Some of you will know that a couple of months ago we discovered that Merlin has severe bilateral hip dysplasia. This was a pretty devastating diagnosis for us, partly because I had intended to work and compete with him, and also because I had wanted to use him as a stud dog; but mainly because we were so shocked and frightened for our lovely boy, and worried about his future. I got a lot of support and advice, and slowly we started to accept Merlin's limitations as the new normal...
Today for the first time we had a visit from a physiotherapist, who did a full analysis of Merly and gave us tips and advice.
Firstly, she thinks that while he is in no pain, that nonetheless there is some awkwardness/tenderness around his joints, and that he has started to move his weight forward a little to protect his hip joints, and that we will need to watch this in order to prevent any future problems in his elbows. She said he is fit and muscly, but that we can still do more to build up the muscles in his back legs to help stabilize the joints. She also said he was exactly right as regards weight. She advised us that he needs plenty of exercise, mainly walking and trotting, uphill where possible (this is easy, as we live in a very hilly area), and that steep downhills should be avoided. At present he gets around two hours of walking a day, which she felt was perfect. We talked about swimming, and that he easily gets cold water tail if he swims too far - we are all in agreement that free swimming and long water retrieves are not good for him, but that paddling and short swims are fine. Actually, walking and running in chest-high water is excellent for him (good, because he loves this!). She showed us several exercises to help build up his thigh muscles, and exercises to encourage him to pick his feet up and place them carefully (such as walking between poles on the ground).
Above all, the tips for daily life were very helpful. She feels dummy training is fine for him, as long as we avoid extremes. I told her I take him to a weekly training class that is pretty low-key, and she said this is fine as long as we avoid difficult ground and in particular as long as we avoid steep downhill retrieves and jumping. She really put my mind at rest about that, because I was so worried we would have to stop dummy training completely, but we all agreed it is important for his mental and physical health, as he's a typical lab and loves to retrieve and work with me. Above all, she made me feel that yes, we have a dog with limitations, but that doesn't mean he can't have a happy, fulfilled, and active life. I'm really pleased we did this first session with her, and we will be continuing with weekly sessions to begin with.
Merlin loved the session today. Lots of treats, and then he lay on the garden recliner, being fed treats by me while getting a massage from the physiotherapist. What's not to like??
Today for the first time we had a visit from a physiotherapist, who did a full analysis of Merly and gave us tips and advice.
Firstly, she thinks that while he is in no pain, that nonetheless there is some awkwardness/tenderness around his joints, and that he has started to move his weight forward a little to protect his hip joints, and that we will need to watch this in order to prevent any future problems in his elbows. She said he is fit and muscly, but that we can still do more to build up the muscles in his back legs to help stabilize the joints. She also said he was exactly right as regards weight. She advised us that he needs plenty of exercise, mainly walking and trotting, uphill where possible (this is easy, as we live in a very hilly area), and that steep downhills should be avoided. At present he gets around two hours of walking a day, which she felt was perfect. We talked about swimming, and that he easily gets cold water tail if he swims too far - we are all in agreement that free swimming and long water retrieves are not good for him, but that paddling and short swims are fine. Actually, walking and running in chest-high water is excellent for him (good, because he loves this!). She showed us several exercises to help build up his thigh muscles, and exercises to encourage him to pick his feet up and place them carefully (such as walking between poles on the ground).
Above all, the tips for daily life were very helpful. She feels dummy training is fine for him, as long as we avoid extremes. I told her I take him to a weekly training class that is pretty low-key, and she said this is fine as long as we avoid difficult ground and in particular as long as we avoid steep downhill retrieves and jumping. She really put my mind at rest about that, because I was so worried we would have to stop dummy training completely, but we all agreed it is important for his mental and physical health, as he's a typical lab and loves to retrieve and work with me. Above all, she made me feel that yes, we have a dog with limitations, but that doesn't mean he can't have a happy, fulfilled, and active life. I'm really pleased we did this first session with her, and we will be continuing with weekly sessions to begin with.
Merlin loved the session today. Lots of treats, and then he lay on the garden recliner, being fed treats by me while getting a massage from the physiotherapist. What's not to like??
So sorry for such devastating news, but wonderful that you have such a strong plan going forward, and that Merlin is already making a great start on it.