Front Matter

204 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

zigzags to challenge proprioception), and step­
ping over cavaletti poles. Note: Each time the
patient is worked, the therapist should use
multiple exercises that challenge transitions,
then balance, then pattern, finally putting it all
together in ambulation. Different exercises can
be used each time to keep the work fresh for the
patient, always focusing upon where the
patient is weak. As the dog progresses, avoid
any area where there might be pain as a result
of previous exercise.

Land treadmill

The land treadmill can be used for patients with
neurological disease, any patient needing
endurance work, patients requiring pelvic limb
strengthening and weight shifting to the rear,
and especially patients after pelvic limb sur­
gery, who tend to habitually transfer weight to
the thoracic limbs. The treadmill encourages
rebalancing during ambulation. It can be used

in reverse or on an incline for specific patients

where the focus is on hamstring and/or gluteal

strength. Lauer and colleagues (2009) found

that a 5% incline increased the electromyo­

graphic activity of the hamstring muscle group

in dogs walking on treadmills.

The treadmill should be placed so that it faces

something that the patient would like to walk

toward, rather than a wall. If using a human

treadmill, a sidewall is needed on each side, or

the treadmill can be placed against a wall on

one side, to prevent patients from stepping off

to the side.

Getting started

Training the patient to use the treadmill is sim­

ple if a few important steps are followed. A har­

ness and or a nonchoke collar with a leash are

used, with the handler holding the harness or

leash so that the patient has approximately 1

foot of play forward and backward. The patient

Case Study 8.2 Hemilaminectomy

Signalment: 5 y.o. F/S Dachshund. Immediate P.O.

L2‐3 hemilaminectomy with fenestrations, cranial

and caudal.

Clinical findings: Left pelvic limb: No conscious pro-

prioception (CP), diminished deep pain, intact super-

ficial pain, minimal voluntary motion. Right pelvic

limb: No CP, present deep and superficial pain,

diminished voluntary motion. No ROM, joint, or

muscle abnormalities found.

Goal: Normal neurological status and ambulation

Therapy: Throughout therapy: massage of the mus-

cles, PROM, and joint compressions were done.

Exercises performed in a certain order to turn on the

nervous and musculoskeletal systems, with ambula-

tion at the conclusion.

Initial exercises, done while patient needed assis-

tance rising and ambulating, started with transitions

from lateral recumbency to sternal to sit‐to‐stand,

with facilitation used on whichever muscle groups

were not firing appropriately. Square sit‐to‐stand

exercises, weight shifting to the left rear foot by diag-

onal and then contralateral leg lifts, standing alone,

followed by standing with rhythmic stabilizations,

patterning of each limb in the proper order (10 reps),

and finally ambulation exercises making sure each

foot stepped appropriately in sequence and bore

weight correctly.

Once patient could rise unassisted and ambu-

late, but with moderate ataxia and frequent falling,

different exercises, again in a specific order, to

work on balance and trunk strength, were initi-

ated. Sit‐to‐stands; standing with rhythmic stabili-

zation; single pelvic limb elevation to make

patient balance on one pelvic limb at a time; rear

feet on rocker board; front feet on pool noodle;

low cavaletti poles 1.5 × patient’s body length

apart; hill walking; widely spaced weave poles;

3 ′′‐high steps.

As patient progressed to mild ataxia, exercise

regime included circuit course of cavaletti poles in

increasingly difficult patterns and, later, patterns on a

hill; front feet on peanut ball walking forward and

backward; standing on peanut ball; tightly spaced

weaves; 3′′ steps; balance beam. As patient pro-

gressed, small obstacles were placed on beam for her

to step over.

Goal was successfully attained.