Saturday, January 16, 2010
winter blues
Sierra has been having a harder time getting around. She is a bit more unstable and the lack of exercise through the winter is really starting to show. If the weather will get a bit warmer it would be helpful for taking her on short walks. Right now her time outside is very limited. I wonder how much mobility and strength she will regain this year if we can get back to swimming. Also, she will be going in for her senior vet visit again soon.
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Have you thought about taking Sierra in for physical rehab therapy? Assuming there's a rehab facility near you, she could benefit from the controlled exercise. There was a study done by Kathmann et al that showed that rehab therapy can extend a DM dog's life by up to 300+ days, which is almost another year. If you'd like to see if there's a rehab center near you, go to these websites for a list:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/Find_A_Therapist.html
or
http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/David-Levine/Veterinary.HTM
There's also a great support group you might consider joining on Yahoo Groups: DM Dogs. The people there all have dogs with DM and can give you some good support/advice.
And if you might check out our online store for things like harnesses and boots for dogs with DM.
Hope that helps.
Best of luck,
Lisa Stahr
Scout's House
http://www.scoutshouse.com
Thanks Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI am on the DM listserv and was doing aquatic therapy with Sierra all summer. I have looked for an indoor pool or underwater treadmill for the winter months, but did not have much success. As an occupational therapist I do part of a rehab program from home, but nothing has replaced the pool. Nice to hear from you.