Winnie is a young Samoyed and with a big smile and a lovely character. Samoyeds were bred by nomadic tribes of North-Eastern Siberia for herding and guarding reindeer, pulling loads and even hunting. When she came to us, she was 5 month old and had spent two month on strict rest. You can imagine how hard that was for both her and her family. We are sharing her story to raise awareness that Rehabilitation is important for young patients with injuries.
Winnie had not been able to be in her large garden or even on a lead walk for almost half of her young life. Instead, she had been confined to a small space to allow her leg to heal.
X-rays had been inconclusive, and an orthopaedic surgeon suspected a stretched ligament in the left hock and prescribed leaving the dressing on a bit longer along with more rest.
When we first saw her the joint was stable but made clicking noises. She lacked musculature on the affected leg and didn’t use it well when standing. At home she kept having episodes of clearly being in pain. At her first treatment she had laser therapy and was started on 5 minutes of slow walking several times a day.
It is easier said than done to lead walk a youngster that has been rested for two months. We recommended a physio to do home visits to Winnie and work out a tailored exercise plan. We also started using acupuncture and herbs and encouraged discussing the necessary painkillers with the referring vet.
A month after we first saw Winnie she was able to stop painkillers, but it became obvious that the back had been affected by the long rest and lameness. Treating the back pain with acupuncture and laser therapy made the physio exercises much easier and addressed the yelping the owner had been so worried about.
Patience, tailored treatments, and exercises are bearing fruit. 2 month after her initial appointment we had the following update from Lauren:
“Just to say Winnie has had her best week yet. She is tolerating walks and exercise really well. There have been zero signs of pain or discomfort and she appears calmer as a result. She is even standing straighter. I have finally been able to walk her with her mum and never thought we would get there. Just a thank you really for the compassion and care you have shown Winnie and I. We are honestly so grateful.”
Lauren
