He has been through it all this past year after being involved in a road traffic accident in July 2016. After escaping he ran into the road and unfortunately was hit by a car. It was quite a nasty accident with him suffering severe wounds to his front left paw and his back left leg. His wounds were so severe on his back leg you could see his bone and tendons. On his front leg he had a lot of bruising and swelling under his arm and most the skin on his paw had come off. Unfortunately he was also showing signs that he had limited sensation in his paw and we wondered how much nerve damage had occurred.
For the next two month he underwent so many bandage changes it’s hard to count! He had to come in daily to every other day until September! During this time his wounds would often make progress where the tissue would start to granulate. However there was always the risk the tissue would die leaving the wound open.
Three months after his accident he was managing on 3 legs. His front left leg still hadn’t made much of a recovery in terms of gaining sensation.
Fast forward a year!
**Busby comes to Mochdre Vets**
He was originally booked in for a treadmill session however as he was still on 3 legs we thought this wouldn’t suit so we booked him in for some physiotherapy.
When Gwenan first saw him his front left paw was held up very close to his body. He’d lost all his muscle and his tendons had shortened and contracted in a flexed position, meaning he couldn’t straighten his leg even if he wanted to.
He started to attend weekly sessions of physiotherapy. There was limited feeling in his front leg so the original plan was to help his body deal with this compensation in an effective way.
The main aims were:
• Control the pain
• Build core strength
• Help with muscle distribution
• Ease tension
• Proprioception – gain any more feeling
Techniques used:
1. Laser – For pain relief. His grumbling and guarding suggested he was still in some discomfort. Laser provides great pain relief for animals.
2. Massage – His muscles had become very tight all over his body especially on the right side as he leans and compensates.
3. Wobble board – to build his core strength and stability. Being on three legs is hard work and without the right strength to manage this he was becoming tired on his walks quickly and would lie down a lot.
4. Tooth Brush – This isn’t for his teeth believe it or not! A child’s electric toothbrush provides a tolerable level of vibration to place on his paw to try and stimulate his nerve senses. This technique is also used on dogs struggling with paralysis.
5. Stretching – With him being so tense he had limited flexibility in all his legs and a bit or stretching helps ease this tension and help with movement.
After 3 sessions of physiotherapy Gwenan was debating whether to try him in the pool. Without the use of his front leg he would need support when swimming. His level of comfort in the water was the main concern, as we didn’t want him to feel too vulnerable.
We took the plunge and Gwenan carried him into the pool not knowing what to expect.
Well the unexpected was what we got. Busby started moving his leg! Not only moving it but he started swimming with it. Both Gwenan and Busby’s Mum were flabbergasted to say the least!
More and more sessions were had and he was able to perform 15 straight lengths in the pool – some without support! Although he wasn’t walking on his leg and probably never would be able to, the warm water and movement eased the tension in his leg. He was able to groom himself using his leg and what is even better is that he seemed more comfortable. Assessments and physiotherapy sessions became easier and he was a lot more confident and happy. We’re now at a point with his treatment where we’re happy to drop sessions to once every two weeks just to keep the leg supple and maximize any movement he has out of it
