A Story About a Dog ...advice sought

[realfire]

hey there

I am blessed to share a home with a wonderful dog named Willie and his owner .
Willie is 13 years old with a lot of great energy . Unfortuantely many years ago he had surgery on his name and it seem that over time all of the muscular tissue on this leg has atrophied . He does not put any weight on it and appears to be in pain if he does . My thought is that he needs non weight bearing re-hab excercises . When I had my own surgery there was a great machine that actaully moved my leg for me . Any advice and support will be greatly appreciated .

I will fwd this to my roomate
thanks as always

[HomeSweetHome]

What is he being fed right now? Are you sure it isn't arthritis which can be a result of both age and surgery. What does the vet say? If he is not walking on it the muscular atrophy seems a result of pain rather than the cause, you know?

If he is put on a biologically appropriate raw diet it would do wonders for the inflammation. There are also many supplements that would help, accupuncture, and gold bead implants which is like permenant accupuncture.

Lynette



hey there

I am blessed to share a home with a wonderful dog named Willie and his owner .
Willie is 13 years old with a lot of great energy . Unfortuantely many years ago he had surgery on his name and it seem that over time all of the muscular tissue on this leg has atrophied . He does not put any weight on it and appears to be in pain if he does . My thought is that he needs non weight bearing re-hab excercises . When I had my own surgery there was a great machine that actaully moved my leg for me . Any advice and support will be greatly appreciated .

I will fwd this to my roomate
thanks as always

[Vet-To-Pet]

Hi~

It sounds like he might have some vertebral disc disease in the lubo-sacrel area of his back, right where the pelvis meets the spine & rear legs. As far as physical rehab, you might try swimming him, for short times at first, then inreasing the duration as he builds some muscle back in that leg. However, it might be a good idea to have his condition assessed (by a vet) before starting on any kind of exercise regimen, to make sure that he won't cause further injury from the planned exercise. It might also help to start him on an anti-inflammatory medication in order to make him more comfortable while he's first starting to use that leg again---just enough pain relief to encourage him to start to use it without fear of accompanying discomfort. There are some good non-steroidal anti-inflammatories on the market for dogs these day, which allow for as-needed dosages. I hope this helps. If you don't have the ability to take him to swim, you can also try your own rehab exercises by manipulating that leg in a "normal" range of motions routine, a few times a day, but the progress would probably be much slower.
Smiles,
Guppy (veterinarian)

hey there

I am blessed to share a home with a wonderful dog named Willie and his owner .
Willie is 13 years old with a lot of great energy . Unfortuantely many years ago he had surgery on his name and it seem that over time all of the muscular tissue on this leg has atrophied . He does not put any weight on it and appears to be in pain if he does . My thought is that he needs non weight bearing re-hab excercises . When I had my own surgery there was a great machine that actaully moved my leg for me . Any advice and support will be greatly appreciated .

I will fwd this to my roomate
thanks as always

[KonaLee]

Hello

My chirporactor of 19 plus years also works on animals. She has had amazing results!!! Her name is Ann Kaplan she is in the phone book. practices in Santa Rosa and has been known to make housecalls. She has volunteered for years at Brighthaven. Do you know of Brighthaven? and old folks home for critters. check them out. I hope this is some help to you.
Blessings
Konalee aka Donale