my past foster dogs developed what sounds like the exact same thing on one of her elbows...she was never in a concrete kennel run. After several visits to have it drained it eventually went away on its own. We think it was caused by a bite injury after she had a scuffle w/ one of my dogs. Might your dog have gotten some sort of minor injury that didn't heal properly? Or has anyone else heard of something to this extent happening to a dog kept in a kennel run w/ concrete flooring?

Tammy, the 2 sites I mentioned have embedded fencing. How deep, I'm not sure. Tiggy2 has the ultimate K9 Fort Knox. I think hers is 3 feet down. I guess it would depend on the type of dog you had. But my philosophy is if you're going to go to all that trouble anyways, may as well do it right. Besides you never know if you'll have a canine pit miner or Houdini in the future. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />