Rather than asking the carers to bring their dogs to us, we typically do home visits. There are a number of reasons for this including the dog feeling more relaxed and comfortable in their own home and for us to have a look at their environment to see, and suggest, if any simple adaptations could make their mobile life easier.
But what happens when we leave?
Do the dogs feel uber flexy and go round frantically hopping on and off furniture?
Do they rush around the garden weeing and getting rid of all those waste products we helped shift during the lymphatic drainage part of the therapy?
Do they wait at the front door for us to come back again and continue working with them?
Or do they just flop down and go to sleep?
I think the majority seem to do the latter. We frequently get snoozey, dozey, dopey and eyes closed photos sent to us afterwards. We don’t take that as an insult in a “they’ve gone now, we can go to sleep” way, but more in a “I can barely keep my eyes open after that massage” way.
Proof needed? Here are Flint & Alfie after their second session with us. We had similar pictures after their first visit so it must be real.
I’ve been visiting my Luther for over two years now. When I first visited, his Dads and vet were running out of options for his arthritis. But he responded so well to physical therapy from me weekly and his Dads daily he’s now had his 12th birthday.
Several interventions have been added to his treatment regime, both pharmacological and complementary. He is off Tramadol and on Rimadyl and Paracetamol. He goes to hydrotherapy weekly. His daily walks have been realistically reduced - not stopped. And he’s happy.
Last week he had a wobble when his front legs couldn’t quite support him. I was asked round for some emergency care. Poor chap did not look happy but allowed some physical help. We looked at supports and I mentioned the OrthoPets Help ‘Em Up harness which Fin uses. We see Fin daily and it’s made a lot of difference just having that extra help when he squats or has a little wobble.
Today I visited Luther again and he was proudly wearing his harness. His Dad calls him RoboDog. It looked complex to put on but is quite simple. And most importantly it gives Luther confidence. As I was leaving he was tentatively standing inside the front door, looking to come out to say goodbye. All it needed was a helping hand from Dad - not a yank or a hold but a confidence boost. He came out and I got my tip, a goodbye kiss from Luther.
You don’t want your dog to think that they have failed by not being able to stand, but that Dad and Mum are there just to give them that supportive boost. Think how many times our dogs give us their helping hand - when we’re down or just because we need it. Giving them back some extra help in their senior years goes some way to redress the extra hand, or paw balance.
