canine water therapy

Extra Bonus When Doing Water Therapy with Gidget for Her Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD)

Posted by Barbara Techel

2013-12-29 09.05.13Gidget loves her “pool” time. Shhhh, don’t tell her she’s in a bathtub and not a big, luxurious pool. She dosen’t seem to notice the difference.

There isn’t a rehab water therapy facility near where I live to be able to take her for therapy, so this is the next best thing. When the tub is full, I call her and she comes running. She has no qualms about me putting her in the water.

She caught onto the drill quite fast. I have small, low calorie treats I use to get her to walk from one end of the tub to the other. I also have a rubber mat along the bottom to help her with better traction.  This girl will do just about anything for treats so she is happy to do her exercise’s.

It’s so fun to see her wade back and forth in the water. Doing water therapy for her helps keep the muscles in her legs strong, so she can continue to walk and get stronger even though she has IVDD.

The extra bonus of this is I feel like it is a special bonding time between us. I love to cheer her on as she makes strides back and forth in the water.

After she has done a couple of rounds of “laps” I do some range of motion exercises with her hing legs. It’s also a great time to soap her up so she is squeaky clean though I don’t do that every session.

When she is done with her water therapy, I wrap her in a towel and gently pat her down. She then waddles over in front of the woodstove, crawls into her weenie pocket blanket and falls asleep.

A happy, content doxie makes for a happy, content doxie mom.

To learn more about water therapy visit this link on Dodgerslist website.  They have tons of great articles and information on helping dogs with IVDD.

There are many things we can do at home for our pets with IVDD as long as we do them correctly. It saves on time and money, as well as it really is a wonderful way to bond with your pet.

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Joie’s First Visit to Her New Vet.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Joie had her first trip to my vet’s office today.  Though she was a bit nervous in the waiting room, she did well once we were in the exam room.  The staff fell in love with her and couldn’t believe how cute and sweet she is.  I glowed.  Author friends of mine, Linda and Allen Anderson, said on a post about Joie, that Joie may not know this yet but she hit the honey pot.  But you know what?  I really feel like it is me that hit the honey pot!

When I initially got Joie home I realized something was going on more than her hind legs not working, because when she sits it seems hard for her to hold the front part of her  body up and her front legs will splay to the side… sort of like Bambi on ice.  Since we don’t have previous records of the initial diagnoses we are sort of guessing with things.  But Joie’s front legs are weak which my vet feels means she likely had an upper spine rupture. She is not in any pain which is a good thing.

So the recommendation is treadmill hydrotherapy.  We can’t do any of that though until the infection on her belly heals which will be another 2-3 weeks.  I’ve already contacted a specialist that is about two hours from me who specializes in IVDD and therapy for this disease.  I’ll be making an appointment once I know Joie’s tummy be well enough should she suggest a hydrotherapy session our first visit there.  The great part is this specialist, Dr. Morgan, is who I saw years ago when Frankie was first diagnosed with IVDD.  She is so kind and sweet.  She is also very good at working with clients who wish to do much of the physical therapy at home to help keep cost down, as well as since this is not close to home for me, it will help with that  too.  Besides, I must say when I did PT for Frankie years ago after her initial diagnoses I really enjoyed doing that for her.  So here we go again!  Linda, founder of Dodgerslist also provided me an excellent article on water therapy.

I had the vet look at Joie in what used to be Frankie’s wheelchair to get his recommendations on fitting, which yes, it needs to be adjusted in length and height.  Luckily my hubby who was a machinist for 14 years building million dollar paper converting machines, can absolutely take care of.  We will also consult with Eddie’s Wheels to make sure we are doing things correctly so the wheelchair supports her spine the best it can.  But again, her tummy first needs to heal so that is my priority the next 2-3 weeks.  I’m anxious to help her on her way to whatever the extent of her recovery is going to be and I have a feeling once she is up and running she will be like a rocket!

Bottom line?  I’m much more prepared for this than I was over seven years ago when Frankie was first diagnosed.  I can’t say I feel like a pro, but at least I don’t have the stress of all the unknowns.