Last spring my heart dog Sterling, had to have FHO surgery due to hip dysplasia. My Vet gave me a copy of Dr J’s Home Therapy Booklet and it was a godsend. I followed it and my Cavalier made steady progress. About mid way through the recovery, I decided to try the GlycanAid HA supplement, since everything else Dr J had recommended worked and the videos on the Internet were so helpful.

When I started the GlycanAid HA, his progress was markedly faster. I have continued his daily pill, he thinks it is a treat. His strength is amazing! Now I have to put things he wants out of his reach, because he can stand on his hind legs for a lengthy amount of time to try to reach his toys or treats on counters. Thank you Dr J and Top Dog.
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Liz Langford & Sterling

Thank you so much for all the information you provide over the web. If I may I would like to share my story with you. My son rescued a small dog from the park last fall. He was tied to a park bench, in the cold rain with a note attached to his neck to find him a home. My son, having grown up with many types of animals on our small farm could not abandon this sweet little being. He had frost bite on the tips of his ears. He immediately was attached to our family including all four of my cats.

He loves playing with his toys so much so that he was running in our family room while we were watching tv one night and all of a sudden he just got a little quiet. He didn’t say a word. I checked him out and he didn’t seem to have anything wrong. He was walking fine and all other functions seemed ok. By the following day he was limping slightly so we applied heat and ice therapy to his hip. It seemed to be swelling. Still he didn’t cry or wine when we tried to touch him. We decided to take him to our local veterinarian for an evaluation. X-rays revealed a femur fracture. The clinic gave us a couple of options. This was a horrible experience as we were faced with a financial dilemma. We love our animals but did not have the cash up front for the surgery and we were not given any type of payment options.

They took our dog, performed the surgery and then relinquished him to our local shelter. We were completely distraught. After pleading with our shelter, they realized our intentions and returned our precious Shadow back to us. The clinic had performed a FHO surgery and placed him on antibiotics and Metacam. No other instructions were given to us and we felt completely abandoned.

I didn’t know how to rehab this poor little animal or even understood what they had done to him. It was then I found your website and have been following as much as possible all of your guidelines for rehab. Shadow is now on GlycanAid HA and his energy level has doubled. This does however make it difficult to restrict his wanting to run. He was introduced to our hot tub for the first time this week and loved it. Every day we see more and more improvement.

We want to thank you for all the support you offer. The average pet owner has minimal knowledge on rehab care and the local professionals come at a very hefty price. Thank you so much for caring about animal and their owners. I don’t know how we would have gotten through these last two months.

I have been spreading the word about your website and the exceptional service and support you provide. Again I can’t thank you enough for all you do. You are awesome….
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Wendy & Shadow

In January I found a sweet little dog on a dog rescue website! He was found abandoned in an elevator wrapped in a shower curtain. I was told he had been in the elevator about 9 hours. He had cherry eye in both eyes and a bad hip! He was taken to a vet in Los Angeles who fixed his cherry eyes, neutered him and gave him FHO surgery! I called and asked about him and I was the only person who had inquired about him, two days later he joined me and my two pugs in Nevada. He was a month out from surgery when I got him and I had no idea what FHO even meant! When I picked him up sometimes he would cry in pain with his hip! I was afraid to hurt him! He never used his back left leg and hopped around on three legs! So after about week I googled FHO and learned what the surgery was! Lucky, I also saw Top Dog Health and the recovery program for dogs! I read the entire program and started that day! Thank God for you all!!! My dog Tazzy is doing so well and uses his leg most of the time! If he over uses it he will limp occasionally! Your program is wonderful and I’m so appreciative as my new family member is happy and doing well!

Niki & Tazzy

Dr. James St. Clair at TopDog Animal Health & Rehabilitation,

I would just like to first off give you a HUGE Thank You from myself (michelle vickers) and my dog Spud (4-year-old Louisiana Catahoula Leopard). Thanks to your Home rehabilitation guide & step by step process we have had a huge improvement in only 1 weeks time. We started this process 2 weeks after Spuds FHO surgery due to lack of improvements and frustration. I cannot explain how happy I am that I found your guide out there on the internet (and for FREE).

I began looking for help 2 weeks after Spud’s surgery when we went to the vet to have his stitches removed and they told me they were surprised he was not doing better and more with his leg. They did give me a handout after surgery with a few of the same exercises that are in your week 1&2. They sent me home that day with the advice to work inclines with him and recommended hydrotherapy. I was pretty upset and frustrated that was all the advice I received. So when I got home I jumped on the internet in search of help.

This is when I found your guide, downloaded it, and began to use it. We began this on Tues, April 25th 2012. It has only been 6 days and we just (literally) came in from our therapy session 2 of the day (Monday, April 30th, 2012) and Spud walked the whole 5 minutes on his leg, was not tense during PROM, motion work, and totally relaxed during massage & passed out during ice time. I have followed your guide very closely and have done therapy at least 3x a day. (time-consuming Yes, Success YES) Especially with a 5-month-old baby girl, 3 other dogs, 4 horses, 2 goats, and multiple other little critters. I also use the log you made available and note after every therapy session as to what went on good or bad improvements or something different I may have tried and have found this to be very helpful!

I am going to pass your guide on to my vet to hand out to others after dogs receive this surgery. I am also going to hydrotherapy with Spud and will be taking the guide with me there to give to them in case any other pet parent is at a loss with the frustration of healing their best friend after surgery.

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to put together such an awesome guide and making it available for FREE to the public. Your expertise and knowledge have helped us out in a wonderful way.

I am a trainer myself and it always feels good to hear back from clients about how you have made a change in their life, success stories, and that you’re helping people out with their animals. Also, this is so you know your guide is being used on the net!

Spud and the rest of my dogs are all working dogs whether obedience, agility, or therapy work. They are C.G.C. and T.D.I. and I can’t wait to get Spud back on his feet and working again! Feel free to use any of my emails so others know this really works when you put in the time.

Michelle & Spud

Another satisfied patient Dr. J — Dreamer is 14 weeks post FHO surgery and doing absolutely fantastic! Her muscle is strong, her gait is consistent. I just can’t believe she doesn’t limp!! I never thought I’d be able to say that. She is still shifting her weight when standing still, but the amount of pressure she applies has increased. We’re still doing the water therapy in our hot tub a couple of times a week and she takes a 30 minute walk along with her 2 siblings almost every evening. She is one happy, active 10 lb sheltie! Through this wonderful social media I gained the confidence and knowledge necessary to get Dreamer on the right path to the road to recovery and I want to thank Dr. J and our wonderful TopDog family from the bottom of my heart. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Nancy Emanuelson & Dreamer

My Newfoundland was diagnosed with SEVERE hip dysplasia and our vet determined that the best approach would be FHO surgery. When we were able to bring her home, the vet failed to inform us on what to expect. When her leg was dangling and she sat on it and urinated all over it, I freaked. I came inside and cleaned her up and tried to call the vet. He was not available so I resorted to the internet where I found TOP DOG HEALTH and a book on my dogs surgery. I read what I could and downloaded the E-BOOK. It was such a relief that what I was experiencing the first couple of hours with her was all NORMAL. When I was finally was able to talk with the vet he said it was a llittle overkill using the book but I thought it made more since than he did. My husband works in WOUND CARE and said all the therapy can only help. It has been 7 days and we have started the moist heat and she is walking on her injured leg with about 25% pressure most of the time and she is loving all the attention during therapy time. Without the book I would not know what to do or how to do it properly. Thank you so much Top Dog Health!

Marcie

Misty is 8 weeks post FHO and is doing remarkable thanks to this rehabilitation plan, website and Facebook page. The weekly emails keep us on track and moving forward. She barely has a limp and she has been actually using the leg since the first week. The information you provide is complete and comprehensive. Her recovery has been smooth. Thanks so much for your invaluable work.

Missy Prentice & Misty

Hi Dr. Stclair,

My name is Jody and almost 2 years ago, my dog Nutmeg (Nutty) had to have an FHO done. I work as a receptionist in a vet clinic and this was the surgery the vet recommended as I could not afford a total hip replacement at Ohio State University. Nutty weighs about 88 pounds, a husky mix. She is a pound puppy, got her at 6 weeks. However, she does have severe hip dysplasia and one hip became dislocated and would not stay in the socket….which wasn’t formed enough to hold the ball in there. To make a long story short, we had the surgery and the vet gave me no go home instructions except to keep her quiet. Duh!!!! That’s when I got online and found your rehab booklet. I printed it out and did therapy on her 3 times a day….as much of it as I could do. Needless to say, the moist heat, massages and exercises helped her tremendously.

When I told the vet about my discovery of your booklet online….he got kind of crappy with me and said we shouldn’t be looking online for medical advice. Ha!!!….when he did another FHO….guess what?…he asked me for your booklet that I downloaded. And then later again….he asked for it for another patient. So I’m going to see if he’ll order your Guides…he’s heard me tell people that I got the booklet from Top Dog and I’ve referred people to your website. Not sure how many actually go there, but I have told people about it. My dog is doing wonderful, thanks to the vet but also, many thanks to you for the therapy I was able to help her through. She leads a normal life and you’d never be able to tell she’s even had surgery. She does great.

Many thanks!

Jody Jernigan & Nutmeg

My 2 year old Border Collie (Aiyana) had to have FHO surgery (birth defect). I was totally in the dark with what to expect and what I needed to do. After hours of research, I was still lost. I downloaded the FHO booklet from TopDog. This booklet was amazing! It told me step by step what to expect and what I should be doing to allow my dog a 100% recovery. I printed out a copy for my vet as well and he loved it. Vets are “experts” on surgeries but few are “experts” on after-care. TopDog specializes in the after-care side and it shows in their booklets. I have recommended them to everyone I know (I am a dog trainer so I know plenty of pet parents). 6 months post-op and Aiyana is better now than she ever was. Thank you TopDog for the wonderful booklets. Because of you, my dog will be able to do agility!

Sonia Kutz & Aiyana

Archives: FHO Guide