Guest guest Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Jeri, I can't stress enough how important I feel effective weight bearing is through extended joints (i.e. hips and stifles in a normal extended position, not flexed) so that muscles are allowed to contract when the joints are supported. Depending on the size of the dog and the amount of muscle tone present, you may be able to support the joints with your hands. If not, this is when I would fabricate some standing braces. In my experience with down dogs, the key has been effective weight bearing and maintaining a symmetrical trunk alignment. Once you have these things, the active motion will come. Feel free to e-mail me off list if you have questions about standing braces etc. . . It would be very lengthy to write here and might be more effective to have you call me. Good luck! Jeanine jeaninefreeberg@... boxerlover76 wrote: I have an American Eskimo that I am working with. He is 12 years old and had a hemilam done about 4-5 months ago, he really has not been walking since. He has great deep pain, fecal and urine control but cannot stand. We are currently doing Prom, stretching and massage along with toe pinching. He does have a quad cart and we do include that in PT time. I place him in the cart and stimulate his front feet which causes his move himself 2-3 steps, not really walking more pulling with the front limbs and push sliding with the rear. We also use the exercise ball. Does anyone have any other exercise ideas that we could be doing? I also forgot to mention. When he is laying down his front legs splay out to each side. He has lost a great deal of motion on the left front leg he can extend it very well with no discomfort but is vert limited in his ability to flex. I am sorry for the length of the email but I feel we are nearing a wall and I refuse to give up and am just looking for more things to try. We have tried placing him supported in the UWT but he refuses to do anything without intense stimulationJerri Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Jeri Don't give up yet! I would agree that effective weight bearing exercises seem to really help these dogs. Have you tried supporting the dog in the UWTM with a sling and having the therapist sit on a bench in the treadmill and move the dogs legs as if he is walking? If not it is something to try.Are the owners doing any ball exercises or assisted standing and weight bearing at home? This often gives extra stimulation to these dogs. In my practice all of these cases receive acupuncture. Is there anyone near you who could treat this dog with this modality? Just suggestions Good luck Janice Huntingford DVM, CCRT Essex Animal Hospital Canine Rehab and Fitness Centre ---- Original Message ---- To: VetRehab Sent: Sat, 5 Jan 2008 12:58 pm Subject: Re: Down dog exercises Jeri, I can't stress enough how important I feel effective weight bearing is through extended joints (i.e. hips and stifles in a normal extended position, not flexed) so that muscles are allowed to contract when the joints are supported. Depending on the size of the dog and the amount of muscle tone present, you may be able to support the joints with your hands. If not, this is when I would fabricate some standing braces. In my experience with down dogs, the key has been effective weight bearing and maintaining a symmetrical trunk alignment. Once you have these things, the active motion will come. Feel free to e-mail me off list if you have questions about standing braces etc. . . It would be very lengthy to write here and might be more effective to have you call me. Good luck! Jeanine jeaninefreeberg boxerlover76 <boxerlover76> wrote: I have an American Eskimo that I am working with. He is 12 years old and had a hemilam done about 4-5 months ago, he really has not been walking since. He has great deep pain, fecal and urine control but cannot stand. We are currently doing Prom, stretching and massage along with toe pinching. He does have a quad cart and we do include that in PT time. I place him in the cart and stimulate his front feet which causes his move himself 2-3 steps, not really walking more pulling with the front limbs and push sliding with the rear. We also use the exercise ball. Does anyone have any other exercise ideas that we could be doing? I also forgot to mention. When he is laying down his front legs splay out to each side. He has lost a great deal of motion on the left front leg he can extend it very well with no discomfort but is vert limited in his ability to flex. I am sorry for the length of the email but I feel we are nearing a wall and I refuse to give up and am just looking for more things to try. We have tried placing him supported in the UWT but he refuses to do anything without intense stimulation Jerri Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. Free radio, music, videos, news & entertainment – with a Canadian perspective. Meet the new AOL.ca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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