Milo's family : “A valuable resource. An excellent alternative to surgery or post-surgery rehab program. Dr. Moore’s careful in-house care and monitoring, plus a thorough home care program, really help. My 12 year old dog is well on his way to recovery from two torn cruciate ligaments in just two months. I am so glad this program exists.”
Ruby's family: “We want to thank Dr. Moore and the staff for the wonderful job they are doing helping our 1 ½ year old German Shepherd, Ruby, who suffers from hip dysplasia and arthritis. Prior to starting the therapy Ruby strained to rise, had joint pain, reduced mobility, and was losing muscle mass in her rear legs.
After one month of therapy she has less pain, is much quicker to rise and has muscle definition in her rear legs. She is now able to move normally with greater ease. Her gait is stable and her limp has gone away!
Ruby cannot express how grateful she is…she feels so good she has a tendency to cause trouble. She feels like a puppy again! We are extremely thankful.”
Tiki's family : “I am a 5 year old black lab and quite healthy... or was until my accident. I was enjoying myself in the park, running and playing, when all of a sudden I was rolling over and over and over and screaming. Why? No one knows. But, I ended up with a spinal chord injury known as a fibrocartilaginous embolism (fce). Simply put, my spinal chord was severely bruised. Consequently, I was paralyzed from the waist down. My hind legs and my bladder didn’t work any more. I was confused and disoriented. My parents didn’t know if I would live.
I’m here to tell my story, though, so rest assured—I am alive. And what’s more, I am all recovered! It was a long journey, but my doctors, technicians, and veterinarians all had faith in me and they all worked very hard on my behalf.
First, I spent a week in ICU at the OSU School of veterinarian medicine. They stabilized me.
Next, I spent from the first of May to the first of July in physical rehabilitation at West Hills Animal Hospital. My team, Dr. Julia Moore, and Physical Rehabilitation Technician, Trina Scharlau, saved my life. Thanks to their insight and to Dr. Steve Amsberry’s willingness to provide the proper equipment and professional training, my special team created a physical rehabilitation program just for me.
Here’s how I got better: I learned to walk again in their water tank treadmill! You can see pictures of me doing that. I’m a lab, so I loved to walk in water! But at first I couldn’t walk by myself. Either Julia or Trina got into the tank with me! They stood behind me and made my legs walk for me. Over and over—twice a day for a few weeks, then once a day, then I progressed to a few times a week. I also did multiple exercises. I loved the peanut ball—that was fun! I even learned how to surf on a boogie board with Julia or Trina, which strengthened my legs.
And now, I’ve graduated! It was a long, hard road. But now I can do everything I need to do: I can pee, I can walk, I can run, I can jump on my parents, and I can swim in the river. I owe my life to Julia, Trina, and West Hills Animal Hospital. The whole staff helped me, and I love them.
To those of you who are injured, be strong in your hearts. Physical rehabilitation helped me, and it can help you, too!
Do you have any questions? You can email me at tikielefant@comcast.net I’d be happy to respond to you or forward your question to someone who can."
Woof and licks to everyone,
Tiki
Sadie’s family: “I want to personally thank Dr. Moore and the staff at West Hills Animal Hospital for helping us get our Saint Bernard, Sadie, healthy! We were terribly saddened at the level of pain and surgeries such a young girl has had to endure. All we could hope for was someday she could be fairly normal in her mobility. Within only 3 months of a treatment program, Sadie is happy and seemingly pain-free.
Getting her off the prescription anti-inflammatory drugs that were damaging her stomach and putting her on the Duralactin and Adequan was clearly a good move. The weekly hydrotherapy treatments require a long drive for us, but she looks forward to the time and the progress is obvious—so it is worth every mile!
We know we still have a ways to go, but if we stick to the plan and with the help of your terrific staff, we know it will continue to get better. Our only regret is we do not live closer so all our pets could be patients when/if necessary! Thank you again.”
