Cathie Forbes (Southdowns Canine Massage) and Dr Les Ellam (AchyPaw Canine Physical Therapy) have combined their knowledge to design a series of workshops which have been accredited and promoted by the IAAT (International Association of Animal Therapists). We are both qualified professionals in canine massage with several years’ experience in therapy and training.
The series of one day workshops is called “Supporting your dog to reach their full potential through every stage of their life” and the first two in the series are now available for booking with more available next year.
These first two workshops are interactive, informative, fun and practical. You will learn a full age-appropriate massage routine, exercises and passive movements. We will also be discussing a variety of therapies and conditions experienced by dogs. You can choose to attend just one of these workshops or both. Discussion, massage and exercise techniques will vary for the different age ranges covered in the sessions.
The first session looks at Senior Years. It will cover basic anatomy; possible health and mobility changes as they advance into their senior years; some conditions they may be affected by, such as arthritis, and how these can be managed; video observation and discussion; massage overview and how this form of physical therapy may be used to help the senior dog; a massage routine that is appropriate for daily use and some gentle stretches and exercises to keep our golden oldies in top condition.
The
date is Saturday 27th October and booking is available from the IAAT CPD site here
The second session looks the Earlier Years. Just because a dog is not showing signs of slowing down or discomfort, doesn’t mean that they won’t benefit from a daily conditioning massage and exercise routine. This workshop will cover puppy exercise and development; the importance of getting it right from the beginning; repetitive soft tissue injuries/strains and how to avoid them; video observation and discussion; benefits of massage; dynamic warm-up exercises and warm-up massage; adapted movement patterns and making simple changes that can make all the difference to your dog when they advance to their senior years.The date is Saturday 24th November and booking is available from the IAAT CPD site here
The venue is the historic Blatchington Windmill Hall, Hove, BN3 7LH. As it is difficult to learn canine massage without a dog, this is a dog friendly venue. We encourage you to bring your dog to work with during the day.
These sessions are IAAT accredited and a CPD certificate will be offered.
We would like to invite everyone - vets, vet nurses, reception staff, dog walkers, dog behaviourists, groomers, owners, in fact anyone who has an interest in the health of dogs.
We look forward to meeting you and your dogs.
Showing posts with label regenerative medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label regenerative medicine. Show all posts
Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Friday, 8 September 2017
Canine Regenerative Therapy : My experience part 2
8 weeks ago, we took our Sarah to Dr Stewart Halperin for
Regenerative Medicine Therapy. At that
session she was treated with had Plasma Rich Platelet therapy, Arthramid,
steroid injection and lubrication during the surgery. Medication wise, we added Amantadine to her
regime.
I really didn't know what to expect. Would the effects be instant? Would we start to see improvement in a few
days or weeks or months? Would it work
at all?
She regained her mobility quite quickly but still
stumbled on her right hind leg for a while.
When that sorted itself out, she decided to stumble on her left hind
leg. A week after surgery we also added
twice weekly hydrotherapy to her physiotherapy routine using the 10 metre pool
at the House of Hugo.
As I walk behind my girl at least 3 times a day, I
constantly took videos of her walking which I could refer to for changes. For five weeks, it seemed that not a lot was
happening. But then she started to walk
symmetrically, balanced and with more confidence. And her thigh muscles began
to appear. This was quite evident as she
developed alopecia over her operation area - meaning she has two baldy patches
over her thighs. You could see through
to the muscles - not good for her but good for me to judge progression. You can see in the video here, when she
stops, she quickly corrects her hind leg placement. A couple of months ago, a rapid turn like
that would have sent her legs flying in different directions resulting in a
fall.
Dr Halperin also removed her bad front teeth. Now that doesn't sound a lot, but she must
have been in pain from them. Removing
that discomfort seemed to help with her mobility recovery.
Yesterday we had our 8 week review back at his Chiswick
surgery. I was looking forward to a
fresh pair of eyes assessing the outcome.
Encouragingly, he was pleased at the change. He agreed with us that a major improvement is
how she stands up from a sit with less effort.
He followed us walking down Chiswick High Street while taking a video
for his records and agreed with my opinion, which is that she is clearly
pushing from her rear legs now rather than pulling with her front. Meaning she is regaining strength and
confidence from her hips and thighs.
He performed a physical examination. Her wrists no longer crackled when moved, her
elbows and shoulders felt more solid and her right hip had considerably more
movement. She still showed some
reluctance in her left hip, but hey, any relief to her discomfort of bone
rubbing on bone has to be a benefit and a result.
It was decided she did not need a top-up this time. The plan now is to continue with the
medication and physical therapy routine with a review around Christmas
time.
As I said a month ago in my first post about her surgery, "it's just
arthritis" doesn't have to mean the end. There are options for relief
including physical therapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, medication
reviews with your Vet, laser therapy, making simple but effective dog
friendly changes inside your house (we’ve just added ramps everywhere)
plus all the new innovations coming along which can give us dog Dads and
Mums, more hope now.
Thursday, 17 August 2017
Canine Regenerative Medicine : My experience
Our Sarah was diagnosed as having chronic arthritis in her knees and wrists about a year ago with possible onset spondylosis. As such, she has been treated with maintenance Metacam, fortnightly laser therapy and fortnightly hydrotherapy. In addition, she goes to see the wonderful Tim Couzens, Holistic Vet, who makes up a personalised and tailored herbal mixture with a couple of homeopathic tablets.
By and large, she has been OK. But with the summer, she has been stumbling, particularly on her right rear leg. We thought her knees were sore.
I’d read about Stem Cell therapy for canine arthritis some time back, along with Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (a great video which explains how that works can be found on YouTube here) and now, more recently, a new medication called Arthramid which has been used in horses for a while but is now being offered to dogs by a few specialist vets.
At the recent VETFest conference I attended, there was a talk about Stem Cell Therapy and I thought that I’d have a google and see if there is anyone who is offering it. I found Dr Stewart Halperin BVMS MRCVS who has several clinics in the UK, the nearest to us being in Chiswick. I gave him a call and, following a thorough and attentive phone conversation, he agreed to see our Sarah.
On the day of our appointment we had a consultation which lasted well over an hour going through her entire history – not just the arthritis but also her general health and her liver issues – an integrative approach. He took us through the options he offers, explaining that she may not need the most expensive therapy but may be better benefitted with the PRP or Arthramid or even a combination of several. Of course, there was always the possibility that he could not help and she may need surgery or the treatment he offers may not be suitable for her condition. But all would be revealed with appropriate X-Rays.
We left her at the clinic, as Dr Halperin aims to perform all procedures on the same day, and found a pleasant spot in Putney by the River and near a café to wait. Mr Sam was with us and had a Dad Day although he was clearly concerned about where his sister had gone.
At 16:30 we made our way back to the vet surgery and waited for Dr Halperin to give us the verdict. The most startling thing, for us, was to see the X-Rays. They clearly showed (even we could read them) that her wrists, elbows and knees were fine. However, her hips were not – they were shocking. Dr Halperin showed us that the head of the right thigh bone, which should have a rounded top to fit neatly in the socket of the hip, was almost flattened due to arthritic wear. He suggested there was also likely a genetic underlying cause too. Her left hip was not good, but not as bad as her right.
Our Sarah must have been in considerable discomfort over the past few months with bone rubbing on bone. He told us that, even under anaesthetic, they hadn’t been able to extend her rear legs back more than about 30 degrees – it should go at least 180 degrees in a fit dog. It took them several attempts at X-Raying her to get a good scan.
Incidentally, 5 years ago we had been told that their rear leg extension was restricted by Natalie Lenton of the Canine Massage Therapy Centre, when we attended one of her workshops. She had found this likely genetic issue way before any visible symptoms had been displayed.
What did he do? Lots. He injected an analgesic into the joint, some lubrication, some Platelet Rich Plasma and finally, Arthramid. Additionally, he took out 4 of her teeth which he noticed were badly damaged and would also be causing her discomfort, maybe even adding to her known liver enzyme issues.
We were given quite a few medications to keep her comfy during her recovery until the therapy settles down, including Amantadine. A survey by Lascelles et al (2007) showed that Amantadine in a multimodal analgesic regimen can help alleviate osteoarthritis pain in dogs.
Dr Halperin suggested that taking this drug with the NSAIDs she is already on might be a useful adjunct therapy for managing her arthritis. By the next morning she was already refusing her sling, preferring to walk by herself. Dr Halperin told us to continue with the physiotherapy and massage we give her daily and to concentrate the acupressure we also give her, to areas and meridians that will benefit the hips. We also booked her in for a course of intensive hydrotherapy at the House of Hugo, plus a new diet regime.
Interestingly he also told us we needed to go out and buy a Bio-Flow collar for her. I was rather surprised that a vet surgeon would recommend this but I guess it all goes with his multi-approach to managing canine arthritis.
It’s been 6 weeks now. She is not ‘fixed’…she has good days and she has not-so-good days. What she doesn’t seem to have is bad days. She is moving more freely, she gets up from her bed easier, she has a great wiggle in her spine, she lifts her knees higher, she does a h-u-g-e stretch immediately after her acupressure and generally seems more relieved. What we need to concentrate on now is her muscles. She hasn’t been using her thigh muscles in a while. Twice a week hydrotherapy at the House of Hugo is making a lot of difference. Her Auntie Tel, the hydrotherapist, gets her to use those rear legs in their 10 m length pool. Gradually the muscle tone is coming back.
How long will it last? I don’t know. But if she doesn’t feel that she’s got bone crunching on bone for a few days, weeks or even months, then that will have made it all worthwhile.
Of course, this is just our own experience. It’s not a cure-all, not every dog will respond in the same way and, for some, this type of therapy may not be suitable. It may be, like our Sarah, that they don’t immediately get back 100% fitness. But I’ll happily settle for any relief from bone on bone crunching. However, if you’ve got a dog who has arthritis and you’re open to try options, check out the StemCell Vet webpage – it’s full of useful resources and explanations of what he does. If you know of anyone who would benefit, please feel free to share this page.
Hopefully, with all these innovations for veterinary options, we’ll soon not have to accept a diagnosis of “It’s just arthritis”.
By and large, she has been OK. But with the summer, she has been stumbling, particularly on her right rear leg. We thought her knees were sore.
I’d read about Stem Cell therapy for canine arthritis some time back, along with Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (a great video which explains how that works can be found on YouTube here) and now, more recently, a new medication called Arthramid which has been used in horses for a while but is now being offered to dogs by a few specialist vets.
At the recent VETFest conference I attended, there was a talk about Stem Cell Therapy and I thought that I’d have a google and see if there is anyone who is offering it. I found Dr Stewart Halperin BVMS MRCVS who has several clinics in the UK, the nearest to us being in Chiswick. I gave him a call and, following a thorough and attentive phone conversation, he agreed to see our Sarah.
On the day of our appointment we had a consultation which lasted well over an hour going through her entire history – not just the arthritis but also her general health and her liver issues – an integrative approach. He took us through the options he offers, explaining that she may not need the most expensive therapy but may be better benefitted with the PRP or Arthramid or even a combination of several. Of course, there was always the possibility that he could not help and she may need surgery or the treatment he offers may not be suitable for her condition. But all would be revealed with appropriate X-Rays.
We left her at the clinic, as Dr Halperin aims to perform all procedures on the same day, and found a pleasant spot in Putney by the River and near a café to wait. Mr Sam was with us and had a Dad Day although he was clearly concerned about where his sister had gone.
At 16:30 we made our way back to the vet surgery and waited for Dr Halperin to give us the verdict. The most startling thing, for us, was to see the X-Rays. They clearly showed (even we could read them) that her wrists, elbows and knees were fine. However, her hips were not – they were shocking. Dr Halperin showed us that the head of the right thigh bone, which should have a rounded top to fit neatly in the socket of the hip, was almost flattened due to arthritic wear. He suggested there was also likely a genetic underlying cause too. Her left hip was not good, but not as bad as her right.
Our Sarah must have been in considerable discomfort over the past few months with bone rubbing on bone. He told us that, even under anaesthetic, they hadn’t been able to extend her rear legs back more than about 30 degrees – it should go at least 180 degrees in a fit dog. It took them several attempts at X-Raying her to get a good scan.
Incidentally, 5 years ago we had been told that their rear leg extension was restricted by Natalie Lenton of the Canine Massage Therapy Centre, when we attended one of her workshops. She had found this likely genetic issue way before any visible symptoms had been displayed.
What did he do? Lots. He injected an analgesic into the joint, some lubrication, some Platelet Rich Plasma and finally, Arthramid. Additionally, he took out 4 of her teeth which he noticed were badly damaged and would also be causing her discomfort, maybe even adding to her known liver enzyme issues.
We were given quite a few medications to keep her comfy during her recovery until the therapy settles down, including Amantadine. A survey by Lascelles et al (2007) showed that Amantadine in a multimodal analgesic regimen can help alleviate osteoarthritis pain in dogs.
Dr Halperin suggested that taking this drug with the NSAIDs she is already on might be a useful adjunct therapy for managing her arthritis. By the next morning she was already refusing her sling, preferring to walk by herself. Dr Halperin told us to continue with the physiotherapy and massage we give her daily and to concentrate the acupressure we also give her, to areas and meridians that will benefit the hips. We also booked her in for a course of intensive hydrotherapy at the House of Hugo, plus a new diet regime.
Interestingly he also told us we needed to go out and buy a Bio-Flow collar for her. I was rather surprised that a vet surgeon would recommend this but I guess it all goes with his multi-approach to managing canine arthritis.
It’s been 6 weeks now. She is not ‘fixed’…she has good days and she has not-so-good days. What she doesn’t seem to have is bad days. She is moving more freely, she gets up from her bed easier, she has a great wiggle in her spine, she lifts her knees higher, she does a h-u-g-e stretch immediately after her acupressure and generally seems more relieved. What we need to concentrate on now is her muscles. She hasn’t been using her thigh muscles in a while. Twice a week hydrotherapy at the House of Hugo is making a lot of difference. Her Auntie Tel, the hydrotherapist, gets her to use those rear legs in their 10 m length pool. Gradually the muscle tone is coming back.
How long will it last? I don’t know. But if she doesn’t feel that she’s got bone crunching on bone for a few days, weeks or even months, then that will have made it all worthwhile.
Of course, this is just our own experience. It’s not a cure-all, not every dog will respond in the same way and, for some, this type of therapy may not be suitable. It may be, like our Sarah, that they don’t immediately get back 100% fitness. But I’ll happily settle for any relief from bone on bone crunching. However, if you’ve got a dog who has arthritis and you’re open to try options, check out the StemCell Vet webpage – it’s full of useful resources and explanations of what he does. If you know of anyone who would benefit, please feel free to share this page.
Hopefully, with all these innovations for veterinary options, we’ll soon not have to accept a diagnosis of “It’s just arthritis”.
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