How Veterinary Rehabilitation Can Help Obese Dogs

Click here to read Dr. Jessie’s article in Innovative Care Journal

Click link or image above to read Dr. Jessie’s article in Innovative Care Journal.

The post Featured Innovative Care Journal Article Written By Dr. Jessie appeared first on Healing Paws Center.

Infrared Imaging (Thermography) for Pets – Giving a voice to your pet!

What is Infrared imaging?

Infrared imaging is a non-invasive diagnostic tool used to demonstrate the distribution of temperature on the skin in order to localize areas of inflammation and pain in cats and dogs.  It is often difficult to recognize signs of pain, especially in very stoic pets, so this imaging tool in a way helps to give a voice to your pet!  This is not meant to replace radiographs or other imaging tools, but rather complements them.

Most animals will NOT tell us where it hurts – infrared imaging is a tool to help us visualize the EXACT LOCATION of the heat, inflammation, and pain your animal’s body.

Infrared imaging allows us to isolate WHERE your pet is painful!

Thermal imaging allows us to isolate and determine WHERE the pain is! Here, we can see the red area around the RIGHT knee compared to the left knee.

The science behind infrared imaging and how it works

Infrared imaging measures heat at the body’s skin surface. These measurements are directly correlated to circulation in the skin.  Pets who have inflammation or pain, will have increased heat in those affected areas.  These measurements are then translated into an image called a ‘thermogram’, which is analyzed by your veterinarian at Healing Paws Center in Fort Lauderdale to further help with treatment planning for your pet.

The Benefits of Infrared Imaging

• Non-invasive which means NO SEDATION IS NEEDED!
• FDA approved
• Radiation free
• Locates focal regions to target during therapy
• Acts as an objective measurement of response to therapy
• Early detector of problems up to 3 weeks BEFORE they become clinically apparent or detectable à Early detection means we can treat the condition before it can become a problem. Early detection saves YOU money, and spares your pet from PAIN.

Infrared imaging is great for numerous injuries and disease processes. Here are just a few of them:

• Identifying the source of lameness or PAIN
• Ligament, tendon, muscle sprains/strains
• Infectious or inflammatory conditions
• Neurologic conditions, such as herniated discs and degenerative myelopathy
• Cancer
• Blood flow disorders
• Wellness screening and preventative care

Infrared Imaging is leading the way for a more individualized treatment plan for your pet.  If you are interested in this or any of our other services, give us a call to see how we can help your pet live a longer, healthier life!

Websites used:

1. https://asgvets.com/the-wonderful-colorful-world-of-veterinary-thermography/
2. https://asgvets.com/services/diagnostic-imaging/

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Degenerative myelopathy is common in German Shepherds.

What is DM?

Degenerative myelopathy (DM) in dogs is a condition caused by a mutated gene that leads to breakdown or degeneration of the white matter of the spinal cord.  It is slowly progressive and is very similar to ALS in humans.

Unfortunately, there is NO cure, but regular, frequent physical therapy (including land-based exercises and hydrotherapy) has been shown to increase survival times in dogs! (1).   This is the ONLY research-based evidence to help a pet who has DM.

Other case-based therapies include diet change, herbal therapies, canine massage therapy, electro-acupuncture, nerve regenerating supplements, and  anti-oxidant supplements.

What are the signs of DM?

You may first notice that your pet crosses their back legs over each other when they walk or they may have a swaying gait.  You might also see that they will knuckle their hindlimbs and develop ataxia (or loss of coordination as if they do not know where their feet are).

Other symptoms include weakness, muscle loss, or scuffing of their toenails.  Historically, DM is thought to be a non-painful progressive disease.  However, we have found that due to the unusual gait/ hindlimb walking, these pets WILL have trigger points and sore areas.  Thus, we always include pain management protocols for each of these patients.

How do you diagnose DM:

It is often difficult to obtain a definitive diagnosis of DM, as there are many other neurologic and orthopedic conditions that present similarly.  There is currently a blood or saliva DNA test available to test for the gene mutation that is thought to cause this disorder, but ultimately you must rule out other possible causes of these signs.  We carry this test at our clinic and utilize this test frequently.

Your primary veterinarian will likely want to start by running bloodwork and doing x-rays. They may also recommend more advanced imaging, such as a CT or MRI.

What breeds are most at risk for developing this disease?

This disease is most commonly found in older German Shepherd Dogs, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and Pembroke Welsh Corgis. It is extremely uncommon in cats and there is no sex predisposition.

Your Pet is Suspected to Have DM. How can Healing Paws Center help?

Testing for DM: We carry the saliva or blood DM test and can perform this test at any time.

Physical Therapy:

Physical therapy is currently the only research-based known treatment to help slow down the progression of DM.  A study of dogs with suspected DM that received physiotherapy had almost 5 times the survival time of dogs who didn’t receive physical therapy. Dogs that received therapy also remained ambulatory much longer than dogs that didn’t.

We will develop an individually tailored rehabilitation plan for your pet that targets their weaknesses, any painful trigger points from compensation, and more.  We will also review mobility aids (such as harnesses or wheelchairs if indicated).

Acupuncture:

Acupuncture points are precisely located points that contain a large number of vascular and nerve beds.  By placing small acupuncture needles at these points, we are able to increase blood flow to the area, and encourage the body to heal itself.  Acupuncture helps to wake up your dog’s nerves and stimulate the release of endorphins (“feel good” neurotransmitters).

Nutrition:

Nutrition is a vital part of your pet’s health.  Dogs with DM need to maintain a healthy body weight in order to improve mobility and decrease the stress on joints.  We also want to include  foods with high anti-oxidant properties in their diet.  We work directly with a veterinary nutritionist to help meet the needs of your dog individually.

Herbal Therapy:

We will counsel you on the best herbal therapies and supplements for your pet.

We know how scary this journey can be and we want you to know you are not alone!  As certified pet rehabilitation veterinarians, we are specially trained in this field, and here to lend a guiding hand and make sure your pet gets the individualized care they deserve.

WORKS CITED:

Kathmann I, Cizinauskas S, Doherr MG, et al: Daily controlled physiotherapy increases survival time in dogs with suspected degenerative myelopathy. J Vet Intern Med 2006 Vol 20 (4) pp. 927-32.

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