Case Study 5 - Flynn

Flynn first came to Lily Moffatt Veterinary Physiotherapy 6th July 2023. Following this, he has progressed really well with his physiotherapy journey. There have been ups and downs, however through using a multi-modal approach management Flynn is doing really well at 13.5 years young. His team to thank includes (but not all) acupuncture from Carole Parsons, 2nd opinion from Newgrange Vets, Hydrotherapy from Carnfield Hall, bespoke feeding and different supplements - and of course commitment from his owner Anne to persevere with the exercises. Hear from Anne herself below…

“Flynn is a 13 year old Labrador, has always been very mischievous and seemingly in good shape. Whilst he has always suffered with ear infections, it wasn’t until we saw a specialist who was going to perform a TECA on him who thought he may have hip dysplasia due to how he was sitting (he had always sat with his back legs splayed). We requested an x-ray whilst he was under anaesthetic to see what was going on. Report stated:  ‘good coxofemoral congruence, but some early degenerative changes bilaterally. There was also some spondylosis of the lumbosacral junction, which could be contributing to the mild pelvic limb lameness’.  Flynn at this stage showed to us no adverse affects, still walking, running around as usual. Suddenly one evening  he tentatively jumped onto the sofa and suddenly started screaming and yelling, even putting a hand near him he yelped. Emergency vet, and vet visit the following day after giving him some Loxicom he was much better, Vet gave him a Librela injection & some Gabapentin and we were then stabilised.  

Fast forward a few weeks, I had previously seen an advert for Lily offering canine physiotherapy in the home environment which was ideal for us, I thought this was worth a session to try and see if it helped Flynn, I really wasn’t happy starting the medication route as at this point not really sure what we were dealing with, the vet had said arthritis and neuropathy based on previous findings.

We had our first session with Lily who was really good with Flynn, identified several areas that required attention, did some massage and laser treatment which really seemed to help. Exercises were given to us to carry out before her next visit which were a challenge and advised to give shorter walks more often….. another challenge as Flynn loves his walks.  We have seen Lily on a weekly basis for the last 4-5 months and have seen a remarkable improvement, Flynn is still enjoying his walks, managing 25 - 30 minutes, no medication other than paracetamol.

Flynn also has an undiagnosed cough/gagging which has started to get worse, the vet wanted to repeat x -rays and check for Larangeal Paralysis which they suspected. After this procedure on bringing him home, he wasn’t coming around from the anaesthetic as well as he had previously, crying in pain, not wanting to move. Got back into the vet the following morning who gave him a Librela injection & Gabapentin, we just thought he was stiff from the x- ray. Really worried at this stage as he was struggling and not himself just sleeping,  couldn’t stand up properly, his back legs just didn’t support him, we were having to hold him up with a towel to eat and get out into the garden to toilet. Lily happened to ring to arrange an appointment and said she would come and see if there was anything she could do to help, bless her she worked her magic and after a few weeks he was pretty much back to himself, medication out of his system.

Although looking a much older dog at 13.5 he is back to mischief, playing and enjoying his walks, only on Paracetamol. I truly believe physiotherapy, laser treatments and exercises (Flynn not a fan!) has made all the difference and helped him continue to have a quality life and manage the progression of what we know is a degenerative condition”.

Case Study 4 - Barni

Read below Anne’s experience with the lovely Barni.

‘Barni is a  Labrador aged 9.  Fit and healthy other than ear infections throughout his life now under control and a seizure which luckily so far an isolated  episode.  

After a walk one day he started to limp a little, we thought he had just strained his wrist climbing up the river bank. We did the usual resting, heat /ice but it seemed to be getting worse.  He seemed ok out walking although we were only doing lead controlled short walks, but after resting and getting up he was limping quite badly.  He was also starting to put on weight which wasn’t helping due to the lack of exercise. After a vet visit who said straight away it was arthritis and suggested Librela injections, I really didn’t want to go down this path so went to an alternative vet for a second opinion.  Advised to have an x-ray to see what we were dealing with and confirmed slight arthritis in his one elbow. Suggested several different treatments and recommended stem cell treatment which we had done, alongside this physiotherapy was suggested.  

Lily has worked with Barni throughout using massage, laser treatments and an exercise plan.  We have laughed as he will suddenly get up mid treatment and walk away as if to say enough! Now obviously feeling better he struggles to keep still for his treatment, he’s better when mum leaves the room!  It has taken almost three months for Barni to now be limp  free and seemingly pain free, almost walking the same distance as before. We have built up slowly his walking times, introducing off lead roams, still being cautious and not letting him go too mad, with the ground being so wet and slippy.  We have managed to reduce sessions to fortnightly hoping to reduce even further in the not too distant future.

We really believe physiotherapy and the laser treatments have helped so much with his recovery, along with the exercises which he mostly enjoys as he gets  treats……. Barni loves his food!’

Case Study 3 - Tiggy

Tiggy first visited Lily Moffatt Veterinary Physiotherapy at the Drone to Home festival in 2024. Following a conversation with Tiggys lovely owner, Jackie, we decided to try physiotherapy to help with Tiggys Osteoarthritis (OA). On initial consultation Tiggy was found to have significant pain through her back and in her osteoarthritic knees, elbows and hips. This was initially treated with laser therapy, massage, pulsed magnetic field therapy and stretches. Following this Tiggy also received ultrasound therapy in her second session across her back to reduce the trigger points - an unfortunate compensation from her OA.

Tiggy received a programme of exercises to do, which Jackie her owner created a tick box from and religiously performs Tiggys exercises daily. The results really show. Tiggy is now off all of her pain medication and has a monthly check-in physiotherapy session.

Read more on Jackie’s physiotherapy journey below…

What was your animals primary condition on contacting LM Vet Physio?

Osteoarthritis in her hips & knees.

What date did you have your initial consultation with LM vet physio?

06/26/24

Did you have any secondary complications along your physiotherapy journey?

None

What were your physiotherapy sessions like? How would you describe a session to a new person who has never tried physiotherapy for their animals before?

Very relaxed, Tiggy really seems to enjoy the sessions, all of her is considered & treated as her main issue has an effect on the rest of her body. Laser & ultrasound has been used as & when required.

Did you have any homework in the form of exercises, stretches or other? If YES how did you find these exercises?

Yes, we were a bit unsure at first as we didn't want to do anything wrong & cause another problem, but videos were sent that we could follow. Now we do them confidently & Tiggy doesn't mind them at all, some of them we can when she's lay on her side & she's been known to not even open her eyes!

Do you feel LM vet physio helped your animal with their recovery?

Absolutely no doubt about it, She was seen weekly to start with, shes now being maintained at 4 to 5 week intervals. Tiggy will continue to be seen as osteoarthritis doesn't go away, she's currently on no medication at all & it's a miracle in our opinion how different & how much happier she is now.

Is there any advice you would like to give to other people regarding their animals physiotherapy journeys?

Do it & make sure you do your homework!

Is there anything else you would like to add/share?

So glad we found Lily when we did she's amazing as is India who has also seen Tiggy

Tiggy enjoying her laser therapy in the sunshine with her tongue out. 

Case Study 2 - Bella

Bella first came to Lily Moffatt Veterinary Physiotherapy in June 2024 following a flyball injury to her right hindlimb. Following palpation from the vets, the issue was concluded as a soft-tissue issue with the veterinarian very complementary of the excellent condition Bella was in (except for her poorly leg!), she is a real credit to her owners. On initial palpation it was apparent Bella had significant atrophy of her right hindlimb musculature, specifically the hamstrings, gastrocnemius and gracilis. On palpation of the gastrocnemius and superficial flexor tendon it was obvious there was significant heat and swelling, there was additionally pain on extension of the tarsus. Bella received treatment in the form of laser therapy to help reduce the inflammation and pulsed magnetic field therapy to help with pain relief. The primary aim of our first session was to help reduce Bella’s pain and improve her weight-bearing on the right hind however there was also additional compensatory pain throughout Bella’s back and forelimbs due to the un-even weight distribution.

Following sessions included the addition of exercises to help Bella strengthen this leg and return back to flyball! Once allowed back to flyball, Bella’s owner, Quinn Walker, had noted that she was more focused in her training sessions. Bella’s first competition back following her break was the 25th August, where Bella did her first clean run which is something she had never done in flyball - even in training!

Through hard-work and consistency, Quinn has managed to improve Bella’s muscle tone so much that on her recent check-up (14th October 2024) we felt there was no difference in muscle tone from the left to the right hind. And to follow, the compensatory issues also felt significantly improved.

Read Quinn’s story below….

What was your animals primary condition on contacting LM Vet Physio?

Right hind soreness with muscle atrophy and soreness in rest of body from compensation.

What date did you have your initial consultation with LM vet physio?

06/19/2024

Did you have any secondary complications along your physiotherapy journey?

The only secondary issue would be soreness from her redistributing her weight to avoid using the right hind leg due to the extent of the soreness.

What were your physiotherapy sessions like? How would you describe a session to a new person who has never tried physiotherapy for their animals before?

Each physio session would include a number of conditioning exercises. These help to effectively work the affected muscles in a controlled manner while also indicating how they are using the affected limbs to give an idea on progress. They would also include a physical examination to check for niggles. These would then be tried to work out by massage and in the case of my sensitive dog laser therapy would be used to relieve the affected area to allow for the massage to not cause discomfort. She had multiple sessions as she was bad when she started but will be having maintenance sessions now to make sure that any niggles are picked up quicker and not allowed to worsen.

Did you have any homework in the form of exercises, stretches or other? If YES how did you find these exercises?

I had exercises to do between sessions. These weren't complex although some my dog struggled to understand what we were asking of her. They also didn't take overly long. The most important exercises were indicated to me so that if I only had a few minutes then I could still do something with her in that time.

Do you feel LM vet physio helped your animal with their recovery?

Yes without a doubt. She improved with each session until she was eventually able to return to flyball. On her return to flyball she was more focused due to not being in pain and was therefore able to make huge progress in her training.

Is there any advice you would like to give to other people regarding their animals physiotherapy journeys?

I would just recommend to get them seen sooner rather than later. To pay attention to behavioural changes as well as physical changes as they could be a sign that something is wrong. Lastly not to try and hurry recovery along too quickly as only with patience can they fully recover so they don't just reinjure the same spot again.

Is there anything else you would like to add/share?

While Bella didn't appreciate her treatment all the time during the session, she definitely appreciates the freedom from pain and discomfort.

Quinn Walker

Case Study 1 - Simba

Simba first came to Lily Moffatt Veterinary Physiotherapy in February 2024 following an IVDD flare up. On initial consultation Simba was rather resistant to palpation, and had to be persuaded using lots of squeeze cheese (we have now transitioned to liver paste which is healthier!). There was significant pain palpated through the thoracolumbar junction and Simba was showing signs of ataxia with a reduced withdrawal relflex on both hindlimbs (Left worse than right). On his first session, Simba was treated using LASER therapy, Pulsed Magnetic Field therapy and we did some simple exercises and stretches. Simba improved significantly following his next few sessions, we did weekly sessions for approx 12 weeks before changing to sessions every other week. Unfortunately Simba did have a slight setback in his rehabilitation journey and had to go onto seizure medication, which made his ataxia worse for the loading period of 2 weeks. However, this was continually monitored and his spinal palpation did not regress in this time - thankfully!

It has been a long journey for Simba however I am pleased to say that 7 months later and Simba has been reduced to having monthly physiotherapy check-ins to make sure he is kept feeling comfortable. His owner has been absolutely excellent at doing his exercises religiously, even when heavily pregnant!

I would love to say that Simba enjoys his physiotherapy sessions, however it remains said he must have his liver paste throughout the session to keep him happy! I did receive a kiss from him once, so I would like to think we are friends! And post-physiotherapy session Simba always has a deep sleep, processing the treatment thoroughly.

Check out our question and answers from Simbas’ owners directly below…

What was your animals primary condition on contacting Lily Moffatt Vet Physio?

IVDD

What date did you have your initial consultation with Lily Moffatt Vet Physio?

02/24/2024

What were your physiotherapy sessions like? How would you describe a session to a new person who has never tried physiotherapy for their animals before?

His sessions are very structured and detailed. His progress is assessed and recorded every time and I’m always informed of any improvements or problems that I need to be aware of and what we need to work on to keep him as sound and comfortable as possible. His treatment after his assessment is always calm and relaxed and he always feels so great after his laser and massage that he wants to nap. At the end of the session she always gives me a form with all the details of the sessions and any homework we need to do ready to see her next time which I can refer too and also give to my vet if necessary.

Did you have any secondary complications along your physiotherapy journey?

Simba suffered seizures which he had in the past but had two in quick succession which led to him needing to start medication which also affected his ataxia for a little while until the medication dosage settled.

Did you have any homework in the form of exercises, stretches or other? If YES how did you find these exercises?

Simbas had several exercises and stretches which have gotten more difficult as times progressed so keep him gaining strength and building muscle and help his walking. At the beginning Simba could barely do a sit to stand position without falling over and now he does them with ease repeatedly which just shows how well they work if you put the effort it. He does several balancing and strength training exercises as well as pole work to help his walking which has made huge improvements to how he walks compared to when we first started. Food motivation helps massively to keep him focused to do them every day and we always try to make sure they’re done so we keep him on track and improving. The stretches are his biggest weakness but we try our best!

Do you feel LM vet physio helped your animal with their recovery?

Yes massively. Simba no longer skips when he’s walking which was a factor in his IVDD as he’s was uncomfortable. He’s gained so much strength and muscle since the start of his journey and genuinely seems more comfortable and not in pain like he was.

Is there any advice you would like to give to other people regarding their animals physiotherapy journeys?

Do it as soon as you can to benefit your animal! But also understand it’s a team effort and what you do at home between sessions is as important as the sessions themselves. You need to be willing to put the effort in but when you do you will see such a difference! The combination of what you do at home plus the therapy they provide is what’s important and helps your animal progress if you want to see the results.

Is there anything else you would like to add/share?

I can’t thank Lily enough for what she’s done for my boy. He is hard work, reactive and hates the vets and putting him through surgery wasn’t an option for us. Yet he’s come on leaps and bounds since we found her and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Simba post-physiotherapy session in a deep sleep!