Jake the Amazing Great Dane
by Paige the Doberman
We’ve had a lot of dogs in our pool here at Wellsprings K9. I’ve not known all of them, but I’ve known a fair number and let me tell you, they come in all shapes and sizes as well as coming to our swim and massage pool for a variety of reasons.
Small, medium, and large dogs come to strengthen their bodies for sporting activities like show or agility competitions. Some come to recover from injuries or surgeries while others come to improve their quality of life. And yep, sometimes we get larger than large dogs at our pool like Irish Wolfhounds, Giant Schnauzer’s, and lately a Great Dane mix with a pretty remarkable story.
His name is Jake and he’s one handsome fellow.
And big.
Jake’s journey to Wellsprings K9 began with an awful accident. Hit by a car, Jake was transported to Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services where Dr. Tamara Walker DVM, DACVS examined Jake’s many injuries. The good news was that Jake had not been hit in the chest or abdomen, which may have fatal. But the bad news was that he’d torn many crucial ligaments and tendons in his rear left leg. Dr. Walker immediately performed reconstructive surgery and then Jake began a very long recovery.
His owner, Tyler recounts the experience:”The first two months were the hardest, as his leg was basically in a stiff splint that rendered it useless but protected the fragile surgery sites. Eventually the splint was removed and although the leg muscles were severely atrophied, his nerve function seemed to be improving. Fast forward another few months spent taking it easy and going from hopping around to beginning to use his bad leg more and more, and soon it was time for him to seek some physical therapy.”
That’s when we got the call from Dr. Walker. “Do you swim Great Danes?” she asked and went onto explain the reconstructive work she’d done on Jake’s injured leg. “I’m not sure how 
much nerve damage he’s suffered,” Dr. Walker explained, “But I think swimming and massage is going to help him tremendously. I wanted to make certain he’d fit into your pool!”
Jake certainly fit into our pool and when I first saw him arrive at the pool, I knew he would really benefit from swimming and massage. As Jake made his way up the driveway, his left rear leg collapsed inward as if it were made of rubber. Consequently, he compensated with his whole body to keep from slipping and falling down. While he used the leg to pivot, he only bore about 10% of his weight on it and moved around the pool room on his three good legs. A sweet and compliant boy, it was clear he’d been through a lot and now he was going to experience something else new and different — swimming!
Great Danes aren’t known for their swimming prowess. Large, muscular breeds tend sink in the back end and when they are unable to touch the bottom, they try to climb, splashing their front paws on the surface of the water. This is what we’d expected from Jake so the therapist took it slowly not only to protect his rebuilt knee, but also to help him feel comfortable and confident about swimming. With the help of his owner, cautiously Jake got into the pool. Yes, Jake splashed at first, but soon he felt the comfort the therapist’s hands under his hips and at his side to help him stay afloat, and when he realized he wasn’t going to sink, he swam like a Labrador.
“He’s actually swimming!” his owner said a bit surprised.
On the side bench of the pool, Jake worked on proprioceptive exercises with our licensed massage therapist. In addition, Jake received a massage with a focus on his compensatory muscles –his front body was as tight as a drum and his “good” leg in the rear was clearly stressed from the overuse of compensating for his injuries. Over time as Jake was massaged and stretched and he had more sessions in our pool, he soon learned that swim therapy wasn’t as scary as it first appeared. His body relaxed and his confidence grew. Now he swims like a champ and while he prefers the massage time, it’s clear the swimming his helping him gain muscle and mobility in his leg.
Jake’s swim and massage therapy sessions continue. After the first few sessions there was a distinct difference in Jake’s gait. No longer was the left rear leg collapsing under his weight, muscles were developing, and more importantly Jake’s confidence and awareness of his leg grew. Jake has a great deal more work to do and what “recovery” will look like for him is still uncertain, but every day, every session he makes incredible progress in a pool big enough for a Great Dane as remarkable as Jake.
Dysplasia: Not So Hip
By Paige the Doberman
Fiona is a 1-year old Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix who, like any youngster, loves to play and run and be as adventuress as possible. Being of herding ancestry, “active” is her middle name so when she was recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia her family was upset and concerned about her future quality of life.
The hip joints are called ball and socket joints and in healthy hips the ball (or the head of the femur or thighbone) fits snugly into the cup-shaped socket of the hip (the acetabulum – a portion of the pelvis). They move together smoothly with help from the joint capsule (a fibrous tissue that surrounds the joint and produces joint fluid) and allow the joint to function fluidly.
Hip dysplasia is mostly an inherited disease, but can be caused by other factors as well. I feel for my canine pals who suffer from it. Dysplasia of the hips occurs when poor conformation leads to malformation of the hip joint allowing for partial or complete luxation (dislocation) of the femoral head (the top of the femur bone) causing cartilage damage. The fit of the ball into the socket, in other words, is not snug. The result is painful and damaging friction.
Over time, the friction strains the joint capsule, which in turn damages the cartilage and leads to the release of inflammatory proteins within the joint. This triggers a cyclical pattern of cartilage destruction, inflammation, pain, and eventually arthritis. Hip dysplasia is not, however, the same as arthritis in the hips. Hip dysplasia happens first and then arthritis develops. In fact, hip dysplasia is the most common cause of arthritis in hips.
What’s horrible about this disease is that it can strike dogs at any age. Acute (early) dysplasia is usually seen in young dogs with symptoms of intense pain in the hips and mild to severe lameness. This stage can last from weeks to months. Chronic (late) stage hip dysplasia is characterized by pain, decreased range of motion in the hips, and progressive arthritis. Chronic dysplasia can occur in young dogs or take many years to occur.
Symptoms of canine hip dysplasia are very similar to that of osteoarthritis and can include the following:
- Limping or walking with an abnormal gait
- “Bunny hopping” while running — lifting both back legs off the ground at the same time
- Whining or grumbling when lifted or handled
- Difficulty getting up from a lying/sitting position
- Difficulty climbing stairs
- Increased sensitivity to touch
- Stiffness (especially after exercise or when rising after rest)
- Lack of motivation to move, walk, jump, or play
- A painful reaction to the extension of the rear legs
- Atrophy and weakness of one or both affected legs due to non-weight-bearing because of pain
Hip dysplasia is most common in larger breeds, but smaller and mixed breed dogs (like Fiona) can have it as well. Many veterinarians believe hip dysplasia in dogs is caused by heredity, but because many dogs do not show early signs of dysplasia, two seemingly healthy dogs could pass on the gene without the breeder knowing. Therefore it is very difficult to eliminate dysplasia from the gene pool and why it’s equally important for breeders to know the status of test results at least two generations back.
Diet is critical for many reasons, but there is a clear connection between nutritional deficiencies and canine hip dysplasia. The quality of your dog’s food — balanced in nutrients, essential minerals and vitamins — is critical for every dog, but especially for those who have a predisposition for hip dysplasia.
Weight management is also crucial. Extra weight on a dog will put more stress on legs and joints supporting the body, compounding the degeneration of the hip joint (or any joint, for that matter). Obesity is a huge problem and can compromise the health of any dog, but dogs prone to hip dysplasia are not helped in the least when they are overweight.
Some holistic vets believe over vaccination can increase the risk. You can read more about those concerns here: Natural Dog though we encourage you to speak with your vet about any worries you may have regarding diet, weight management, and vaccinations.
In addition, talk with your vet about exercise options. For growing puppies, especially those predisposed to hip dysplasia, the kind and quantity of exercise is crucial. Any activities that put a lot of unneeded pressure and force on the joints are clearly not good. Puppies should not go running with you, for example, until their joints have fully set at approximately 12-24 months of age depending on the breed of your dog. In addition, activities that require jumping like frisbee and agility can be very damaging for dogs prone to hip dysplasia.
For dysplastic dogs, exercise should be moderate in length and time and focused on developing, strengthening, and maintaining good muscle mass. Yep, that’s where swimming comes in. Just as with arthritic dogs, warm water swimming offers non-weight-bearing exercise that not only builds muscles safely, but offers relief to stiff and sore joints. In addition, the hydrostatic pressure of the water decreases inflammation and swelling associated with dysplasia and arthritis.
At Wellsprings K9 we not only offer warm water swim therapy, but massage as well and our licensed dog massage therapists can help your dog reduce inflammation, increase range of motion, and decrease tension in muscles that are compensating for painful hips.
If you are concerned that your dog may have or does have hip dysplasia, it’s important to talk with your vet about all the options. There are non-surgical approaches — such as acupuncture, anti-inflammatories, diet changes, and swimming – as well as surgical options — from creating a false joint, a femoral head osteotomy, and a total hip replacement.
While Fiona is young and a diagnosis of hip dysplasia has put a crimp in her active lifestyle, she can still enjoy a long and healthy life. Swimming and massage at Wellsprings K9 is a good start and her owners are learning all they can about how to keep Fiona comfortable as she ages. Fiona clearly enjoys her time in the pool and it not only provides her with a safe way to exercise, but it helps build supportive muscles, reduces some of that puppy energy, and helps her find relief from tense muscles and sore joints.
If you’d like to learn more about canine hip dysplasia (in addition to consultation with your vet) here are some links that might be of help.
http://www.acvs.org/AnimalOwners/HealthConditions/SmallAnimalTopics/HipDysplasiainDogs/
http://www.workingdogs.com/vchipdysplasia.htm
We’d love to help your dog feel more comfortable and stay strong so don’t hesitate to call us and set up a swim and massage session. We can be reached at 206-935-8299 or by email – info@wellspringsk9.com.
The Gift of Walking
Dezi is a nine-year-old terrier mix who looks a lot like a certain canine movie star…
But don’t let the resemblance fool you. Dezi is a super star in his own right and though he has never saved a “lady” he’s overcome some great adversities in his life.
Rescued from an animal shelter, Dezi lives with his human Dad, Michael and every morning can be seen in his neighborhood going for a morning stroll. Then later in the afternoon, another walk somewhere about town — Capital Hill, Bellevue, Columbia City, or the busy streets of downtown Seattle –generally sporting a handsome coat and well-tailored collar.
His daily jaunts are more like prancing than walking as Dezi has a light step and a certain spryness to his gait.
But this was not always been the case.
One day, while loading up in Michael’s car, Dezi jumped in and then collapsed — his back end going completely limp. Unable to stand or walk, his Dad rushed him to the emergency vet only to find out that Dezi had suffered a fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE).
FCE’s often happen suddenly and to understand them, you need to understand some anatomy. First, the vertebral column is a very unique structure similar in some ways to the elbow and knee joints, but in one way distinctly different. “The vertebral column consists of numerous small bones called vertebrae that are linked together by special joints called intervertebral discs,” writes Dr. Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, DipABVP. “The discs are similar to the joints that connect arm or leg bones together in many ways. They allow flexibility between vertebrae so that one can arch or twist one’s back voluntarily just as one can flex and extend a knee or elbow.”
But the key difference is that while knee and elbow joints have a capsules that secrete lubricating fluid and the bones are capped with smooth cartilage to allow for frictionless gliding of the joint when it moves — bends or extends — the back has discs, which are more like cushions in between the vertebrae. These cushions are kind of like donuts in that they are are filled with a jelly-like substance known as nucleus pulposus, which is the stuff that makes up the fibrocartilaginous embolism.
Dr. Brooks continues: “The vertebral column provides a bony protective case around the vulnerable spinal cord. The spinal cord is the cable of nerve connections that transmits messages to and from the brain and controls the reflexes of the body. The spinal cord is fed by a network of spinal arteries. In FCE, somehow the material from the nucleus pulposus enters the arterial system and is carried to the spinal cord where it causes a blood vessel obstruction: an embolism. This area of the spinal cord actually dies. The process is not painful but generally recovery is not likely.”
For Dezi, the process was only momentarily painful as he yelped slightly and then collapsed onto his side. For the next three days he could not stand or walk. Michael administered the steroids prescribed by the veterinarian to help reduce the swelling and while he did his best to get Dezi to stand with support and did range of motion exercises with him at home, he knew that Dezi needed something more if he was ever going to be his spry self again.
That’s when Michael called Wellsprings K9 and booked a series of appointments.
Taking your dog swimming when they can’t walk or stand very well might seem counter-intuitive. What will they be able to do in the pool that they can’t do on land? First, the pool offers weightlessness and unlike underwater treadmills where dogs must bear some weight in order to walk on the treadmill, a deep water pool allows the dog to move his or her limbs without putting undo stress on injured limbs or, in Dezi’s case, on the spine.
Next, under the supervision of a licensed massage and swim therapist, movement of injured limbs can be gently encouraged in an attempt to rewire the neural pathways that have been interrupted. For instance, Dezi’s veterinarian encouraged Michael to do daily range of motion exercises moving the limbs in the natural and full range of movement to help maintain muscle tone, but also to reduce stiffness and remind the brain how the limbs move. These range of motion exercises are part of our therapy in general, but specifically for dogs like Dezi who need that “reminding.”
Dezi running during the recent snowstorm of January 2012. Go Dezi!
In addition, focused massage can increase circulation, help remove toxins, reduce stiffness and tension, increase mobility, and improves muscle tone — among other things — and in Dezi’s case, allow him to move his legs in a way he was unable to on land.
During his first visit to Wellsprings K9, Dezi was slightly nervous at first — unaccustomed to water let alone swimming, he was hesitant to get in, but under the attentive and watchful care of the licensed massage therapist, he soon grew comfortable with the swimming and absolutely LOVED the massage. And most importantly, while swimming both back legs not only moved, they showed promising range of motion. Slowly at first, but over the course of the first hour in the pool and in the subsequent weekly sessions, Dezi grew stronger, more mobile, and regained 95% use of his hind limbs.
“It’s like he was never injured,” Michael reports. “Every morning he gets up to play with his toys and then we go on our long walk together. He looks exactly as he did before the accident and I know that Wellsprings K9 played a major role in his amazing recovery.”
While Dr. Brooks is accurate in her assessment that many cases of FCE do not regain full use of their limbs, Dezi is walking proof that prompt attention and knowledgeable veterinary care along with focused swim and massage therapy can overcome the odds.
Max Update
Project Max
Max, the rescue dog, is continuing to come to the pool for therapy. He’s making slow slow progress, but progress is the key. He swims two times a week and while he’d rather just lie in the therapist’s lap for a massage and stretch, he’s learning to really extend his legs and body to become quite a proficient swimmer (something he struggled with the first time in the pool).
And of course, he’s inspired us all with his gallant efforts and his wise and soulful eyes.
If you’d like to follow his journey check out Project Max.
If you don’t know Max’s story yet, you can read it below.
To Walk…Perchance to Run
Max is a two year old Great Pyrenees/Yellow Lab mix. He’s still a puppy, full of mischief and playfulness and the need to run and frolic with his canine friends.
Only Max can barely walk let alone frolic. Rescued from a high-kill shelter in Los Angeles by Suzanne (a wonderful woman who has committed her time, finances, and energy to rescuing dogs) Max arrived in Seattle unable to stand, walk, or bear his own gentle giant weight.
His history has been pieced together: He was more than likely kept in a kennel half of his size most of his life. Unable to stand up with only enough room to turn around and lie back down, Max’s body tells the story of his abuse. His muscles are underdeveloped and severely atrophied. From the pattern of his limited muscle development, he turned mostly to the left, laid (and still does) on his left side, used his weak muscles on his right side to pull himself up, and spent considerable amount of time squatting (his back legs have more muscle mass than the rest of his body).
Bodies learn to move — walk, run, sit, stand, lie down — through brain patterning. Every human athlete knows this. You want to be better at your golf swing, practice swinging a golf club over and
over again…and not just randomly, but correctly so that your body makes a connection to your brain that the swing you want is this one, not that one.
Max’s patterns were limited. Standing from a sitting position was impossible. Walking forward rarely happened. Stretching was out of the question. Therefore his neural-pathways — those neurological connections that do everything from help us learn how to pick up a glass to more complicated tasks like running over hurdles or typing on a keyboard — were limited to those movements he could do on a daily basis — squatting, turning, lying down.
Suzanne worked with Max for six weeks teaching him to stand, helping him move forward, and building those neural-pathways one network at a time. But he wasn’t making the kind of progress she expected so she called Wellsprings K9 to see if we could help.
Rescuing dogs is an act of love and unfortunately doesn’t come with much money-making potential. We agreed to work with Max using money from the Wellsprings K9 Fund because Max was exactly the kind of dog who would benefit greatly from swim and massage therapy.
He was nervous about the water at first (imagine all the experiences he’s now having outside of his previous kenneled life and you can see how amazingly odd a big pool of water might be), but he is one loving and trusting fella. From the moment he got into the pool, his legs started moving — not in the coordinated way of most swim strokes, but they were moving and the more Max acclimated to the pool, the more coordinated he became.
Max craves human attention and so the massage portion of his session was a piece of cake. He smiled. He sighed. He leaned into the massage therapist’s hands as if to say, “Yes, right there…massage me right there! That feels great!”
Swim and massage sessions continue. Max is learning to re-pattern — moving to the right and not just the left, walking forward and backward, trusting his body and growing more and more aware 
of where his body is in space. He’s walking better (thanks also to Suzanne’s commitment to massage and exercises at home) and slowly that hunch in his back is leveling out.
Still, Max wants to run one day — as every puppy should — and to help him continue to progress it would be great to get him into the pool as much and as often as we can.
You can help Max in one of two ways: Suzanne has her own Chip-in account for her rescue organization Seattle Sobaka and funds from this account will not only help Max, but will help other rescues as well.
Or you can donate to this Wellsprings K9 Fund and not only will we be able to help Max in his therapy, we’ll also be able to help other dogs like Max who dream to walk, perchance to run.
As always, thank you for your generosity. Check back soon and watch his progress in the weeks to come.
