Swim your dog back to full fitness
Dog’s name: Taz
Owners: Jill & Mike Warner
Injury: Cruciate Ligament
We got Taz from the Dogs Trust (previously NCDL). We are well into our pension years and didn’t feel it would be fair to have a puppy or young dog, we lead too quiet a life, but felt that we could give a loving home to an older dog. Having always had “second hand” dogs we were well used to them bringing problems with them (our previous dog, a much loved German Shepherd, was blind), and were pleasantly surprised when we found Taz. She was 10 years old, a Rottweiler/Labrador cross, and full of bounce and sparkle. She has natural good manners and is a joy to have around, her only problem being that she is not very good at coming back when she is called. She is a very happy dog, and keeps us laughing at her funny ways. However, one of her “funny ways” was the beginning of her downfall. She just loves to chase after diesel trains, either down our long garden to where she can just catch a glimpse of them a field away, or, better still, if she is out for a walk, across the field and on to the railway bridge, where she can stand and bark at them.
One day over Easter in 2005 she let out the most appalling scream after one such chase. We couldn’t find anything wrong with her, and after a few minutes she recovered and walked home. However, she screamed once or twice more when she got home, there was obviously something very wrong. Also she wouldn’t eat, which was so unlike Taz, she lives for her food.
After a difficult examination (she had rather a lot of middle age spread) our vet discovered that she had slipped a disc in her upper back. He pumped her full of painkillers, gave us more to take home, and prescribed rest, rest, and more rest.
Gradually, over many weeks, the dreadful screams subsided to the occasional yelp, and she was able to go for short walks in the adjoining field. She had become very miserable during this time, and her tail hardly ever wagged. She managed to get into mischief, though, picking up poison not once, but twice, and getting kicked by a horse. More visits to the vet – we were almost permanent fixtures in the surgery. However, she continued to improve, and could take longer walks, and became happier, although rather subdued. Then one day she came back from her walk limping heavily, her back leg this time. Being banned from chasing trains she had turned her attention to rabbits, and twisted her leg. Back to the vet yet again, more painkillers, more rest, she had injured her cruciate ligament. After several weeks with very little improvement we decided, very reluctantly, that she should be operated on.
However, after studying the X-rays taken prior to the operation. Our vet discovered that it was, in fact, beginning to heal, if rather slowly. He said he would rather not operate if it could be avoided, and suggested we try hydrotherapy coupled with a weight loss programme.
When we first saw Butterwick Hydrotherapy we were immediately impressed by the pool room, large, airy, beautifully tiled and immaculately clean, the water invitingly warm. Mark took the time to explain to us how he goes about things and how hydrotherapy works, and to ask us what we (and our vet) hoped to achieve from the treatment. He gave us the form needed for our vet’s written permission to treat Taz, and explained that he always goes into the water with his patients – we wouldn’t recognize him in street clothes, we’ve only ever seen him in a wet suit!
For her first swim Taz was provided with a very snazzy net bathing costume so that Mark had complete control over her, and he could see exactly what was going on with her under water, but she has since progressed to a smart red life jacket. Mark swims her in short bursts, with a rest on the ramp in between because it is hard work, making sure that she uses her legs to full capacity – she has got wise and tries to get away with just a lazy doggy paddle if she can, but Mark soon puts a stop to that! Her progress is chalked up on a board so that Mark can see exactly how she is progressing from week to week.
Taz’s leg has improved dramatically, you could almost see the muscle growing back each week, the whole shape of her leg has changed for the better. An added bonus is that hydrotherapy is helping her arthritis too. Pain killers are now a thing of the past, and we are confident that she will finally be signed off by the vet in a couple of weeks.
After her own personal “annis horribilis” we have at last got our happy, tail-wagging, bouncing Taz back. She ahs lost 4 ½ kilos in weight too, which has helped. We shall continue to take her to hydrotherapy though, because it is good exercise for the older dog, and also. She really enjoys it. She gets very excited when we get her towels out ready, rushing off to get her lead so that we won’t go without her.
So a big “Thank you” Mark, for helping to make our Taz and her besotted owners happy again.