Football-Mad Fred
 Fred
was referred to Vav by his vet for hip dysplasia. He was a much-loved six-month-old
English Mastiff-Dog de Bordeaux–Rottweiler cross. “Originally I realised he had
a dodgy leg and took him to the vet who recommended Vav” said Abi, his owner.
No radiographs had been taken, but when
Vav palpated his spine, she found signs of the dysplasia, worse in the right hip.
What she could feel was crepitus, a crunchy feeling when the joint moved, and
too much freedom of movement.
Chiropractic
Vav gave Fred a chiropractic treatment to
straighten up his spine so that any physio treatment would work on as healthy a
skeleton as possible. This is because a straight joint settles all the muscles
and tendons into the right place, and any nerves entrapped by misaligned spinal
bones would be freed.
At this age, Fred was still growing. This
leaves the body more lax than at other times, allowing the limbs to stretch and
grow. This meant that he was quite weak in his hindquarters and his hip could
slip out of alignment again quite easily. To counter this, Vav arranged hydrotherapy
sessions to build up these muscles in Fred’s behind.
 Fred
loved playing football with Abi’s children, almost more than rough and tumble
with the other dogs. Vav warned that the twisting and turning could cause him
problems, and advised them to stop.
Hydrotherapy
Initially, swimming was successful in
helping to build up these muscles, which had weakened through under-use due to
the dysplasia. Fred got used to getting into the water, and the staff got used
to managing such a large dog in the pool.
However, the hydrotherapy equipment was
found to be uneconomic despite its enormous clinical effectiveness.
Muscle stimulation therapy
Vav altered the treatment programme to use
a muscle stimulation therapy. Here, an electrical pulse is applied to the ends
of the muscle to make it contract. By exercising the muscles around the right
hip, they would tighten and build up, helping to keep the joint in place.
With chiropractic treatment to ensure his
skeleton was kept as straight as possible, Vav concentrated on building
hindquarters muscle symmetrically to prevent further trouble.
Homework essential
 To
continue therapy between therapy sessions, Vav arranged a homework programme for
Abi. They aimed to continue the hindquarter muscle building, and tightening the
deep pelvic ligaments.
This form of physiotherapy required dedication from Abi, to manage a 9stone
puppy who just wanted to play!
Abi has worked hard to control Fred’s
exuberance, even though it cost her a sofa. He got frustrated when she
wouldn’t allow him to run off his energy. But it paid off well – at 14months now
he is almost fully grown and much more stable behind.
With a proper diet, controlled exercise,
regular chiropractic treatment, Fred can now live a full and happy life. He has
a good rounded bottom and is unlikely to suffer from the hip dysplasia. It has
not gone away, but because the muscles and ligaments are strong and tight, the
joint is very unlikely to slip out of alignment. Unfortunately, because of this,
Fred still isn't allowed to play football - it's just asking for trouble. "But
apart from that, he’s a happy dog now” Abi said. |
