Maya....Inside and Out

Welcome to Maya!  It's nice to meet you. We are so very glad we are here for you!
 In a moment you will all see why.
 Maya is a 5 month old Mastiff mix. Maya is going to be a  very big girl.

 Our relationship with Maya is going to be a long one, but it will be a wonderful one!

Without further ado, allow us to introduce you to Maya...Inside and Out.

                         

Maya's Pawrents say she is a sweetie that loves everyone. We have already fallen in love with Maya!

Maya's X-Rays are indeed quite horrid. You do not need to know how to read an X-Ray to be able to see what is going on.  This is about as bad as it gets for hips. Thankfully we have dealt with hips as bad as this before, with great success! Maya has two wonderful humans who are committed to her well being, and, she has us.
 Maya is going to be just fine!

Maya is still a baby and with swimming we can help to shape her development in a positive way. Building muscle and strengthening the ligaments around her bones will help her as she is growing. It will also allow her to live a relatively pain free life.

Maya will have to swim to maintain quality of life. Surgery is not an option for her. Her vet said the only surgery she would ever have would be 'salvage surgery'. Our other "hipless" dogs have done, and continue to do very well without surgery. We have great hope that Maya will be able to follow in their pawprints.

While we cannot make Maya as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, we can  sure make her feel it!

Read more...

Mikey's Story

Many folks have asked us who is that dog featured up there on your blog home page? Well that is Mikey. He is a 5 year old Golden Doodle, who is also a Certified Therapy dog with a very busy schedule. 
Mikey came to us hoping to get into better shape before major surgery.
Mikey has severe hip dysplasia and was scheduled for surgery to totally replace his right hip. His left would have to be done some time down the road.

There was much preperation in Mikey's household planning for his post-op recovery. With 4 other fur siblings in his house, and Mikey limited to crate rest for at least 4 weeks, their household was not going to be 'normal'. His special area was set up with his new orthopedic bed, work schedules were adjusted, vacation time taken to accommodate Mikey's lengthy and complicated recovery regime.

They were as ready as they could be for such a major event.


Mikey went in for his Pre Surgery X-Rays the day before his scheduled surgery at 7am the following day.

Mikeys Mom called us from the surgeon's office, absolutely beside herself with joy.  Mikey's highly respected Board Certified Surgeon said.."Mikey DOES NOT NEED THIS SURGERY NOW".

The Surgeon is so very impressed with what we are doing with Mikey. "His improvement since he started swimming is amazing"
All this was accomplished in just 16 swims!
Mikey's Mom has been instructed by the Surgeon to swim Mikey once a week. As long as he can do that he will Never Need Surgery!


We are so very happy to have helped Mikey!

You are Welcome big guy!

Read more...

Happy Hanna

Welcome Pretty Girl!

Hanna is a happy 7 1/2 year old Husky Retreiver mix. She has just finished her 3 day Orientation swims. She is very comfortable in the water now, and is enjoying her swims. She was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia when she was 3 years old.

Her Humans have managed to maintain her weight and her exercise level so her hips have only just started to bother her. Arthritis is now setting in.

She now has been diagnosed with a Thyroid Issue which is making it more difficult to keep her weight under control. Swimming will help her with her weight control...and of course her hips!

And she likes it!

Read more...

Rocky

Rocky is a 6 year old Black Lab that came to us needing to lose weight. Quite a lot of weight. At his largest Rocky weighed in at an incredible 134 lbs. Rocky has other issues, he has mild Hip Dysplasia and was exercise intolerant. Not a real active dog by nature according to his Pawrents, Rocky is very happy just relaxing.

While he is more of an English Lab type, generally a stockier body, Rocky can no longer get away with being just "big boned"!
Having hip problems and being obese is a recipe for dog disaster. Taking Rocky for a walk was actually doing him no favors. He had no energy, no will to do anything other than amble over to his bowl.
Rocky was caught in a  no win situation, that had to change...otherwise Rocky may not see 7. 

His first few visits he just hung in the water...not moving. It took a few visits to get him to actually swim, In the begining it was a huge success to get him to swim half way down the  pool.
Now Rocky can swim two entire laps of the pool without resting, and he does it by himself. ( We use to have to kind of push/poke him to move) 
Rocky is wearing a "Snood" it's like a doggie bathing cap. It is perfect for dogs that are bothered by water in their ears. Rocky rides pretty low in the water and he was getting water in his ears.

Rocky has been swimming weekly for about 4 months now. His Pawrents report he is much more active at home. He now enjoys going for walks (short ones still) and he has more interest in life in general.  He is a  much much happier doggie.


On this picture day Rocky weighed in at 105lbs.

Our goal weight for Rocky is 90lbs. 
Come on Rocky one more lap around the pool...

Read more...