So, how is Josh, my little broken foster dog? Let me go back and fill in the details of the last few weeks for you. Josh arrived at my rehab facility, scared, malnourished, weak and in pain from a broken hip and a broken elbow. He had an intestinal parasite called Giardia -the same microscopic parasite people get when they go camping and don't boil the water before drinking from the stream. His blood tests showed he was a little bit anemic (low red cells which are needed to carry oxygen to the body) too. Josh was started on medicine to get rid of the parasite and pain medicine.
With his broken bones not fully healed, physical rehabilitation would have to wait. But what a project from a nutritional standpoint too! So I reviewed his needs and came up with a plan. I started him on a high quality, easily digested home prepared diet for the first week to help his GI system adapt after the malnutrition. I began a regimen of B vitamins to increase energy since they get depleted during times of stress (more to come on the wonders of B vitamins in the future), and an iron supplement for the mild anemia. I used probiotics to replace the healthy bacteria in his gut after the parasite treatment. Then I transitioned him from the home-made diet to a high quality premium puppyfood.
Because of the fractured bones, he has taken to bearing significantly more weight on his good front leg. This combined with poor nutrition during early development and muscle weakness has led to mild laxity or looseness in the ligaments of his wrist. He is on supplements to help provide the building blocks for bone healing and for strengthening the ligaments. And he wears a brace on his wrist to provide a little extra support now that he is more active.
Want to see how active Josh is now? Check out his video http://youtu.be/ByxsdsfFXho!
With his broken bones not fully healed, physical rehabilitation would have to wait. But what a project from a nutritional standpoint too! So I reviewed his needs and came up with a plan. I started him on a high quality, easily digested home prepared diet for the first week to help his GI system adapt after the malnutrition. I began a regimen of B vitamins to increase energy since they get depleted during times of stress (more to come on the wonders of B vitamins in the future), and an iron supplement for the mild anemia. I used probiotics to replace the healthy bacteria in his gut after the parasite treatment. Then I transitioned him from the home-made diet to a high quality premium puppyfood.
Because of the fractured bones, he has taken to bearing significantly more weight on his good front leg. This combined with poor nutrition during early development and muscle weakness has led to mild laxity or looseness in the ligaments of his wrist. He is on supplements to help provide the building blocks for bone healing and for strengthening the ligaments. And he wears a brace on his wrist to provide a little extra support now that he is more active.
Want to see how active Josh is now? Check out his video http://youtu.be/ByxsdsfFXho!
RSS Feed