Recommendations for canine physio in Wiltshire

fankino04

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Hi all, I'm in need of a new physio for noodle. It may well just be old age and nothing we can fix but obviously want to know that we have checked everything possible and done everything to help her. She turned 13 at the start of April and as a large breed (Malamute in my avatar) that makes her old lol, and whilst she can still fling herself around the floor when she wants my attention prior to a feed time and is still marching out the door ahead of me to go on walks, her muscle wastage has got worse and she is now sometimes leaving a back leg behind when she walks causing her to stumble, she also stumbles when she tries to turn too quick ( normally if she hears someone in the kitchen and she's facing the wrong way lol). In October I had a niggle that there might be something wrong as she was so uninterested in walks but she is pretty laid back anyway so might have just been old age, anyway had her checked by 2 vets and a vet physio who all said she was in good knick ( not even any arthritis), niggle still there so got the horses physio who also does dogs out to her and she found a compressed nerve in her back straight away, treated her and she was a different dog after, eager to go on walks, jigging down the track ahead of me, even jumping the odd log in the woods. The jogging and jumping have now stopped, and if she does jog there's some very short choppy steps in there, as I say it may well just be age but want to check and as our physio has a broken hand am in need of another I can trust. ( My experience of human ones is less than favourable and as 3 experts missed her back problem last year I'm wary of using one I don't know).
 

MurphysMinder

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Thanks, our wonderful physio said to check the RAMP register but really looking for a personal recommendation from someone, although may need to just dive on with someone online if it comes to that.

Can't help with recommendation but remember a physio should always ask for a referral from your vet. This may just be a quick phone call to the vet checking its ok to treat the dog.
 

CorvusCorax

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If she's trailing a leg/stumbling I'd query DM, which is degenerative. With the best will in the world I wouldn't really be 'walking' a large breed dog of that age with history of lameness/back complaint, I'd just be letting her potter at her own pace and definitely not be happy to see her jumping anything whether she 'can' or not.
I had a large breed with a broken leg in youuth who lived to 14 but in the last year or so she was only really pottering in the garden.
It's great to get them to old age but they don't go on forever with the same vigour.
I realise I am conservative in my management...
 

fankino04

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If she's trailing a leg/stumbling I'd query DM, which is degenerative. With the best will in the world I wouldn't really be 'walking' a large breed dog of that age with history of lameness/back complaint, I'd just be letting her potter at her own pace and definitely not be happy to see her jumping anything whether she 'can' or not.
I had a large breed with a broken leg in youuth who lived to 14 but in the last year or so she was only really pottering in the garden.
It's great to get them to old age but they don't go on forever with the same vigour.
I realise I am conservative in my management...
Thanks, the physio has said just to let her decide what she wants to do so she isn't being made to do anything. She also said it is important to keep her exercising as much as she is comfortable with as otherwise the muscles will waste quicker, her walks have been reduced in length over the last 6-12 months to accommodate her aging and she doesn't run around playing with other dogs or chasing balls as even if this is something that she wants to do I know she would suffer for it later, she does just generally potter about as she pleases.
 
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