Wentworth Retreat

22/11/2024

This gorgeous boy arrived last week

He had six anaesthetics in 2 weeks and 2 spinal surgeries. He has lost weight and muscle mass and really needed a boost.

He was transferred to the retreat for some R and R.

Due to his breed he is very sensitive to pain.

We have a great bond already and he is trusting me.

I hand feed 4 X a day, 5 X a day walking, physio 3 x a day and lots of cuddles.

The first picture was today and his light in his eyes is back!

15/11/2024

☀️My super Staffie girl is doing so well, 2 weeks from bilateral TPLO

She is the most gentle girl and now thinks she's better and can play!

Therefore lots of mental stimulation and training is necessary to ensure she is not unhappy with the rest she requires.

She loves physio time when everytime she does her exercises she gets a reward.

11/11/2024

Two new patients have arrived at the retreat in the past week

A mini schnauzer with Acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE), on arrival she was non ambulatory and bladder management was essential. She was unmotivated in the hospital and they thought it was best for her to be transferred to the retreat to continue her rehabilitation.

My second patient had bilateral Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy surgery ( TPLO). She requires assisted walking, due to a period of illness her operation was delayed and so she had become used to weight shifting forward and cartwheeling. Therefore physio has been essential.

Both girls are doing very well ❤️‍🩹

25/10/2024

⭐6 weeks post Total hip replacement and this gorgeous boy gives me a sit, down and stand like this.⭐

Super proud of this boy. We worked hard together to get to this point and his loving owners have another 6 weeks of more Intensive physio.

21/10/2024

🙌I love collaborating with other physios/RVNS. 🙌

A little collaborative article which I had published recently.

15/10/2024

One of my patients made his long journey home this week and had post op x-rays yesterday 🌟

Hearing the post op x-rays are all clear is always the best 🙌

During their retreat stay as well as Intensive physio post operative care includes:
💦Regular shorter walks (usually 4-5)
💦bladder monitoring
💦Encouragement to eat as necessary
💦Grooming
💦Pain scoring
💦Lots of cuddles
💦Regular nursing checks to ensure no deterioration in thier condition.
💦Regular updates for the owner
💦 Continuing any training and lots of mental stim
💦 Administration of medication
💦Massage and physio if required

All rehab patients have totally separate areas, are able to enjoy lots of fulfilment within their needs and ability and still in a loving home environment!

Each client gets an individual care plan on their arrival and on discharge.

14/10/2024

🌟Two new patients have arrived at the retreat in the past week.🌟

🌟A young cocker spaniel who has had patella luxation repair and he suffers with separation anxiety. He has settled so well and we are best of friends already.

🌟Also a sweet mini dachs who has had two spinal surgeries and needs some Intensive physio to help her walk again. She has a strong determined character, therefore I am hopeful together we can get her moving again. 🙏🌟

07/10/2024

We received the very sad news that one of our Wentworth family has passed away. 🥹

He has been staying with us regularly since 2019. Dixie was such a special boy and has taken a piece of our heart.

Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time

Fly high over rainbow bridge, I am sure our Hugo, Juno and Baxter will be waiting for you.💖🐾

04/10/2024

🐾Outpatient and inpatient physio this week at the Wentworth Retreat 🐾

🌟Through targeted exercises and therapies, canine rehabilitation helps improve joint range of motion, muscle function, improve proprioception and overall mobility.

🌟Physio can be tailored to address muscle weakness and imbalances, enabling dogs to regain strength in specific muscle groups.

🌟Following surgical procedures or injuries, rehabilitation plays a crucial role in speeding up the recovery process. It helps dogs regain function and mobility while minimising postoperative complications.🙌

22/09/2024

🐾Welcome to all of my new followers!🐾

My canine retreat is officially 9 years old ❤️ I have attached just a few of the dogs I have helped over the years.

My name is Emma Johnson and I am the managing director of the Wentworth retreat!

I run the retreat from my home and offer post surgical/ medical rehabilitation plus holiday boarding for those who have specialist requirements.

🙌I am a registered and qualified veterinary nurse with 26years experience.🙌

I have 2 advanced nursing diplomas in medical/surgical, clinical and professional nursing, an advanced grooming diploma, behaviour diploma and a level 6 veterinary physiotherapy diploma. In total 9 years of study.

🙌I am fully insured and licenced with a 5 star rating.🙌

🐕Every dog that comes into my home is treated as my own. I work 24/7 to ensure they are cared for at the highest standard. Staying up through the night if necessary and hand feeding chicken every few hours to ensure they eat if necessary.

🤎We are blessed to have the most amazing garden for post surgical recovery and a short walk to quiet woodland.🤎

As you can see my love was in theatre as a surgical nurse, anaesthesia and caring for the patients post operatively. 10 years as Head nurse for a referral hospital with a team of 80 nurses helped me to gain the knowledge and experience that I have.

9 years ago I set up the retreat to offer that home from home care and I thank you all for your support over the years.

🐾I cant wait to welcome you to the retreat!🐾

16/09/2024

🫣❤️Today our very own Tilly ( two shoes) had surgery! 🫣❤️

I am very careful with who cares for my dogs. A huge thank you to Farnham Veterinary Group Nicola and Antonia are amazing. The wound is fantastic for day 1 and she was home 4 hours after the surgery.

She is feeling sorry for herself but is being completely spoilt ❤️

13/09/2024

🌟Two new patients arrived in the past week.🌟

Both have had Total hip replacements.

As many of you know this is one of my favourite operations to rehabilitate but also comes with a high risk of luxation.

One slip or jump can end in luxation of the hip.

Both patients have required reassurance to walk.

They had reduced appetite at first due to the medication, however I have many ways to help with this.

03/09/2024

💫Four new patients have arrived for rehabilitation.

A gorgeous french bulldog who is a new retreater with a fracture.

Two IVDD warriors, an older gentleman who has been coming to the retreat for many years and is a spinal walker. Plus a mini mini dachs who has surgery recently and is starting her recovery journey.

We then have beautiful B who is a regular retreater. She is a spinal warrior who requires regular bladder expression plus spinal care. 💫

07/08/2024

❤️You may remember this gorgeous boy from years ago when he was a regular visitor to the retreat.❤️

Sadly last week his spleen ruptured and 4 plus litres of blood was found in his abdomen.

He has been transferred to the retreat for a little R and R and will return home soon.

He remembered me immediately ❤️

31/07/2024

As a family we are so sad to hear of the passing of gorgeous Herbie!

He had 4 more years in this world. He not only was an IVDD warrior but also had idiopathic epilepsy.

You were a total pleasure to care for and we are sending love and hugs to your parents 😔🙏🥺

31/07/2024

We have had a busy start back at the retreat.

We have a cane corso who has had PUO surgery and surgery to treat FCP. She is a nervous girl who needs a calm and relaxed approach. We are already good friends😍

A gorgeous GSD who sadly has neoplasia. However is loving life and the pool. We go for lovely walks and she jumps into her carriage when she gets tired.😍

A gorgeous regular IVDD warrior who requires bladder management and regular physio. His sister has separation anxiety from him so she comes for holidays too 😍

Then we have a gorgeous Jack X who suffered an FCE. The owners were worried to go away and leaving him with their regular boarder because of his additional needs so got in touch with WR.

31/07/2024

🌟Whilst we were away we had all new flooring put through the rehab areas. 🌟

We are always improving the retreat to make it as comfortable as possible for our patients but also as hygienic as possible. 🌟

30/07/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/19GgooaZyScWLMSF/

Over the past couple of years, some of you may have heard of the Cambridge Vet School non-surgical IVDD study. The results have just been published. It’s a great write-up and quite groundbreaking!

Dogs unable to walk due to disc extrusion (IVDD) were cared for WITHOUT surgery. They had an MRI scan at the start of the study and another MRI scan after 12 weeks. These scans helped to make the diagnosis, and they also showed how compressed (squashed) the spinal cord was in each case.

The big questions were:
❓How many of these dogs would start walking again without having had surgery?
❓How compressed was each dog’s spinal cord at the start of the study?
❓Were they still just as compressed at the end of the study, 12 weeks later?

Results were interesting and included the following:
✅Out of the dogs that had deep pain sensation, NEARLY ALL of them (49 of 51 dogs, 96%) started walking again within 12 weeks. Most of them walked much sooner than this.
✅Out of those with NO deep pain sensation, nearly half of them (10 of 21 dogs, 48%) started walking again within 12 weeks. That’s WITHOUT surgery.
✅Spinal cord compression reduced in some dogs over the 12 week study period. That’s despite not having had surgery to remove the disc material that caused this compression.
✅Many dogs started walking again despite the fact that their spinal cord was still compressed, ie ‘Recovery was not dependent on the resolution of compression’

💛The authors concluded that if spinal surgery isn’t possible as it’s not available in the area or is too expensive, non-surgical management is a valid alternative.

There’s plenty of detail in the write-up, and it’s free for all to read or download via this link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jvim.17149

Many thanks to Jep for this photo