Here is a late update for Actaeas' mid-evaluations of his recovery, his main physical therapy doctor told us Actaeas is one of her most successful case! he is healing super fast and well, instead of getting weak, he actually gain muscles on his back legs, also both sides are evenly big!
doctor told me she had never met a parent like me working so hard and being so meticulous in all the exercises everyday
I don't see myself as a super great mom, I am just a terrible control freak
Actaeas is moving on to hydro-therapy at the rehab center, which is fun underwater treadmill!! that refraction totally cracked me up by the way
Actaeas kept standing on the edges to avoid moving treadmill, he wasn't terrified, just a bit unsure about this situation
here is a video of his first try
are you secretly a corgi?? where are your legs?
we put tubes to block the sides
here we go!
check another video! his tail was curled to his back, that means Actaeas was not scared, I am really proud of him!
what? I just warmed up guys! hey I am not done yet!
Actaeas went back into the tank after the assistant dried him and put his bandanna back, Actaeas really enjoyed this fun exercise just couldn't wait to do more!
he did that every times, just refused to leave the tank
move on to cavalettis, this exercise will help to improve his coordination, balance and proprioceptive sensation
Actaeas tended to walk sideways so they had to blocked him with cones
they also limited his legs to train Actaeas using certain muscle while walking
the doctor gave me 5 more pages of exercises to work with Actaeas at home since I am a good student muhaha
below are all suggested by physical therapists
please do not do it without asking a specialist
first one is I. Traction, hold Actaeas' upper body allows to relaxation of the spinal and abdominal muscles, also for increased space between the vertebrae
II. Active Hip Extension Stretch, this photo quality is really bad because I took it with my phone... oh well
III. Tripod Stand, encouraging him to balance on three legs
IV. Play Bow Spine Stretch, Actaeas is a SUPER smart boy, I spent only 30 seconds to teach him this command without any pain :)
V. Side Stretches, do it for both sides, just lure Actaeas to turn using a piece of treat
VI. Walking on Unstable Surface, this exercise strengthens the core stabilizers and improves his balance , sometimes I will walk on the mattress with him to create instability
and here comes the fun part, more videos!!!
VII. Crawling, this exercise will help to improve Actaeas' truck, leg strength and leg range of motion
it took me lass than a minute to teach him :)
better result will be using an obstacle and ask him to crawl under it, but it's easier to film it this way
VIII. Walking Waves, it's like dogie agility, this can help to improve his weight bearing ability, coordination and balance, sometimes i will decrease the distance between bags or increase speed, also perform this activity on an unpredictable surface
IX. Cavalettis, look! Salacia is here too! this is the home exercise version because i do not have rails, i copied the way 4P mom did by using my legs
>>POPO跨欄練習<<
i will block the sides to force him walking straight
X.Side Step, do it for both sides as well, not sure how to teach him this with command yet, but it's good enough for the exercise, i will do this by facing to wall sometimes so he will not walk forward
we are not done yet, we still have to do proper sitting/ lying, back, weight changes and all the stretches I mentioned in my >>last post<<, 2 times a day, crazy I know, but we are looking for 100% recovery, and I really enjoy working with him, it's like a promised quality time together everyday :)
I made dogie marshmallow for him the other day, hey I made it look the same as your paw did you see that??
I added beef tendon in his diet to help his joint and prevent his hip problem in the future
i use these baskets to correct Actaeas' standing while he is eating, they works pretty well!
hot bubble bath is a luxury no doubt!
never the lest, I brought Actaeas out last weekend, we couldn't invite T family because I still can't let him play with others, I want Actaeas to have relaxing free walks, instead of putting him on leash
I am still working on correcting his hunching back, you may see his back is not straight
and waiting for his coat to grow back of course
I understand you are super bored, but 3 more months, just 3 more to go!
<<back on foot (3) back on foot (5)>>
