Pre-Visit Checklist for Owners

Before your vet visit, make sure to gather the following:

• List of Questions: Prepare any questions or concerns you have about your pet’s health or behavior.
• List of Medications: Bring along a list of any medications your pet is currently taking.
• Muzzle (if needed): Consider muzzle training if your pet may require a muzzle during the visit. Guide to muzzle training.
• Short Lead: Use a short lead instead of a retractable one for better control.
• Blanket or Familiar Item: Bring a blanket or something familiar that your pet often uses or lays on.
• Food or Treats: If applicable, bring your pet’s favorite treats or food.
• Photos or Videos: Provide any photos or videos of your pet displaying symptoms, if available.

How to Prepare for the Visit:

• Stay Calm: Remember, your pet can pick up on your feelings too, so try to remain calm to help keep them at ease.
• Safe Transportation: Ensure your pet is safely transported to the vet and is accustomed to the mode of transportation.
• Stay in the Car if Preferred: If your pet is more comfortable waiting in the car, please notify us upon arrival. We’ll come out to you when ready, reducing stress, especially in busy waiting rooms. This also helps maintain a calm environment for other pets if your dog tends to vocalize.
• Handling Preparation: Handling plays a significant role in examining your pet, so please get your pet used to being handled in areas such as paws, tail, ears, face, and body. Guide on handling your dog.

Windy and her mum have been friends of the practice for a year and regulars in the rehabilitation department. We are exceptionally proud of Windy and her recent successes in the agility ring. She has tried a combination of treatments from physiotherapy, the under water treadmill, hydrotherapy and acupuncture.

Windy’s mum is always enthusiastic and passionate about her dogs fitness and well being. She initially started with the rehabilitation team to ensure Windy was performing at best and to highlight any injuries before they deteriorated. A few months ago this is exactly what happened when Windy was placing her right hind shorter on the treadmill than her left. This suggested there was some pain or discomfort when she was walking and after a closer examination we noted she was painful in her spine. Her mum took on board all our advice and started rehabilitation at home with regular visits to Mochdre Vets to see how we could help her. After 1-2 months she was much improved and back to swimming in the hydrotherapy pool. A combination of treatment and a very committed mum put Windy back on the right path and breezing over those jumps into first place.

Following this Windy still attends rehabilitation sessions to ensure she is in peak performance at all times.

Factors we focused on were:

Massage
to help ease any spinal tension building up and support her shoulders as they were being affected by compensatory changes.

Gait
Not only did we look at how she was walking on the under water treadmill but Windy is also fortunate enough to have her own land based treadmill at home. We made a program to work on walking much slower than she wanted to encourage even weight distribution and active flexion of each joint.

Acupuncture
She attended sessions with Sarah to ease pain and ensure she was managing any discomfort.

Physiotherapy
Providing advice on warm up and cool down exercise before and after entering the agility ring.

Laser
To manage any sudden bouts of inflammation within the cells

If you have a competitive athletic dog and need some advice on conditioning and regular muscular-skeletal health checks then you can book in by ringing 01492 546112.

Meet Daisy

We’d like to introduce the wonderful Daisy and her Mum who had sent us her amazing photo’s of their walk around the Orme.  We had to ask her to write a dog friendly walks post about it.  I’m sure Pedro will be excited to try it, though Bert doesn’t care for hills (or walking) ….

After a fun swimming session with Gwenan noticed that Daisy had a weakness in her hindlimbs. Luckily this isn’t causing Daisy a problem at present but if not corrected could do so in the future. Gwenan suggested we do some hill walking rather than just on the flat so although we love our beach walks this is something I needed to address straight away so where better locally than The Orme.

What an eye opener we’ve had as although we’ve lived here for many years we really haven’t explored the Orme. To do a full review would take way too long as already over the last couple of weeks or so we’ve had so many adventures as the paths and footways really are endless. Most days we start from either Deganwy or West Shore with a run and play on the beach and then begin our Orme walk through the gate by the Old Toll House where you can walk along to Haulfre Gardens, there are plenty of benches along the way to rest and enjoy the stunning views. Keep an eye out for the zig zag path, it is a challenging one and we often see the Kashmiri goats in this area. It really is worth the effort and gives you a great sense of achievement when you reach the top. Then either carry on climbing or enjoy the views and head back down to the main path and through the green gate towards the tearoom. At Haulfre Gardens if you take the zig zag paths with the green handrails and then keep heading up and to the right, you may come across the Great Orme Family Golf. Daisy’s preferred route however is to take the first path to the left where we’ve found so many ways to then head up the Orme, sometimes climbing quite steeply so a decent pair of walking shoes really are needed. From here you can stay to the right and have a short walk and then head back down to the Haulfre Gardens area or simply keep climbing along the various paths to the summit which we love to do. We’ve yet to then head left and explore further towards the great expanse ahead of us but we definitely will be in future.

We are always mindful of the Orme’s very special Kashmiri goats and also of the sheep, and that we are visitors to their home so I always keep Daisy on her lead and we always give them the right of way.

After exploring the summit and enjoying the breathtaking views our favourite route is then to head towards the ski slope and to Happy Valley. There are just so many ways you can do this and it really is going to take us a lot more exploring to even to begin to cover them all. The scenery is just stunning and there are vast expanses of grass that look like freshly laid carpet, I can’t tell you the fun we’re having and I’m sure it’s doing my legs the world of good as well as Daisy’s. From here we often go and have a walk along the pier and then head back towards home through Haulfre Gardens.

There are so many ways to explore the Orme from walking, driving or taking the bus to the summit or a lovely drive along Marine Drive, but please remember you will need to pay a toll fee. There are also the cable car and dog friendly tram when they are running, as with everything on the Orme are seasonal, so please check the opening hours before leaving if you want to use any of them. We’ve also had many lovely walks around the Happy Valley area which can be as easy or as difficult as you wish to make them by staying on the main path or just exploring off-track. Above Happy Valley is the ski slope and toboggan run and if you take the path to the right you’re well on your way to the summit.

There are so many things to see and do on the Orme as well as enjoying a lovely walk, such as visiting the Copper Mines which are dog friendly and definitely on my list to visit with Daisy, as well as the Iron Age Fort and St Tudnos Church. At the summit there’s a childrens playground and also mini golf for all to enjoy as well as the gift shop, visitors centre, ice cream kiosk and of course the cafe and restaurant.

Whichever way you may decide to walk up the Orme it is very steep in places so please bear this in mind but if you drive, take the tram, bus or cable car (not dog friendly!) you can still have an easier stroll at the summit.

Shaun & Daisy

 We’ve already been on some enjoyable Orme walks with Emma and Shaun which have been so much fun and seen places we wouldn’t of ventured to because they really do know the Orme inside out. Today however we weren’t on a time limit so we ventured further than we had with them before and even found a path Emma and Shaun hadn’t walked before. This was much to Shaun’s delight because he’s very much the adventurer which is why he and Daisy get on so well. We stood mesmerised for several minutes watching the seals from high above as they swam in the sea below us which is always such a privilege. At the end of a wonderful day we finished our walk with a stroll around the walls of the summit farm before heading into town for a well earned coffee and of course some treats for the dogs. We headed home happily knowing that Daisy and Shaun would sleep soundly dreaming of their next adventure exploring the Orme.

This really is just a fraction of the options there are to enjoy the Orme and whatever your time availability you can have a wonderful walk with so much variety.

From both myself and Daisy there is no other option than a really big high five paws out of five and we’re looking forward to many more happy times exploring all that the Orme has to offer.

Arthritis is the most common joint disease in veterinary medicine with over 200,000 dogs affected annually so we made January 2019 ‘Arthritis Month’ to raise awareness of this condition in our pets as well as what complimentary treatments are available to improve their lives.

Skip

This handsome chap is a 13 year old collie cross who was rescued by his current owner a number of years ago. He has mellowed nicely in his old age and his owner has worked very hard on his confidence with new people and strange things. Looking at him today you wouldn’t have known he had had such a difficult past. As with a lot of older dogs he is now struggling with arthritic changes, more particularly in his spine and hips.  His Dad, although initially sceptical about starting treatment on an old boy did the right decision and brought him for an initial assessment with us after enquiring at his veterinary practice.

We found Skip had lost some muscle in his hind limbs and was beginning to show signs of deterioration and struggled on certain walks and obstacles around the house. We opted to put Skip in the treadmill as opposed to the pool because he was weary of water and we wanted to maintain muscle mass by varying water height in the treadmill. Skip has quite high water for buoyancy and support. The higher water creates additional resistance compared to normal walking, which in turn helps maintain muscle mass as he drives through the water.

Skip has now attended multiple sessions including a physiotherapy session where his Dad was advised on exercises he could do at home and managing arthritis. His Dad feels he has improved and he is much happier in leaving Skip alone in the house, although he’d hate to admit it. Skip continues to come for weekly sessions to help maintain the muscle mass and support him through his senior years.

Bailey

This handsome man comes for fortnightly hydrotherapy sessions in the pool and loves it! He brings his little brother Freddie along for the ride and he watches as Bailey impresses him with his swimming. Bailey has arthritis prominently in his elbows and struggles to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time. When in the pool he feels completely weightless and enjoys showing us how well he can move. Hydrotherapy provides him with mental stimulation and exercise is a controlled manner where he isn’t likely to over work or flare up his arthritis.

The pool is more suited to Bailey than the treadmill as it he is weightless and the buoyancy of the water helps support his joints. The hydrostatic pressure of the water also helps reduce any swelling in his joints, which can benefit him for a prolonged time. He is currently coming for fortnightly sessions and finds he gains a lot of stimulation from coming and loves the gravy bones at the end.

He has recently been diagnosed with renal issues however this hasn’t stopped him Mum from coming to weekly hydrotherapy sessions now that they see what benefit he gets from the treatment. We plan on continuing on the pool with Max not only because of the enjoyment he gets but also because of all the added health benefits such as:

• Buoyancy – No pressure on his sore joints
• Exercise- keeps his heart healthy
• Resistance – Works him harder in a shorter space of time than on land maintaining muscle mass
• Mental stimulation – Older dogs often struggle to adapt to reduced exercise so this provides the perfect opportunity to play and enjoy themselves.

We started Tia in the aquatic treadmill to allow controlled weight bearing exercise and to encourage placement of operated hind limb. Within a few sessions, Tia was using her back leg significantly better, has been going for longer walks and no longer hoping on three legs!

We are now continuing treating Tia in the pool to further gain muscle and fitness.

We’re so pleased with Tia’s progress and the fact she’s running around happily on four legs!

You can download our guide right here …

Some of you might have attended the rehabilitation teams client evening. We titled it ‘Agile not Fragile’ with the aim of introducing different techniques that you can do at home and provide for your animal to keep them in the best form possible. Many of us go about our day to day without thinking about preventative measures we can incorporate in our dogs life to better their health. As the saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure’ and there are plenty of preventative steps we can do. Both Abbie and Gwenan who work in the rehabilitation team have happy and healthy dogs. You might imagine because we have all these facilities they would be in tip top shape. Unfortunately even our dogs can get injured over small things and with our ever scrutinising eyes we sometimes notice them sooner. Here is a little bit of information about our dogs and what we do to help them stay healthy.

Oscar is Gwenan our physiotherapist dog and although only 5 years old he developed a slight limp when walking.  After some x-rays we found the issue was more muscular than structural and to tackle this Gwenan has him on Joint Advance, a supplement designed for the practice to help prevent the deterioration of the joint.

In addition Oscar regularly does core exercise work at home such as:
Sit to stand X 7
Lie down to stand X 7
Figure of 8 X 10
Give paw X 8

Oscar is also the star of Gwenan’s Muscle Monday series!

Although these exercises might seem basic they provide a solid foundation for our dogs to handle day to day demands. If we only walk our dog then we are only focusing on these muscle groups whereas mixing exercises up can target a wider range of muscles.

When possible Oscar also benefits from the hydrotherapy pool. He has good hind limb movement and a solid core that contributes to his swimming technique to maximises the benefits of swimming.

We’re now at a point where he is happy and back to his normal routine but Abbie is keeping a close eye on his hind limbs for any changes. It is easy to assume your dog is fit and healthy and not likely to injure themselves but there is always this risk. Lucky for Drum he was able to receive this treatment quickly to avoid any lasting impact on his gait.

Below is Drum now managing to trot on the treadmill, something that is only done with fit and healthy dogs.

Services we offer for patients of varying size, ability and age include:

• K-Laser therapy
• Massage
• Physiotherapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Acupuncture

All dogs are treated as an individual case and we try and alter treatment to suit them personally. We also offer sessions where we can teach you tips and techniques to manage your dog at home regardless of their activity level. Book a session with our physiotherapist to discuss a suitable treatment plan and notice any subtle issues that might cause a bigger one in a few years time. You can also keep your dog healthy with regular hydrotherapy sessions not to mention benefits such as increased confidence, enjoyment and variety.

Yogi here is an ex-racing greyhound who is now enjoying retirement!  After competing on the racing circuit for the first two years on his life he was on top form and winning. Yogi unfortunately broke his right hind limb ending his racing career. Luckily he was taken in by Hectors Greyhound Rescue and is able to enjoy himself now as a 6 year old without any known issues. Yogi’s owner attended our talk on keeping your dog agile and not fragile and noted she was unaware that there were so many preventative treatments we could use to help Yogi.

We discussed:

• Joint supplements
• Massage and stretching
• Hydrotherapy
• Hot and cold therapy
• Laser treatment
• Acupuncture
• Physiotherapy

Often people think these treatments are only available or suitable for injured dogs and those needing rehabilitation after surgery. The truth is all these treatments are beneficial to your dog regardless of this. To keep your dog at its peak you could use a combination of the techniques listed above or even just one or two to help you dog go through the different stages of life and demands put on the body.

Yogi came for a physiotherapy session so his owner could learn a bit more about massage and perhaps practice this at home. What we found was that his old racing injury has caused compensatory effects on his muscle and range of movement. The real message is that although we might think our dogs are managing fine perhaps they could do more than manage and they could benefit from a touch of TLC to ensure they move and navigate daily life at optimum.

Looking at the picture below can you notice how the right hind has less muscle tone than the left?

Although this is only subtle it suggest this right limb isn’t working as efficiently as the left. This will put excess strain on the left hind limb, the spine and the left forelimb as often these issues will affect the diagonal limb. Can you see how he also has this right hind limb slightly more forward than the left? This suggests he is placing less weight through the right hind.

We also noted there was very minimal range of motion in his right hind and he was weary of this area being treated. Although day to day Yogi looks fine and that his old racing life is miles behind him when you look closer there are niggles still remaining. Lucky for Yogi his owner is now up to date on basic massage principles In the hope of managing any tension that might develop in later life.

If you want to learn more about preventative treatment and keeping your dog agile then ring the practice and book in for one of our rehabilitative services.

If ever you’re worried about your older dog trying something new, such as hydrotherapy, take inspiration from Snoopy. She’s 15 years old and tried her hand at her first hydrotherapy session this week. Perhaps it was the mermaid outfit that gave her extra confidence or maybe it was her strong nature.

Snoopy has been coming for laser therapy for a couple of months now to help with hind limb weakness that had been developing over the past year. Her mum noticed a vast improvement and noted she could even stand on her back legs on a wobble board after a number of sessions. This confidence around the equipment at home planted the first seed of hope for her mum that she might be ok with swimming. Although she never goes into the sea to swim or has shown interest before, often dogs can surprise up by their ability to adapt, so it was worth a try.

The Mack’s are known at the practice and you can see Daisy’s blog on her rehabilitation and often you’ll see them dressed to impress on a Monday. Rose Mack has tried physiotherapy, laser, treadmill and the pool with her dogs and it was only Snoopy left to try the pool.

Initially we performed a small lap to allow Snoopy to come back to the resting ramp and let her know that she was safe and secure within the pool environment.  Snoopy efficiently used all her legs and didn’t seem phased by the whole concept of swimming. Before you know it she was able to swim laps in the pool with only support needed around the corners.

Our aims were to:

• Regain proprioceptive feeling

• Avoid muscle loss

• Build on core stability

• Reeducate his gait

• Ease tension