Diagnosing and Treating A Dog’s Tarsal INjury
Let me introduce you to Rio, a 10-year-old Border Collie who went from being active and highly competitive in agility and flyball to slowing down considerable.
Rio’s dad drove 6 hours to see me; I had to find and fix his problems.What I found was not what we expected.
It's common to lose flexion of the hock on the same side as a cruciate rupture, but in Rio’s case, his other hock was a mess. Being that this was his good leg and most of his weight was shifted on to it, we needed to find a way to make it better.
I'm not going into his primary issue in this video (that will be the next Learn & Go). Today I'm showing you how easy it can be to miss something big, how to spot it and treat it.
In Rio’s case, effusion (abnormal collection of fluid) of the hock was visible, but this is not always the case. Take a look at the X-rays in the video to understand what you can look for.
Laser for Inflammation
Laser is always a great go-to when faced with inflammation. In Rio’s case, I was able to decrease the size of his hock by ~30%. There wasn’t complete success, however, because of bony or hard fibrous tissue changes.
Adding in Traction and A Mulligan Technique
Range of motion and discomfort were still an issue until we used traction and a Mulligan Technique. See 2:15 in the video to learn more about traction and 2:55 to understand the Mulligan Technique.
Strengthening After Treatment
Once pain is gone and the range of motion is back to normal, we need to strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments to prevent further injury.
Cavaletti Jacks are the perfect piece of equipment for strengthening the hock because you can set the height and distance for maximum hock flexion.
Incline sitting in another exercise that helps hock flexion and unilateral side strengthening. If you watch the video, you’ll see me demonstrate with my dog, Ollie, using our OctoBoard on four different levels so you can see how gravity affects his body.
Supplements for Musculoskeletal Support
Canine Musculoskeletal Support from Standard Process and good collagen will provide the support dogs need to heal even better and stay healthier for longer.
Order your own set of Cavaletti Jacks
Cavaletti Jacks are lightweight, durable, portable cavalettis designed for the Rehab Therapist or Pet Parent working on proprioception, strength, balance, weight bearing, flexion, and so much more. Quickly adjustable from 2” up to 11” with color coding for exercising fun.
Made to order in the USA.
Order today and get your own amazing dog gym pieces!