What does rehabilitation means? In a few words, it means treating pain, weaknesses and abnormal biomechanics (movements patterns) with the use of therapeutic modalities, manual therapy and targeted specific exercises, and with the goal of reducing/eliminating pain, gaining strength, function and correct movement patterns as well as limiting further injury or disease progression.
Nova only had 4 weeks of treatment so far and her progress is astonishing. Initially the goal was to control her pain using mostly shockwave and laser, and now that we are a lot more comfortable, one of our main goal is to increase strength (hind limbs, back muscles/ core) to stabilise her joints and continue in the right direction establishing lifelong changes. Seeing her like this today makes me very confident that with the right family, she will thrive and live a mostly normal and happy life 😍
I thought you guys may all enjoy Nova’s progress (after a single treatment of @Pulse vet shockwave)
Rehab = happy life!
Now that we are so much more comfortable, I am
happy to write her an introductory exercise program to strengthen her muscles (strong muscles = joint stability)
I’m hoping to have a normal trot in 8-12 weeks (she is pacing here! But it’s a good beginning!)
Dogs inspire me everyday and Lola is certainly no exception. Look at her little legs after 3 weeks of rehab only! It makes me very proud to be part of her recovery journey 🥰
#dachshundoftheday
#dogsofcairns
#rehabvet
Lola at her session today, exactly 2 weeks from her first session and 8 weeks post op!
Her parents said they could see the difference after just the first day of rehab from intensively “tapping” into that neurological system!
Incredibly dedicated owners and a very food motivated doggo (and a good safe rehab plan by a professional accredited rehab therapist!) makes for a good recipe towards success!
We now have a strong controlled square sit, we can stand up independently with adequate foot placement, even when adding imbalance challenges or height at the front for added difficulties. We also have much more sensitivity and can lift our paws above a pole rather than dragging them! Plus, we are about to go off pain relief (thanks to her daily massages by her dad and her laser sessions)!
Meet Lola! Lola is 11 years old and on this video, she was about 6 weeks post her 2nd hemilaminectomy (spinal surgery for disc disease). This video was taken just before our first appointment. Lola had movements in her hind limbs, but the movements in her left hind limbs were very erratic (ataxic). She had poor sensibility on that leg, was not placing her foot properly and was rather dragging it. She was also not able to maintain a stand for long at all. Without rehab, there is a higher chance it would have stayed that way forever. On our first appointment, she was also not able to sit square. She would flop down without any control. She also had many triggers points down her spine and fairly tight neck muscles from the weight shifting towards her front end. Watch my second post for her progress in only 2 weeks!
I’m 100% out of my comfort zone in the big smoke (very different from Julatten!) for a vet rehab conference as officially (since a couple of days ago) a vet rehab therapist (CCRT) 🎉🍾!!!
What an amazing Saturday assessing and treating some pretty cool agility athletes in Cairns!
Bluey was accidentally run over (low speed) by a visitor 2 days ago. He is overall doing fine, not limping and mostly doing what he normally does, but his dad noticed some bruising on his abdomen and picked up a few sore spots when he touches him. My physical exam also revealed discomfort around the last few ribs, close to the spine (first red spot on the photo posted in comment) and some pain close to the tail (2nd red spot) worse over the right side. I used my thermal camera to see if I was pretty spot on and it confirmed I was. I then targeted my laser to these affected areas! Laser significantly reduces inflammation and healing time! Bluey fell asleep during the treatment and left with a big smile!
Did you know that your dog's posture is an encyclopedia of information? What can you tell from looking at Ally? Let me know what you can see and I'll reveal later today what her primary issue was and what are now her secondary issues from non-addressed compensations
(sadly for my girl Ally we had noone doing rehab in our area until recently 🥰, however, sadly some of these compensations are permanent due to the fact they have been addressed way too late)
My dogs never bark, they are just these types of really well behaved dogs, you know, the type that I don’t have 😂
Hungry you think!?
Ps enough posting for a day lol! I’m on fire! (Or bored?!). Entertain me with your perfect dogs if you have that good type 😂
At Comfort Vet FNQ, we also vaccinate and microchip litters of puppies 🐶 and kittens 🐈⬛ in the comfort of your home!
✅What a great way to avoid contact with nasty diseases for these unvaccinated babies with a immature immune system!
📳Contact me (Dr Andy) on 0434104493 for enquiries!
Hip dysplasia is sadly too common in our canine companions. Once a dog is diagnosed with hip dysplasia, it is a life long commitment to prevent osteoarthritis and compensation and improve the quality of life of the dog. Fortunately, it is a disease where rehab can have great results!!! Let me know if you have a question or comments!
Delima (sister’s dog): Had knee surgery left hind leg and now is lame right hind leg. She is normally quite an anxious dog that doesn’t like
to be touched by anyone but my sister….. until…!!!!
I was hoping to record a nice video for you…..
😂 but I think my patient enjoyed her treatment a bit too much 😂 💨 💨 💨
I am such a fan of Food puzzles for dogs! One of the great way to feed them if you ask me!
✅ mental stimulation which is great for dogs of any ages including those suffering from cognitive dysfunction
✅ calories in/ calories out
✅ slower eating decreases risk of gastric torsion
✅ standing for longer which guess what, is great for the core In dogs! We can see she is also using her thoracic limbs a lot so good shoulder strengthening exercise!!
😆 winning!
Happy international dog day (Canadian time!) to our bestest of friends! You all deserve the love and all of the best every seconds of your life!
Anyone can tell me what benefits they see with going uphill? 💡⭐️💪
🤩Super proud of Reya who is only 2 weeks post TPLO surgery for her cruciate ligament tear (and of course the awesome work that her mom put in! It’s already paying off!)
At this stage of their rehab, I like to gently work on slowly re-educating the dogs to use the “right” muscles instead of overusing other parts of their body because they have became stronger with time (this can lead to further injury).
Most dogs with ccl injury will have a positive sit test which is when the dog’s leg is out to the side to avoid flexing their knees. (I’ll put a photo in the “comments” section as it won’t let me put both). The vast majority of dogs that I see (post knee surgery) who have not done rehab will usually carry that bad posture for the years to come. They never rebuild their lost muscles and the lack of correct movements early in the rehab period will be linked to a tight joint capsule and excessive scar tissue 😢
Reya is working on her sit to stand here (a beginner version) which is basically like a squat. We aim for a square sit (and she got the ✅ of approval!) so that she engages her core muscles correctly when holding the sit and when standing up!
If any of you have had a dog with knee surgery, you will understand how awesome she is! Well done Reya and Sharna!!!! 💪👏
How good does Kilda look 👀 only 5 days post knee surgery? 👏👏👏
✅ This here my friends is a result of a) a greatly executed surgery by a specialist orthopaedic surgeon and b) intensive rehab starting the day the patients are back home!!!
Top surgeons around the world have said it - Successful outcomes after an orthopaedic operation are 50% surgery and the rest is rehab!! ☝️
✅What is rehab post surgery and what does it involve? It’s a combination of modalities, from physical therapies to exercises rehabilitation, that have the aim of providing our patients with a full return to function.
✅Rehab is personalised and specific to each patients as well as your goals (do you want them to go back to a leisure lifestyle with a daily walk around the block or back to competing in agility?).
Rehab is soooo important but it’s also very rewarding for the owner and fun for the patient! 🐩💕
For any enquiries about canine rehab or conditioning, don’t hesitate to contact me via this page or on my mobile 0434104493
Ps: I also do vaccines and lots of other stuff, for anyone that is still wondering!!!!!
Happy Sunday everyone! Mine started with a “full house/ bed” this morning 😂
