Question: How many sessions will my dog require at La Paw Spa?
Answer: Well.. this is a loaded question… the answer to
this one depends on about 20 different variables – maybe more. We first will
want to discuss your situation with your veterinarian and come up with what our
goals are for the work. Here are some examples of programs that have worked
well with other dogs – and what we usually do is start slow, take notes and the
answer to this question usually becomes clear as we go…
- Abbey, a young golden retriever with bilateral hip replacement came to the
pool 6 weeks after surgery per her veterinary’s recommended schedule. At first
she came for massage and light range of motion work then just a bit of
swimming. She came twice weekly for about 8 weeks with the amount of swimming
increasing very gradually each time. We kept in close contact, monitoring her
post spa condition, trying to stay on that edge of doing some work but not
doing too much. We worked hard to push her to her limit, but never beyond. Her
owner was truly committed to getting the most that she could out of Abbey’s
rehabilitation. By the end of 14 weeks, she was swimming against the
resistance of the swim jets for the entire session. Abbey made a full
recovery. - Badger, a pitbull mix, came to me after his ACL surgery. He was using his
leg nicely at 8 weeks in the slow leash walks that the vet had recommended so
we introduced swimming at this time and began a slow program of just once per
week to offer the resistance that swimming has to the joint. Badger made a full
recovery in about 2 months. - Jake, a lab diagnosed with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear, came in
weekly to increase muscle support to his knee, hoping to avoid surgery. We put
Jake on a muscle building program weekly to build muscle surrounding the
injured area. Jake is on a maintenance program for life in an effort to avoid
surgery. - Karma, a whippet with a severe nerve injury to
her shoulder from running into a hidden stationary object, had been told that
she would never run again, and in fact, that she might even lose her leg. As
soon as the stitches were out from the muscle and skin tears that she suffered,
Karma started coming to La Paw Spa. At first Cindy just worked on getting
Karma used to the water. Then she worked on gentle range of motion to keep the
muscles loose in the hope that they would not scar down from the serious
bruising that Karma had suffered all over her body. Slowly, Cindy worked Karma
up to swimming in the water and trying to use her leg, which was still fairly
numb and limp. After about a month of spa visits, the benefit of her rehab
plan was starting to show. Weekly spa visits combined with acupuncture,
chiropractic, and an aggressive home physical therapy plan in between, helped
Karma not only regain the use of her lifeless limb.. but after 16 months of
rehab, Karma ran well enough to be awarded her Field Championship - Laser, a retired racing greyhound simply likes to come to the spa for a
refreshing massage. There is no limit on the amount of time that he can spend
at the spa, and in fact, we think that he would choose to come every day if
given the chance. - Many older dogs come to the spa for the massage and range of motion work and
light swimming – once a week or once every other week to keep limber and
relaxed. The warm water massage, which helps stimulate circulation and relax
muscles, keeps the dog’s bodies in an optimum state for their age. We also are
able to talk during these sessions about other concerns and challenges and
questions that come up. - Some dogs (and perhaps its more for their people!) come weekly during the
cold damp winter months only – and then not at all in the summer months.
