Following Dr. Kuzma's instructions, we've continued with Hunter on a restricted and controlled exercise regimen. Nearing the end of our 30 day period, we've begun to add somewhat more activity to Hunter's daily routine.
The past week or so, Chris and I have started to increase the duration of Hunter's walks, adding slightly more distance to them. Our morning walk now follows a little trail through a nice grassy field by our house, going up a gradual hill and looping back down into our cul-de-sac.
With the increase in distance on his walks, we've observed no evidence of lameness, heat or swelling associated with his surgical elbow, which is a very encouraging indication.
We've also begun to introduce some hydro-therapy into Hunter's exercise schedule.
Hydrotherapy involves 'the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy is synonymous with the term water cure.'
The following text is taken from www.canine-hydrotherapy.org :
Hydrotherapy can be used in the treatment of osetoarthritis, orthopedic conditions, neurological conditions, muscle, ligament, and other soft tissue injuries. Extensive work in human physiotherapy has demonstrated that a suitably monitored course of hydrotherapy acts by encouraging a full range of joint motion in reduced weight bearing conditions, thus improving muscle tone and promoting tissue repair, without imposing undue stress on damaged tissues.
Above is a picture of a dog performing hydrotherapy in a pool designated to rehabilitation for dogs. You will notice the dog is in a lifejacket and has a rehabilitation worker alongside for support and assistance. The pool is probably nice and warm.
Unforunately, Creston does not offer rehabilitation services for it's canine citizens in the recreational pool, so we had to get a touch 'creative' with our hydrotherapy sessions.
February in Creston, the temperatures can range from 0-10 on an average day. The first day we tried out our hydrotherapy 'experiment' it was 2 degrees at the Kootenay River, where we headed to for our 'swim'. I can only fathom a guess as to the temperature of the water itself.
Above is the Goat River, in Creston, BC. We did not swim at this exact location of the river, but a bit further down in the Kootenay River, which the Goat River feeds in to.
Unsure of if Hunter had ever experienced swimming before, we decided to test the theory using something of great value to him....a tennis ball! Knowing how crazy Hunter was about a ball, we suspected we'd be able to enourage him into the water by tossing the ball.
Hunter proved us correct, plunging into the river without so much as a hesitation when the tennis ball was thrown.
We rapidy discovered that he was nervous about the actual 'swimming' part; as soon as his feet could not touch ground he would turn back and wait for the breeze to blow the tennis ball to within his reach at the edge of the river's drop off. Try as we might (without actually braving the cool waters ourselves) we could not get Hunter to go past the drop-off and physically swim - he figured he was pretty wise waiting for his ball to blow close enough to grab from the safety of the river bed!
The second session went similar to the first, Hunter still being quite unsure about going past the point where his feet couldn't touch the ground. We managed to get some video footage of Hunter's fun at the river:
At his last session we finally experienced a breakthrough! With no breeze to blow his ball closer, Hunter was determined not to lose the precious toy, and surged forward past the drop-off to retrieve it! A bit of water sloshing onto his face made him marginally nervous, but didn't prevent him from asking me to throw the ball again the instant he arrived on shore!
Hunter seems to really enjoy the water, adores chasing a ball, and loves being allowed to explore a new area in Creston, having previously been confined to our yard and neighbourhood trials. The swimming sessions definetely tire him out, which is aiding in the preservation of Chris and mine's sanity, yet the activity has not been demanding enough to elicit any lamness or swelling from his leg! All in all, it seems to be a success!
Here's hoping that his joint shows progression at the next vet check...
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