This week Otis had his third appointment with the physical therapist. Great news is that he's improving greatly! Thigh muscles grew from 14 1/2 to 15 1/2 on one side and from 15 1/2 to 16 on the other. Range of motion is 140 degrees on both sides. His "roaching" in his back is gone (apparently that's when the back is curved because the back legs are too far under the body--think cat pose in yoga). She thinks that he's doing so much better...and that makes momma happy. :-)
We are to continue his medication for the next two months and continue his massages and stretching. Apparently he still has tightness in his sartorius muscle (runs down the front of the thigh) and he needs to build up his hamstrings. He also needs to improve his range of motion (our goal is 155 degrees, I think). So, continue the exercises from the first post, and try to get him walking backwards up hills more. That will stretch his back legs the way they need to stretch so he can walk up steps and jump in the jeep. We're going to continue to be vigilant. Man, if by the first snow he can be "normal"? Mom will be thrilled! Hiking the trails around here in the snow is unparalleled...and we want him with us like last year. Last year, the first snow was the day we brought him home to us. Love.
On a side note, Otis lifted his leg and peed yesterday on our walk. He's never done that before! Since it requires balancing on one leg, his surgeries haven't allowed him the confidence to lift his leg before. Guess something clicked and he went for it. Hasn't done it since, but I wonder if it'll end up as his new "thing" before long. Interesting. He's also jumping OUT of the jeep now, for the first time, by himself. Little improvements. Momma's pleased.
We went to Cape Cod a couple of weeks ago and brought him with us to trounce around in the surf. He's a beach bum of a dog, let me tell you!! And if you ever need a dog sitter in the area, try Tina at A Happy Pet. She's UNBELIEVABLE. Even with Otis's special needs. I wrote a recommendation for her. You can check it out here: http://ahappypet.web.officelive.com/references.aspx
Hi there again,
ReplyDeleteOtis is looking great!!! Best wishes for an even fuller recovery!
Its been 10 days since Summer's been to the vet, and we've been ordered to keep her rested all day, except for 10 minute walks.. Frustrating! We've got a review today to see if she's made any improvements and to decide what course of treatment we'll take. It doesn't seem like shes getting any better though.. While last week she only winced when I extended her right leg, now its the left one too..
When you mentioned that Otis arches his back because his legs are too far under him, I realised that EXACTLY what Summer's been doing all her life! Her breeder told us it was an awkward growth phase and her back legs were too long - I really regret listening to him and not getting her thoroughly checked earlier =(
Any idea what we can do to get her to walk with her legs extended out back? When I stretch her, she can go all the way, but she just doesn't do it on her own.. Also, how did you teach Otis to walk backwards? She sorta just hops back and then tries to run away..
I was disappointed to find out that we don't have physios for dogs here in Singapore.. Her vet is all for just "slow walking" as rehab, but I feel she's just building more and more on her front.. So I guess I'll just have to gather whatever information I can from helpful people like you overseas!
Thanks!!
=)
Yeah, we in the states do tend to have crazy relationships with our pets. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOnly thing we did with Otis was to keep giving him massages and gently stretching his legs so he felt confident keeping the weight back like he is supposed to. I imagine if she's in pain, she's not wanting to extend those legs. If you get her on pain meds she'll probably stand better. You can also try to get her to "shake" with you while standing up...that way she has to shift some weight to her back legs. She might start building up her muscles more that way. We do that with Otis now.
To get Otis to walk backwards is really hard! I have been working on two things. The first is just to walk towards him confidently until he just backs up and as soon as he makes one motion backwards, I give him a treat and praise profusely. The other, from our PT's advice, is to sit on the floor with my legs spread and get him to stand in between them. Then you have a treat in your hand and put your hand on the floor in between his front legs, back enough where he puts his head down but can't reach it, so he backs up a bit to grab it. Again, as soon as he makes even one move backwards, he gets it.
Takes a while, but he's a smart cookie, so he's getting it. I use "back up" as the phrase.
Slow walking is good, from our PT, but you should also probably work on some of the other things I described before...just get used to letting her body language talk to you. When she's hurting, give her massages, and you can start giving her a Bayer aspirin (the coated kind) after a meal if you want to try and make her more comfortable. Until you can get something stronger. The pain meds will REALLY help, cause she'll start to use the legs more and build up the muscles, which will just continue to improve the problem.
That's my guess, anyhow.
Good lucK!!!