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OUR DOG EMMA - UP AND RUNNING!
This is Emma. She is a one and a half year old Labradoodle who lives with us, Mark and Danielle Paradise (owners of NorthPaws). This is the journal of her injury and therapy.
EMMA'S INJURY
The original cause of her injury is unknown, but one thing is certain: Emma's limp was getting worse. About four weeks ago Emma started limping for no apparent reason. We brought her into NorthPaws to be evaluated. Blood tests and radiographs were performed in search of the problem, but no abnormalities were found. Searching for answers, we consulted Dr. David Clark who serves as NorthPaws' consulting orthopedic surgeon. He also agreed that Emma was painful in both her left elbow and right shoulder, but again, could find no cause to explain why. Dr. Clark recommended a consult for Emma with Dr. Jeff Corey at Healing Paws, a veterinary rehabilitation center.
www.healingpawsri.com
Visit 1:
1/27/08
Emma's initial evaluation by Dr. Corey was done on Sunday, January 27th. Again, her elbow and shoulder were found to be painful. Following her exam, Dr. Corey outlined a plan for Emma's physical therapy that included both hydrotherapy, which is performed on a water treadmill, and massage therapy. After talking with Dr. Corey, we were happy to hear that Emma would be able to start her therapy that same day. Her first exercise was on the water treadmill. Pictured below is Emma having her first hydrotherapy performed. Dr. Corey also instructed us to massage and apply warm compresses to Emma at home.
Emma did 6 minutes on the treadmill!!!! Go EMMA!
Visit 2
1/30/08
Emma's next visit to Dr. Corey was on Wednesday evening, January 30th. Upon our arrival, we were escorted to an exam room by Dr. Corey to begin Emma's massage therapy. At first, Emma was hesitant about the experience due to the pain in her shoulder, but by the end of the session, she had relaxed and even seemed to be enjoying the attention. After her massage therapy, Emma got her second run on the water treadmill. This time, she was able to stay on the treadmill for over ten minutes, with the help of some tasty treats.
Visit 3
2/3/08
On our third visit to Healing Paws Emma again received massage and heat therapy. Dr. Corey also introduced her to a new exercise, which involved placing her on a rocking board to help with strengthening her muscles. To finish the session off, Emma trained on the water treadmill and then was treated to the exercise of swimming in the water tank, which proved to be even more enjoyable when the tennis ball was tossed into the water.
Hydrotherapy
(view below twice for best image)
Hydrotherapy 2
Emma Swimming
(view twice for best image)
4th visit
2/13/08
Emma's 4th visit to Healing Paws was on February 13th, a slushy and rainy Wednesday night. Once we got inside and out of the cold, Emma was more than eager to warm up by starting with heat therapy and massage. Although she wouldn't have minded prolonging the massage, eventually we had to move onto the rocking board to get those muscles pumping! Following that, Dr. Corey announced that it was time for Emma and I (Danielle) to do a run through over the doggie jumps, which consist of mini hurdle-like jumps that rise 8-12 inches off the ground. Once we made our initial lap, Emma proved to be quite swift and agile when it came to clearing the obstacles ( unlike her mother). Last but not least, Emma was treated to another round of hydrotherapy before our session was up and it was time to head back home.
3/3/08
Emma has continued her physical therapy. She graduated to once a week with continued heat therapy at home. Emma still has residual limping despite her therapy. Dr. Corey recommended reevaluation of Emma's leg by Dr. Clark the orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Clark is concerned that Emma has continued swelling in her elbow. While continuing her physical therapy, Emma has started a new medication. If this helps she will continue her therapy for several weeks. We will keep you posted in 2 weeks as to her response to the medication and therapy. If her pain continues she may need surgery. More pictures will follow.
4/3/08
Emma has continued to be in pain. She did not respond to the medication (Adequan). She will be restarting her physical therapy and Dr. Clark will be doing surgery on her elbow. I will keep you posted once surgery has been scheduled.
5/15/08
For those of you still following Emma's story....you will be happy to know she is improving on her own. Through physical therapy at home and gradual exercise her lameness has improved greatly. She still has a ways to go. We have postponed the surgery for now given her gradual improvement and have continued contact with Dr. Corey regarding her physical therapy. Thank you to everyone for sharing in our story.
7/19/08
Emma went hiking again for the first time today. She has been doing very well. She swims at home regularly now and loves it of course. She still has her off days but overall has improved. Dr. Clark is scheduled to reevaluate Emma to make sure everything continues to go smoothly. Emma still misses her opportunities to get Dr. Corey wet at physical therapy though.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING EMMA'S STORY!! IT CONTINUES!!
2/19/09
Emma prepared for her day of surgery. She was getting worse again. This time her right front leg seemed to be bothering her more than her left. She was constantly limping and uncomfortable. She was still in good spirits as always. We decided to have the surgery done at this point. Dr. Clark scheduled Emma to have surgery on 2/20/09. On the day prior to surgery Emma got a bath of course to be clean (and since she wouldn't be able to for 10 days!!). After she was dry a Fentanyl pain patch was placed on Emma to keep her comfortable after surgery. She had to wear a T-shirt to keep her away from the patch. She did very well overnight.
2/20/09
Emma's big day! She couldn't eat that morning to prepare for anesthesia. We brought her in just before 8AM to have her catheter placed and her premedication given. Emma had her right front leg shaved and scrubbed for surgery. Dr. Clark carefully made his incision and examined Emma's elbow. She had signigicant disease in her elbow. Her cartiladge was damaged and a small fissure that was present. Dr. Clark fixed the area and closed the incision. Emma recovered well from surgery.
  
Emma came home that night still alittle groggy from surgery but doing well. She was already trying to put her toes down on her right front leg!
2/21/09
Emma's first day after surgery!! She is crazy! She was already up and trying to bear weight on her leg. She was playful and happy. She was enjoying her new bed and her family. Emma is not allowed to run, jump or do stairs. She is being carried around and carefully walked outside. She will have to be pampered for the next 4-6 weeks. She is taking her antibiotics and pain medications as prescribed. Unfortunately she may have to have her other elbow done as well but for now she is just taking it easy and enjoying the extra pampering. I will keep you posted as the next few weeks progress.
 
4/17/09
Emma is doing very well. Pictures to follow. She is still recovering, but she is able to play ball and go for short walks. We can't wait for the weather to be nice enough to swim. Swimming will help her rebuild the strength in her leg without impact exercise. We are hopeful for a full recovery once we can rebuild her muscles. She is happy to no longer have her bandage or T-shirt on. We think she looked rather cute!
5/27/09
Emma is still waiting for Daddy to open up the pool. She is looking forward to her water therapy. Her hair has finally grown back and she looks great. Thought everyone might like a new picture. We are waiting to see how she will do after some swimming. Ground exercise like throwing the ball still gets her a bit sore.
7/24/09
Emma is happy the pool is open. She is doing really well with swimming and now ground exercise. She currently gets Adequan injections and is feeling great. She is playing until she drops like a true Retriever now. Can't wait to take her hiking again. Pictures to follow.
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