Let's Get Physical

I have a confession to make- I've been holding out regarding Roo's progress.  Sure, I could argue that I was saving you from mediocre posts about how she can now scratch her ear with her hind leg or how if I'm laying on the couch, she will hold herself up with her back legs on the floor and lift her front legs on the couch and then cry in my face until I hoist her up.  If that's the kind of info you are into, let me know.  I can also tell you what I ate today.

But now I DO have news.  Yesterday, we went to our physical therapy consultation at The Animal Medical Center.  This is the largest animal hospital in the country and has been around for over 100 years.  They have a top notch medical team, are open 24 hours a day/7 days a week and are the only institute in the city offering post-surgical dog rehabilitation.  They are located in No Man's Land NYC- East 62nd and York and with a 30 lb Frenchie who can't squeeze her ass into a dog bag, completely inaccessible by subway.  $65 for a round trip car service? Hooray!

After making a slight detour to the Oncology Department (which I now know is a fancy way of saying "cancer"), we waited to meet with Dr Alverez.  (The red booties in the picture below are to protect her tootsies from dragging on the concrete when she walks.  Bloody dog toes = not as much fun as you'd think).

While we were waiting to be called in, Roo kept her eye on the suspicious King Charles Spaniel deceptively wagging her tail back and forth from down the hall.

After a few minutes cooling our heels, we met the hippy doctor and her team of merry helpers.  We discussed the surgery, Roo's progress at home, the Do's and Don'ts of home care and discovered the delightfully conflicting views of Dr Prata and Dr Alvarez.

Dr Prata: Let Rooster do whatever she wants.  If she wants to run, let her run. If she wants to play, let her play.  Physical Therapy isn't necessary in her recovery and the best medicine for "Our Friend" is walking her and letting her rebuild the strength on her own.

Dr Alvarez: Confine Roo's movements and activities until she heals further.  Any movement in her spine that causes her to bend will only slow down the healing progression.  Do not let her run, do not throw a ball, only play tug of war on carpeted areas to strengthen her hind legs.  Push her butt from side to side while she is standing and tickle her feet several times a day to promote a knee jerk reaction.

Do I trust the practical man with a gruff demeanor and 43 years of experience who may be behind the times, in treatment advice?  OR do I put my money (and I mean a lot of $$$$) on the new age lady who practices Integrative Medicine including therapies such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy and physical rehabilitation.  Meh.  While I was assessing each doctors' credentials in my head, Dr Alverez and her helpers assessed Roo's condition. 

 My little warrior did NOT appreciate having her hind legs messed around with and tried to take a chunk out of the techs' hands.  They quickly discovered that Roo is "food orientated" (duh) and produced a hunk of dried smelly fish as a distraction.

During the physical, we discovered that Rooster, in addition to a wonky spine, also has bad knees and will likely have arthritis and knee surgery in her future.  Seriously?  Thankfully, I JUST bit the bullet and signed up for pet insurance for both dogs.  This will not include any of Roo's rehab costs, her past surgery or future vet appointments regarding her spine (that's a pretty big pre-existing condition), but at least I will save some moolah when her knees blow out! She was prescribed a bottle of Dasuquin, which is an over-priced, expensive joint health medication that she will have to take daily for the rest of her life as a preventative. This dog is a freakin' lemon!

 I left the facility $1200 lighter and 6 future PT appointments to look forward to.  Her therapy will begin at the beginning of January to give her a little more time to progress on her own and give me a little more time to save my pennies.

At least she's cute.