“Our 11 and a half year old German Shepherd Dog, Rahman, had to undergo a Tibial Tuberosity Advancement procedure on his left knee. Prior to us discovering, through x-rays, that Rahman was suffering, he was lethargic and was not remotely interested in going for his daily walks and runs.
The prospect of our old dog undergoing a major surgery was daunting as Rahman & his half-sister a year junior are as “substitute children” to us. The procedure was a complete success, however that was only half of what we had to do to ensure a complete success and a full recovery for our member of the pack.
Being aware (from personal experience) that physiotherapy is a crucial part of recovery and rehabilitation after surgery, we enlisted the help of Kristine Edwards, who was referred to us by our regular veterinarian, Dr Hendrika Tegelaar. Kristine was wonderful, her understanding of animal behaviour and the specific needs of our precious pup. It’s not only the treatment, (physiotherapy & acupuncture), which Kristine performed on our dog that impressed us, but it was her demeanour and her willingness to share her knowledge and experience with us. She showed us how to do “teams” massage on Rahman, how to use and where to place magnets (as a part of his therapy), how to stimulate and exercise his muscles and how to develop his ability to put pressure and body weight on his operated knee.
For the first month or so we supplemented Rahman’s treatment with massage and other therapies on a daily basis. As Rahman gained strength and confidence in his left leg, the need for weekly physiotherapy and acupuncture treatments subsided. Now, 6 months after the operation Rahman, now 12 years young German Shepherd Dog, is like a brand new “adolescent” pup! He’s able to put his full bodyweight on his left leg whilst “cocking” his other leg to urinate. He loves going for his walks and runs happily around Seaforth Oval with my partner and his canine half-sister.
He’s completely rejuvenated! As a part of on-going exercise and as a preventative measure to negate the effects of arthritis in both dogs, we make sure that both get plenty of daily exercise by taking them on two half-hour walks, including walking up a steep hill to strengthen and exercise the dogs’ hind quarters. We also supplement their diet with fish oil (Salmon Omega3) and glucosamine with boswellia at every meal.
It is thanks to Kristine, the rest of the team (our Vet, Hendrika and the Specialist Surgeon, Dr Stephen Fernside) combined with “in-between-visits” care and ongoing exercise that we have been able to achieve such a remarkable recovery. Thank you very much, Kristine!”