Grace Receiving Physical Rehab

We are so excited that Grace, formerly Alana, has been doing well in her new home. Her family loves her and was able to take her to Windsor Animal Hospital for canine physical rehabilitation. Whether a young animal needs help recovering from surgery or a geriatric animal needs arthritis management, physical rehabilitation (rehab) is a growing branch of veterinary medicine that is so important to dogs (and cats!).

Although Grace was moving just fine on her own, I know that rehab is especially important to a dog missing a limb. Dogs carry 40% of their weight on their rear legs, and 60% of their weight on their front legs. With Grace missing one of her front legs, she now has to carry that same 60% of her weight with half of the support. That's a tall order!

Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner Kristen Hagler was generous enough to consult with Grace's new people at a discounted fee for Pet Pals. She provided a list of exercises - a workout routine, if you will - for Grace to perform to stay strong, balanced and symmetrical, which can help prevent future injury due to extra strain on her remaining limbs. Performing these exercises can also help build confidence and provide mental stimulation. She is pictured above in the sit part of a sit-to-stand exercise, which is basically like a squat. We are so proud to have this resource for our special needs animals. In the future, we hope to have enough funds to send all our senior dogs and post-op animals to the wonderful Windsor Animal Hospital.