Sprout is a 10 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who suffered from a luxating patella causing lameness of his left hind which was corrected with surgery in 2019. Although the lameness was resolved, Sprout remained slightly guarded of this area and as a result he did not use the leg as well as he could. Without physiotherapy at the time, this had led to him using his front legs to move more and also developing a lopsided sitting posture with the affected leg out to the side; when I first assessed Sprout, he had a very sore neck, shoulders and back and a lack of muscle over his hindlegs as a result.
With frequent massage and stretching sessions, as well as exercises prescribed for the owners to do daily, Sprout is now capable of a normal sitting posture and no longer suffers from major soreness in his neck, shoulders and back. Due to the commitment of his owners to his exercises, Sprout has also developed really strong hindleg muscles which will help him stay active as he gets older. His owners have said…
“If he went for an extra long walk or had friends round and played for long periods, often he would be quite stiff later that day and sometimes into the next day. He would even resort to 3 legs if he had been particularly active. The vets advised just 20-minute walks 2 to 3 times a day.
Since Lauren has been seeing Sprout, there has been a hugely noticeable improvement in his mobility. His morning walks are regularly more that 45 minutes and he is full of energy, up and down the banks in the woods and just running for fun it seems.
His exercises are easy now that we have all got the hang of them, and small amounts of chicken make for a very happy to oblige doggie. Seeing him enjoying his walks and playing like a youngster again is a truly heart warming feeling. We intend to continue on this path with Lauren and keep Sprout running for fun“
