Thanks to coordination and balanced dog training, Astrid is today healthy and loves going for nature walks.
LUXATION PATELLA DIAGNOSIS IN DOGS
Astrid is a medium poodle and lives with one of our product developers here at Bozita. It was already evident before Astrid was one year old that something wasn’t quite right with her rear legs. She made something like a frog jump when moving from sitting position to forward motion. The vet diagnosed Astrid with luxation patella. Luxation patella in dogs causes their knee joints to dislocate. Often it’s possible to strengthen the muscles around the joint and help to stabilise the joint and prevent it from dislocating. This was quite a severe problem in Astrid’s case and surgery was therefore recommended.
REHABILITATION WITH BALANCED DOG TRINING
One knee was operated on at a time after which an extended period of rehabilitation followed based on consultations from a physiotherapist and orthopedist. The rehabilitation aimed at strengthening and activating the small muscles around the joint through extensive coordination and balanced dog training. The idea was to encourage Astrid to use both her rear legs equally, instead of her habit of putting more weight on one of the rear legs. To get Astrid to activate both her rear legs, the training involved a great deal of brisk walking, both on land and in shallow water at the vet’s clinic and in lakes, as well as plenty of walking in low blue berry bushes, with the purpose of encouraging her to lift her rear legs sufficiently.
Today Astrid has no problems standing up on the balancing board, a great tool for balanced dog training. It was a huge challenge for her in the begining, however, as she was protective of her paws and quite apprehensive in general. The key was to start with shaping and to gradually reward her for her behaviour and ultimately encourage her to take the right approach. This helped Astrid’s independence, boosted her confidence and reduced her cautiousness. Suddenly one day, she stod with all paws on the balancing board and even moved around on the board with no problems.
LAXATION PATELLA – PROBLEM-FREE
Astrid is 6 years old today and is free of knee problems. Her mum must still keep an eye on her movement and encourage activities and exercises that help to prevent future problems. She has an increased risk of arthritis, but there are no signs of this yet. She is now a happy dog who loves to run in the forest. Learn more about luxation patella at The Swedish Kennel Club’s website www.skk.se/sv/uppfodning/halsa/halsoprogram/patellaluxation.
