For some people, these health updates are necessary as they may have a beloved companion who has also experienced cervical neck injuries and rather than considering the unthinkable because surgery was not an option, they have another alternative being a physical rehabilitation protocol.
Danny's Ongoing Physical Therapy Session Update and Video
On Monday, Danny our Irish Wolfhound began his first Physical Rehabilitation therapy. I have embedded the video of the last half of the 10-minute session in order that others with dogs who are injured or who have a neurological issue can see the process for themselves. These underwater treadmills are state-of-the-art machines that are basically built into the floor with underground water lines coming up from beneath supplying heated H20 that is 85-degrees Fahrenheit. The benefits of the hydrotherapy machines, as advertised by the manufacturers, are that they provide a low-impact treadmill workout to help increase muscle strength and endurance without the damaging effects of land-based exercise. Water provides resistance throughout the range of motion, providing a closed-chain, hydrokinetic exercise.
Danny did very well for his first session and immediately afterwards, he had approximately a half-hour of cold laser therapy. See my previous posts with photos showing Danny receiving such with his Chiropractor. This time, cold laser therapy is included with the physical rehabilitation. Additionally, after laser therapy, Danny began basic balance exercises on large soft, squishy plastic balls called Balance Doughnuts and others similar for core strengthening exercises. Quite similar to the benefits of yoga, these along with his homework exercises are meant to recondition and strengthen his core muscles to offset the ataxia. For those who are curious about costs: each physical rehabilitation session is 1 1/2 hours long and ideally should be done twice weekly. Packages can be purchased for 12 sessions or 6 sessions -- approximately $760 for 12 and $375 for 6 sessions. For Danny, unfortunately, we can only attend one weekly session per week due to geographics. All told it is a minimum of 6 hours out of my day so, we have homework that we perform daily to strengthen him. These include walking backwards exercises for 30 feet and base standing exercises in addition to leash walks for 20 minutes daily.
My 8-year-old Danny is a trooper and we will continue with his chiropractic care as well which is ongoing on a weekly basis. I'll keep you posted so check back for more!