Three weeks ago, my little broken foster dog Josh had his FHO hip surgery. I posted the x-rays on Facebook for all to see. Physical rehabilitation started the very next day for him, and hasn't stopped since.
Immediately post-op Josh was on activity restriction. This is hard for an 8 month old puppy who had learned to compensate for his injuries and was running and jumping! Remember the videos? Josh was only permitted outside to go potty and he had to be on a leash. He wasn't allowed to play with his best friend and fellow Yuma rescue, Jade. He had to wear an E-collar. Did I mention he was neutered at the same time? He was. Life was rough for him for a few days. He had passive range of motion exercises to do twice daily and slow leash walking to encourage him to use the affected leg. At the one week mark, he was permitted by his surgeon to "return to normal activity." No longer restricted to the leash, Josh took the opportunity to run and jump as before. As a result of so much "normal activity" he developed a seroma at his incision site - a fluid filled pocket that grew to roughly the size of a tangerine! Many warm compresses and laser therapy sessions later (and back to some restricted activity), it finally reduced in size.
As far as his therapy goes, he has been doing slow leash walks to encourage weight bearing on his affected leg,
uphill walking, passive range of motion exercises and 3 legged stands. We have added in cavaletti rails - he must step over them - and standing with his front feet elevated to encourage hip extension among other exercises. I've noticed that he seems to "work" better at home and when his friend Jade is around. Every pet is different and motivated by different things! Jade prefers to have him around too so their therapy sessions are usually done with the other dog nearby. Both are mproving, albeit at different rates. And so, physical rehabilitation continues!
Immediately post-op Josh was on activity restriction. This is hard for an 8 month old puppy who had learned to compensate for his injuries and was running and jumping! Remember the videos? Josh was only permitted outside to go potty and he had to be on a leash. He wasn't allowed to play with his best friend and fellow Yuma rescue, Jade. He had to wear an E-collar. Did I mention he was neutered at the same time? He was. Life was rough for him for a few days. He had passive range of motion exercises to do twice daily and slow leash walking to encourage him to use the affected leg. At the one week mark, he was permitted by his surgeon to "return to normal activity." No longer restricted to the leash, Josh took the opportunity to run and jump as before. As a result of so much "normal activity" he developed a seroma at his incision site - a fluid filled pocket that grew to roughly the size of a tangerine! Many warm compresses and laser therapy sessions later (and back to some restricted activity), it finally reduced in size.
As far as his therapy goes, he has been doing slow leash walks to encourage weight bearing on his affected leg,
uphill walking, passive range of motion exercises and 3 legged stands. We have added in cavaletti rails - he must step over them - and standing with his front feet elevated to encourage hip extension among other exercises. I've noticed that he seems to "work" better at home and when his friend Jade is around. Every pet is different and motivated by different things! Jade prefers to have him around too so their therapy sessions are usually done with the other dog nearby. Both are mproving, albeit at different rates. And so, physical rehabilitation continues!
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