Dr. St. Clair
Your program was an amazing tool to use to strengthen our young dog’s leg after a partial tear. I did not follow the program exactly, but adapted it for her needs. This was the only place I was able to find a physical therapy program I could apply to our situation. Our rescued puppy was only about 9 month old when she suddenly went completely lame with a stifle injury. She is a small (25lb) cattle dog/border collie/mystery dog mix.
Due to her age and size, I wanted to avoid surgery–the chances of a rebuilt knee lasting her expected life span seemed very low to me. I consulted with the veterinarian who spayed her through the dog rescue group where we adopted her. He advised restricting her activity for a week to determine if it was only a partial tear and then trying to find a program to train and strengthen her leg.
Your program was fantastic! I used the activities in it like squats and walking her across the side of hills for 12 weeks before we let her off leash again. She is now back to her active self and is back to running around the yard like a crazy border collie.
Thank you so much for making this program available over the internet! We not only avoided the expense of surgery and the pain for our dog, but I think she will have a much healthier and happier life having avoided surgery through your exercise program.
Thanks!
