Penny.

Penny is an 8 1/2 years old Boxer x Staffie we got as a 10 week old puppy from a local rescue, typical boxer, super friendly, super bouncy and just a really fun personality. At only 9 months old we first noticed there was something not quite right with her front left leg and after a trip to the vets we were immediately referred to Fitzpatricks Referrals, the home of a very well known Noel Fitzpatrick, AKA the Supervet. At that time we had never heard of them so went along and after a few scans she was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia, of both elbows although more severely in the left. The immediate fix was operate, and after a few weeks of rehab she was fine for a number of years even doing agility and all manner of other fun activities.

At around 3/4 years she started showing signs of the issue returning so we were once again referred back to Fitzpatricks, another operation, this time to break the bone, rotate and plate to ease the pressure on the elbow. Rehab was far more lengthy this time and we were advised to start hydrotherapy after a few weeks of rest. To start with she wasn't too keen on the water, but within a few sessions she really started enjoying the time in the water, and the improvement in fitness and recovery was clear. At each session, even at only once per week she was getting stronger and getting her fitness back far quicker than we could ever had hoped. The benefits were clear to see so we carried on having hydro sessions every 2 weeks, both for fitness and fun as she loved every minute in the pool.

Fast forward a few more years and things took another turn, this time a partial elbow replacement was called for, but in addition we found there was also a growth on her spine causing an intermittent skip in her back leg, so on top of the elbow she also had a series of steroid injections in her back.

With this being a far bigger operation she wasn't allowed back into the pool without first doing a series of sessions on the water treadmill, but after only a couple of sessions she was ready to get back in the pool and again she was improving week on week, and by the end of 10 sessions she was looking like her old self. Since that time she has been swimming once a fortnight, she absolutely loves being in the pool and it's a great way to keep her fitness level high even over the winter months when she can't get out for a run so much as we have to be very careful with her on slippery surfaces as it's easy to cause additional injury.

Without the hydrotherapy I'm not sure what condition she would be in now or if she'd even be able to be off leash, but she is able to lead a very much normal life, still plays like a puppy, loves running around with her friends and absolutely loves swimming, her face lights up when you tell her where she is going on swim days.

I've included a picture of the x-ray and of course a picture of Penny.

Thanks

Mike