Six-year-old poodle Louis P came to the MSU CVM Animal Health Center’s Rehabilitation Service in July after a dorsal laminectomy, a spinal surgery in which part of a vertebra was removed to relieve pressure on his spinal cord to help manage Wobbler’s disease. The condition causes weakness and an unsteady, “wobbly” gait.
Louis P’s surgery was successful; however, when he arrived for rehab, he had weakness in all four legs and couldn’t stand or walk without help.
The rehab team created a personalized plan to help Louis P build strength and restore his mobility. Early sessions focused on ball work, using a large therapy ball to encourage him to balance and bear weight, and laser therapy, which uses light to reduce inflammation, ease pain, and speed healing.
“Very quickly, Louis P was showing notable improvement,” said Catherine Barton, a veterinary technician with the rehab team. “By his third day in rehab, he was able to bear most of his weight, and we began walking him with a harness to offer assistance, build his confidence, and increase his strength.”
To guide proper paw placement, the team used No-Knuckle Training Socks, special rehab socks that encourage correct foot placements, and gentle therapy resistance bands to strengthen his muscles.
By the second week, Louis P was walking almost independently with only minor knuckling of his front paw.
“We began introducing cavaletti poles to work on balance, proprioception, and weight shifting while he wore the No-Knuckle Sock on that paw,” Justice Steele, another vet technician on the rehab team, added. “Around this time, we also introduced him to the endless pool for swimming sessions, allowing him to move all four limbs in a non-weight-bearing environment and encouraging more extension of the joints in the front legs.”
After over 19 days of inpatient rehabilitation, Louis P continued to thrive with a steady routine of laser therapy, cavaletti work, assisted walks, and swimming. At discharge, he was walking mostly independently, needing help only on slick surfaces.
Louis P’s case is just one example of how a well-trained rehabilitation team can create and implement a customized regimen that restores or improves mobility, greatly enhancing quality of life.
