Rowdy's Recovery - Week 5

Rowdy is doing great!  He's eating well, walking well, playing (too much) but all in all in very good spirits.  We did inquire this week about hydro therapy for him, which we've heard is very good for muscle recovery, range of motion, flexibility and overall well-being.  During the conversation with the great people at K9 Hydrotherapy Inc in St. Louis Park Mn, we learned that Rowdy is likely recovering too well to need it.  They indicated that since Rowdy is young, using his leg very well, re-gaining muscle mass and is walking with a normal gate, that he doesn't fit the bill.  I'm sure Rowdy would love to go (as he's the best swimming boxer I know) but it's no hydro-therpay for this guy.  Their services are very beneficial however for dogs who are a little older and more hesitant to use their leg, or aren't gaining muscle mass back.  

On the docket for week 5 in Rowdy's Recovery regimen is more walking, longer walks (15 - 20 min) and continued range of motion therapy.  Despite Rowdy's dislike for everything in his physical therapy (except walking) we still try to do his exercises daily.  It's as simple as a warm compress on his leg for 1min, then slowly flexing and extending his leg 10 times - until the point of resistance.  He's doing very well with the exercises, but hates the compress so 3 times per day is a little tough.

Rowdy's Recovery - Week 4 (short walks)

Rowdy is FINALLY able to go on short walks on the leash.  He's so thankful, needing the mental stimulation on new sights/sounds/smells.  It's difficult to keep him quiet and calm at home, but these little walks (3 times a day) are his saving grace right now.  If you were to see him walking down the street, you'd have no idea he had surgery a month ago.  His gate looks great, he's walking strong and using his right leg a lot.  All in all he's healing very well - just a matter of time and he'll be jumping/running/playing 100%.

Rowdy's Recovery - Week 3, Why Can't I Play!?!

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Originally uploaded by ModernLifePhoto

We've indicated a couple times now that the hardest part of Rowdy's Recovery is keeping him calm. For those of you who've never met Rowdy, he's the sweetest 2 year old white boxer you'll ever meet - and he LOVES to play.

With all of that said, we've figured out a few tricks to keep Rowdy (and Roxy) busy. We mentioned in the last post that a Kong filled with frozen greek yogurt works well. In addition to that, we've picked up a couple of Kong balls. We cut a slice of Natural Balance Lamb Log that's a little big for the hole in the ball. We stuff it in so it's tight and tough to get out - 30mins gone. Best Bully Sticks are a great option as well, and we love the fact that they're free range & organic. Finally we've picked up a couple of free range raw bones from Urbanimal in Minneapolis. The dogs LOVE these but they're really messy, so definitely not an option to eat on the carpet.

All of the time consuming things we mentioned above are food, we're definitely aware of that. Something to be careful of is to make sure that Rowdy doesn't gain weight. After tearing one ACL, he has a 30%-40% chance of injuring the other, and the best thing that we can do to prevent that from happening is to keep him on the lighter side of average. He's always been a slender pup, but we're keeping very close tabs on his weight through this recovery.  Currently, he's 57 lbs (a little guy) and he hasn't really gained much weight.

On a positive note, Rowdy can enjoy three 5-10 minute walks per day now.  He is using the leg a lot more, and we're walking slow.  Just seeing some new scenery is making him very happy and he definitely looks forward to getting out.