Dear Dr. James,

I am glad you wrote because I wanted to reassure you that your instructions were excellent!  It is precisely because of your instructions, that my dog is recovering very quickly despite having torn the first ACL just 3 months prior to the tear of the second ACL.  Her muscles were not as wasted as they could have been had we not been on your rehab regiment.  My dog actually was walking and slipped on icy grass!  The weather is so unusual right now.  We had snow and then several days later it was very warm and the snow was melting.  It was slushy on the grass, then it froze and melted again.  That particular day, there were lots of muddy patches and our dog just happened to step on an icy patch and simply slipped!  We were all very heartbroken.  :(
After this second fall, we felt that we had to seek professional rehab assistance (beyond your wonderful internet information).  We are taking her to a rehab facility where twice a week she is receiving laser therapy on her knees and muscles, and using an underwater treadmill.  Everyone involved is quite surprised at her fast improvement.  I, personally, feel this is because we used your methods to help keep up her muscle strength.  Thank you!

 

read more

Becky Menich

I am totally satisfied with the GlycanAid HA and how Blue, who is my seven year old English Lab, is doing on it.  We are six weeks out from herACL surgery of her right hind leg and as you said in your week 5 newsletter, these next weeks will be a challenge to keep her from doing too much.  We are vigilant in keeping her safe and under control. We will have a lot of time when Spring gets here and we are well past the 24 weeks of PT and getting her legs equally strong so as not to go through this again.  I only wish I had come across your website back in the early 2000’s when our first chocolate lab had leg surgery because of – for lack of better words- poor breeding.  Even now, with the orthopedic surgeon and our vet, the only instructions that were given was – no running, jumping or stairs for 84 days. I am grateful and thankful this year that you have dedicated your practice to helping us dog lovers with our children who unfortunately have to go through a surgical procedure.  With your information, products, continued encouragement to us and the availability to ask you questions has made going through this rough time easier.
read more

5 star glycanaid review
Darla & Blue

This is Morgan a Border Collie I rescued about 4 years ago and who is now 8 years old. He did dock diving competitions and did very well…working toward his National Championship. He tore his cruciate ligament on the left side and had 3 surgeries before we got it healed. I used the TopDog Health Rehab Program and found it to be very thorough and useful on a day to day basis.  This summer he tore the right cruciate, had surgery and was not healing well with the supplements he was on. I went looking for another option…I had a knee problems and they had tried using Hyaluronic Acid on me…I know how much better it felt. I thought I would give this GlycanAid HA a try and it has worked. Morgan has been improving consistently and after his last x-rays his bones are great. Maybe back to swimming and diving soon.

I usually do NOT take the time to give review, but in this case I felt it was justified.

PS: He loves the taste of the pills and waits for them to be served before his dinner….that is very unusual for a Border collie…they are NOT food motivated.

Dog Lover/Rescuer
read more

5 star glycanaid review
Cindy Ambeault & Morgan

I downloaded your CCL rehabilitation information a while ago.  Our dog did have surgery 5 weeks ago.  I took the information to share with the vet doing surgery. He looked it over, said that he “doesn’t want anyone messing with his surgical repair and that dogs do their own physical therapy.”

So… I listened to his comments with a grain of salt, and when my dog came home (we boarded him with the vet for the first 4 weeks, as we knew the only way we could keep him quiet was to have him heavily sedated – not an option in my mind) I began following your protocol.  He is doing very well, getting stronger, and does not seem to have much pain. As a physical therapist, I know people don’t always follow our recommendations and often have poor outcomes, which they blame on the surgeon. I think you need to start the education process for vets in veterinary school.  It’s difficult to get people to change when they feel what they have been doing is working Any way, thanks so much for the information

Dr. J, thank you so much for all of the information and the wonderful products you have developed!  I was totally lost as to my dogs ACL surgery, I had never heard of it.  So, I got online and found your website!  I have also joined your facebook page and am so thankful for the family I found there!  I was very nervous about the surgery and what to do, but I feel so much better now with the added knowledge and the many friends who have gone through the same thing with their dogs.  Thank you!

read more

Nancy

When I found out my dog needed ACL surgery I went searching the Internet and found the TopDog website. There was a wealth of material that provided me with the information and confidence to give my pet meaningful rehab treatments. I especially found the booklet with the 12-week program invaluable with just the right amount of detail. I also took full advantage of the video examples of rehab procedures I’d never done, products that helped me lift her, and supplements especially designed for joint healing. It was far beyond what I received from our vet and made me feel inspired and confident to give my dog the post-surgery care she needed. As it turns out, my vet was so pleased with my dog’s quick healing, and interested in this website in order to encourage people to really give their pets the time they need to heal from this kind of surgery. He plans to refer the website to other people whose dogs will be having this surgery. I imagine TopDog’s wealth of information and support has saved many a dog from re-injury due to inadequate or improper post-surgical care.

read more

Maddi Newman

Hello,

I would like to say just how much the TopDog rehab guides helped me and my dog through the CCL recovery process. They were truly beyond my expectations. While I was doing research on the internet for ways to help my dog recover from his CCL surgery I happened to luck out and find Dr.J’s information. I was thrilled to tears to discover the free downloads that he offered and I was not even his client! The rehab guides go above and beyond what I expected with not just written information but actual photo’s that instructed in detail how to apply and perform the various techniques. From the first scary days when your dog comes home they show you step by step how to use ice therapy, passive range of motion, using a sling or support to maneuver the dog. All very, very scary procedures to preform without the proper instructions to inexperienced, nervous dog parents. The guides don’t stop there they take you right to the end of recovery explaining and educating on all the different exercises and modalities of the rehab process with your dog.

Having had a dog go through two knee surgeries years ago when there was absolutely nothing available to help me help my poor dog, I wanted more!  Now years later I again found myself with a dog that ruptured his CCL and was sent home with little to no instructions on his recovery or rehabilitation needs. Thankfully, I was not satisfied with this lack of help and information and decided to research other possibilities. And so I found the TopDog rehabilitation guides via the internet, sadly not through my veterinarian or orthopedic surgeon.

My hope is these rehab guides be made available from veterinarians and surgeons to all who face these type surgeries and want the best possible outcome for their pups. Simply put they are invaluable. Take it from someone who knows all too well what it was like to face this surgery and recovery with no knowledge of what to expect. The TopDog rehabilitation guides are an absolute necessity.  Just pick one up and see for yourself how informative and professional yet easy to follow they are for all types of orthopedic recovery and rehabilitation. I would like to personally thank Dr.J and TopDog rehabilitation for sharing this wealth of information with the pet community and hope all veterinarians will follow in his footsteps.

 
read more

Glenda Russell and the “Crazeedogs”

Bailey, a five year old black lab recovering from ACL surgery, has found it a wonderful  help for her owner – she particularly liked the moist heat therapy and massage – and still does even though we have passed the point where it is necessary. Seriously the booklet has been a great help – I showed it to my vet and he thinks it is a really good  source of information.  We are on week 5 ( should be on week 6 but my mom had hip replacement surgery two weeks ago and my time was pretty crunched) and Bailey is doing really well.  Went for her one month check – up and our vet thought she was several weeks ahead of where she should be in terms of movement and weight on her leg. Information is well written, concise and the descriptions of each activity ( i.e. puppy sits) very easy to understand.  Have also appreciated the weekly emails which have given additional information and tips. Thanks!

read more

Debbi and Bailey

Hi Dr. J,

 My Bichon Frise, Zoey, hurt her leg while running through snow in our backyard March 4 2011. Assuming it was just a slight sprain I brought her to the vet. To my horror I was told it was a tear in her Cranial Cruciate Ligament and that it was going to require an expensive surgery with a lengthy recovery. I went home determined to find out what I could to help her through this. I found the Topdoghealth.com website. I easily found a booklet for the cruciate surgery. It was exactly what I was looking for. It takes me step by step, and week by week on what I should be doing and watching out for. It gives examples, hints, and leaves very few questions unanswered. It has become my “bible” for helping me get my dog through this.

Thanks

read more

Wendy Sellers & Zoey

Dear Dr. James,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you how pleased we are with Sadie’s progress after her ACL surgery. Although we haven’t been able, due to time constraints, to follow your protocol to the letter, we’ve had great success. Sadie is now solidly on all four legs after 7 years (negligent previous owners) of lameness. It’s still too soon to let her run off the leash but she is trotting along at a good pace and doing great at hill climbing. We hope to get her out on the hiking trail for short hikes very soon after we check in with her vet and get his approval.

We were very concerned about Sadie’s recovery due to the length of time she’d been without the use of her leg. But thanks to Dr. Hawman and your booklet, we’ve got her up and running (almost). Thank you so much for your guidance.

 
read more

Lindsay Noisom