ARCC Animal Rehab & Conditioning Center

04/13/2024

At the Carolina Loving Hounds Rescue event

03/08/2024

Hello 🔵 It’s official. Signed at 21:44. It was even on TV. Mine really turned blue. Don't forget that tomorrow starts the new Facebook rule (aka... new name, META) where they can use your photos. Don't forget the deadline is today!!!

I do not authorize META, Facebook or any entity associated with Facebook to use my photos, information, messages or posts, past or future.
With this statement, I notify Facebook that
it is strictly prohibited to disclose, copy, distribute or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. Violation of privacy may be punishable by law.

Here's how to do it:
Hold your finger anywhere in this message and “copy” will appear. Click “copy”. Then go to your page, create a new post and place your finger anywhere in the empty field. “Paste” will appear and click Paste.
This will bypass the system….

He who does nothing consents.

06/21/2023

We sent out our Sponsorship e-mail to some of our Supporters. If you would like to Sponsor any part of Koko's Sweet 16 Bash, please e-mail me at [email protected]

Sponsoring any part of the Event will give you and or your Company Free Advertising, a HUGE Thank you from all of us and you will also get a very special thank you from Koko herself.

Your name will be included in all Advertising and featured prominently at the Event!

04/10/2023

02/10/2023

Some dogs just don’t know what they want to do with themselves lol

06/02/2022

Hey guys -- I was interviewed a few weeks ago about prosthetics by Ross Kelly for VIN -- a national veterinary magazine. He mentioned out very own P!nk and Pete in the article. Check it out!

https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&Id=10960028

Artificial limbs for animals are slowly gaining popularity but aren't always appropriate

05/20/2022

This dog shows us the change in posture at two different points in the same stride. In the first image, we can the extremely low head carriage, the elbow externally rotated, the fore paw internally rotated, and the lumbar spine rounded, with the pelvis rotated.

As the dog prepares to lift the forelimb from the ground, he gingerly steps the hindlegs as far forward as he can, throws the head as high as he can, and swings the forelimb forward in a short stride. Even with the head lifted to the highest point, the thorax remains dropped, the center of mass remains low, and the head is still in a low position.

The change in head position through the phases of the stride is extremely noticeable, as the dog uses the head and neck as a pendulum to help swing the forelimb forward.

05/20/2022

As this dog travels forwards, we can see
🔺 how low the center of mass has dropped
🔺 the head, neck and thorax are carried extremely low
🔺the carpus is overextended as it takes far more load than it can sustainably carry
🔺the lumbar spine is rounded
🔺the pelvis is rotated
🔺 and the hindlimbs look atrophied...

05/20/2022

In this pug, we can see
🔺 a severe rounding and lifting of the lumbar spine and pelvis,
🔺 with a drop of the thoracic and cervical spine,
🔺 increased loading of the forelimbs

05/20/2022

This dog likely received an amputation at a young age, and as a result, experienced remodelling of the limb distal to the carpus.

05/20/2022

The following are illustrations of amputees. It helps you see how their bodies are affected by the limb missing and why I am trying to advocate using prosthesis if possible.

In this dog, we can clearly see
🔺 the elbow rotated out
🔺 the forelimb placed on the midline
🔺 the head rotated away from the weight bearing forelimb
🔺the hindlegs rotated showing a wide-based stance, also rotated in the direction of the amputated limb.

As this dog walks, the spine is twisting as the head and hips move one way, while the elbow is pushed in the opposite direction...

03/04/2022

RooRoo says “hey lady! Is it time for the cookies?”

02/26/2022

Talk about an enthusiastic patient -- RooRoo hits it! She is such a good girl!

01/22/2022

Happy to see this happen. Congratulations and thank you all for your service!

01/18/2022

The weather is causing cancellations at the clinic due to icy roads and driveways. I am trying to reschedule everyone as quickly as possible so be careful, have fun and enjoy the weather. Dicki

12/12/2021

I love that life is normal for this little dog -- only humans see him as different.

10/23/2021

This is Pete using his prosthetic leg for the first time in the underwater treadmill. His mom has started a page called For the Love of Pete.

My very first hydrotherapy session with Dr Kennedy and with my new foot on. Man it was tough! 

10/09/2021

This handsome boy, Pete, is our first prosthetic patient. He is learning to use his prosthesis and is becoming such a gentleman! Love this face!

06/10/2021

So I really did study on the last day of the conference -- here is a list of the classes from yesterday -- not as many as my brain was becoming very overloaded!

--Telehealth: Tips from Practices Doing It!
--Don't Forget about Technology

and yes,

--Fruit Bat Medicine!!!!

It was an awesome and exhausting set of education classes. There are quite a few tidbits to bring back and hopefully we will be rejuvenated in our practice.

06/10/2021

Hey guys -- I'm a little late posting this morning but I had to run a little errand. Here's why -- hope you enjoy it!

06/09/2021

Earlier this week I posted a tidbit quote from a class by Dr Duncan Lascelles on “Detecting & Measuring Osteoarthritis Pain in Young Dogs." [Slide credit: Dr Duncan Lascelles]

“As soon as you have made a diagnosis of developmental disease — you have made a diagnosis of osteoarthritis.”

Let me unpack that a little.

If a dog has an early diagnosis of any developmental disease — hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patella luxation, etc — then that dog also has the preconditions and beginnings of osteoarthritis even if it’s merely an 8 week old puppy.

Why point this out?

Well, even though many vets don’t want to mention to owners that their young puppy has osteoarthritis, there are things that can be done to both limit the progression of OA and also treat the condition. So it’s important to state reality so that limiting/treating it can also occur.

Further, there are some key strengths for dogs in comparison to humans. OA in dogs is typically related to a developmental issue, not age. As such, if you can *prevent or lessen* a developmental issue through early intervention and appropriate practices in puppies and young dogs, that also will prevent or lessen OA.

Developmental issues occur sometimes because of genetic influence, sometimes because of a conformation issue, but sometimes through harmful practices from owners with their puppies and young dogs. We can’t necessarily change genetics or conformation in the dogs we presently have. But we can at least lessen those harmful practices that heighten the development of OA.

06/09/2021

Hey guys I just wanted to let you know a story about a client and patient of mine that is very ironic considering the classes I took day before yesterday. Opie is a well-conditioned, 5 year old, male-neutered, German Shepherd who is the apple of his mother's eye. He is doted upon and is a very athletic pet that is walked and hiked with on a very frequent basis.

Opie recently moved to South Carolina 10 months ago from Kansas. He has been seeing me for an injury and we have been working with fitpaws equipment, underwater treadmill with jets, and increasing his walks. He is currently walking about 40-50 minutes a day.

Opie was walking this morning in 70 degree weather with high humidity (close to 100%). He had not eaten his breakfast yet but had a normal bowel movement. When he got to about mile number two he began to vomit, walked a bit further and then sat down. He got back up to walk and sat down again -- at this point, the owner, was trying to get him to move so she could get him back home but he could barely walk. His eyes rolled back into his head, he stopped panting and he passed out. The owner dunked him into a water feature at the housing development but he didn't drink and still wasn't panting.

Mom had to hitch a ride home (nobody wanted a wet dog in their car) and then take him to the veterinarian. His temperature was through the roof. He was at the clinic all day long being taken care of and he is still being closely monitored. He came home tonight and is drinking some along with eating. His liver and kidney enzymes are elevated and mom needs to watch the color of his urine. The veterinarian told her that dunking him in the water was probably the only thing that saved him from long term organ issues.

This is a very scary story because Opie got heat stroke on a day that was only 70 degrees outside -- 70 DEGREES -- he was not running, he was not playing, he was not being over active -- he was walking. Heat stroke can happen so quickly and it doesn't have to be hot!

Good job mom and Opie --

06/09/2021

Good morning people! Today is the last day of the conference and I still have a lot of classes I want to get through. I thought I would update you on yesterday's classes - they were quite a variety of topics --

--Noise Aversion in Dogs - Clinical Updates
--Some Things are Better left NSAID - Non-Traditional Osteoarthritis Treatments for Older Pets
--Taking Joint Health to the Next Level -- Joint Supplements & Beyond
--The Latest on Platelets for Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation
--The Real World Orthopedic Examination
--What's This Thing Called Nerve Growth Factor, & How Does It Impact Osteoarthritis Pain?
--Technology Tools to Communicate with the Veterinary Team

Okay, okay -- so I know you guys are laughing at the last one but hey, if I can get that dang receptionist on board.......it's hard being a one man show. I need to learn some new technology to help me get ahead!

Back to classes -- no more slacking~~

06/08/2021

Well yesterday had some tidbits that were mind blowing and really woke me up to reasons why I do what I do! I had some classes that were spot on and some that left me wanting more; so we will see how today works out.

Yesterday's classes included:
--Treating the Young Dog for Osteoarthritis Pain
--New Approaches to Therapeutic Joint Injections in the Dog
--Current Perspectives in Canine Interventional Pain Management
--Detecting and Measuring Osteoarthritis Pain in Young Dogs
--Picking a CBD Product: What Does Independent Testing Reveal?

At this point I had to go find a new notebook -- LOL -- too many notes taken!

--How to Recommend the Best Supplements to Your Clients
--Practical Application of Balance Treatment Acupuncture

Needless to say, I am learning a lot! Now to start today's classes~~whoop, whoop

06/07/2021

MIND BLOWN!!

Quote from Dr. Lascelles “As soon as you have made a diagnosis of developmental disease — you have made a diagnosis of osteoarthritis.”

Read that again.

It doesn’t matter if your pet is 8 weeks old, it could have osteoarthritis.

06/07/2021

I’m taking continuing education classes at the North America Veterinary Conference and thought clients on the ARCC page might appreciate some of the tidbits I’m gleaning. Yesterday I took a class on heat management for dogs.

The main point that I’ve heard is this: we usually don’t notice the beginnings of heat exhaustion in dogs simply because we aren’t in their bodies (symptoms in humans at least in stage two can be noticed!) and by the time we do notice it’s a big awful problem which means it’s not in the early stages.

The stages are as follows:
1) Heat stress (but temperature normal)
2) Heat cramp — muscle spasm and decreased sodium and chloride (we can replace electrolytes for dogs but usually not very well and they are not very well tolerated). Unfortunately we don't usually notice this stage either in dogs.
3) Heat exhaustion — fatigue, weakness, and vomiting/diarrhea
4) Heat stroke — depressed central nervous system and multi organ dysfunction syndrome