Water therapy
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:26 pm
Needing advice on trying our own water therapy, this just isn't available locally. We are doing laser therapy at the moment. Thank you.
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/
https://handicappedpet.net/helppets/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22807
CarolC wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2005 9:53 pm I take my dog to hydrotherapy twice a week. It is by referral-only like the facility you describe. It's a 40-minute drive each way and our appointments are always at 8 a.m. and I work the late shift so they never see me on a full night's sleep. You get used to it. We go through the McDonald's drive-thru afterward and get a hash brown to split on the way home for a treat. She wasn't sure what to think about hydrotherapy at first but she grew to love it. She squeals when I get out the carrier in the morning, and again when we're pulling into the parking lot. I wouldn't keep doing this if it wasn't so good for her.
Krisp138 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 3:15 pm Interesting. My vet told me I can start physical therapy starts at week 2. I did not get surgery, cant afford it.We are on week 3.
Did the vet say he thinks your doggy has a disk problem? Or did he think it was something else like a stroke for example? There are 2 ways to treat a disk problem. Either surgery, or conservative treatment. Conservative treatment is strict rest plus medication for 8 weeks. Strict rest means in a crate 24/7 and only out to potty or change his blanket.
I've been doing limited physical therapy like the little things such as massage, playing with toes, motion exercises but I have done the ball and sling walk for maybe 5 to 10 minutes at a time 1-3 x day.. it's difficult to get him to stand and I wondered if I really should be doing this much right now when he cant even stand in the first place.
I think your instincts are right. It is OK to do PT if he had a stroke, but if your vet says it is a disk problem, then PT should wait till after crate rest. And crate rest is 8 weeks. Dogs who had surgery can begin PT as soon as the vet allows. But dogs who didn't have surgery are supposed to keep as still as possible and let the injured disk heal, which takes up to 8 weeks. So dogs who didn't have surgery don't do PT for 8 weeks.
Here is a nice article by a rehab specialist. It explains the difference between PT for a dog who had surgery, and a dog getting conservative treatment (rest and medication) and no surgery. You will see the section on CONSERVATIVE and the section on POST-OPERATIVE.
The article also explains the difference between a conservative treatment dog that can move, and one that can't move at all, and how to handle that. It says if your dog can move around his crate a little, then he needs no therapy at all for 8 weeks. If your dog can't even move then you can do passive range of motion.
https://dodgerslist.com/literature/massagepassiveexercises.htm
I didnt trust my veterinarian from the start, he suggested I put him down and he wont be the same again he thinks on top of that he didnt do a xray but maybe some things do say it wont show up so he could be right and of saved me money. He also didnt tell me about bladder expression, my dogs not going on his own.
I agree with your comments on the vet. He should have told you about bladder expression. Did you have to teach yourself?
Is he leaking? Some dogs leak even if you express them.
It's true, an x-ray is not the best way to see a disk problem. Sometimes they will show the spacing between 2 vertebrae is smaller than normal, which can be a clue that the disk between the vertebrae got injured in that spot. They don't show the disk itself very well.
Did the vet give your dog any medication? Does your dog seem comfortable?
I saw a guy who did hydrotherapy in his bath tub on youtube ( I only have shower personally not gonna work for me) that's one idea.
I was thinking of taking my dog to the beach eventually may be a good idea... especially considering the beach had so many healing properties...its just that it's so cold this time of year where I live.
It's a very nice idea when it warms up.
There is a facility here so I may pay for a couple sessions there if that's possible without going through the whole assessment which would be more costly.
That would be something to ask about. What kind of a dog is he? How old is he? What part of his back is bothering him? Is it his lower back? Mid-back?