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Updated | Details |
16/03/2018 | ![]() |
23/08/2017 | CLICK HERE to download our latest newsletter |
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06/07/2017 | July Dog of the Month |
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Our dog of the month for July is Aeryn. Aeryn is a 9-year-old German Shephard who has been coming to us since April this year. After her owners noticed that she was beginning to scuff her hind legs when she was walking, Aeryn was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy. This condition is a progressive neurological disorder affecting the spinal cord in older dogs, typically over 8 years old. It presents by a loss of coordination of the hind limbs, as Aeryn did. The condition sadly worsens as the disease progresses resulting in the dog eventually becoming paraplegic – the course of this can range between 6 months to a year typically. This horrible disease is really hard for the owners to witness and can be upsetting to see but it is important to know that is not a painful disease. Sadly, there is no treatment to cure or to stop the progression of this disease. However, there are ways to help slow the progression and keep dogs comfortable and mobile for as long as we can. Aeryn first saw our ACPAT physiotherapist, Anna for her initial assessment. She has been responding really well to weekly physiotherapy sessions including laser; a deep tissue light energy treatment for pain relief. She had underwater treadmill sessions for a few weeks before deciding that the pool would be a better form of hydrotherapy for her. We wanted to try the treadmill to give her a controlled and supported environment to walk in to maintain her muscle mass but found that the standing in the tank for the duration of the session, even with the full support of the water was a little too much for her so we moved her into the pool! The pool provides a completely non-weight bearing environment where she could relax and not have weight going through her joints allowing her to get a better range of movement when swimming. She really enjoys her swimming and is doing so well. We enjoy keeping her comfortable and thinks she loves all the attention! She swims twice a week with us and this has helped to slow down the development of the disease by keeping her as strong as we can for as long as we can. Keep going Aeryn – you’re doing great! |
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03/02/2017 | February Dog of the Month |
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Milo | |
Milo is a 4 year old retriever who has been attending the crèche since May last year and is now a regular face each week. Milo has a lovely, sweet nature making him a popular boy with all the other dogs. His best friend however is staff member Eli, who Milo goes mad for every time he sees him. As you can see from the photo Milo is no stranger to getting filthy and often ends up having a shower at the end of the day before his owners come to collect him! We really enjoy seeing this handsome chap each week and watching him play with all his friends. |
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12/01/2017 | Our dog of the month for January is Travis! |
Travis is a 9-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who we met back in October 2016. Travis came to us after an acute onset of Ischaemic Myelopathy and possible Fibrocartilaginous Embolism (FCE). This can be described as what we might understand as a “stroke”, a spinal cord injury caused by blood vessels being suddenly blocked by a blood clot. The injury occurred in his cervical spine (neck area) which mainly affected his left fore leg. The owner had noticed that Travis scrambled and was suddenly lame on his right fore leg; his condition rapidly deteriorated and within a few hours Travis was unable to stand. Travis was immediately taken to the vet where he was given an MRI scan which confirmed FCE. Within a few days Travis was referred to us at Chapel Farm for his initial assessment and to begin his rehabilitation programme immediately as there was no surgical input or repair needed. It is important to see these cases as soon as we can; getting their rehabilitation programme started is essential as inactivity can result in decreased joint movement, stiffness and muscle weakness and contracture which can all hinder and sometimes even stop a full recovery. Travis first saw Veerle, our rehabilitation vet who conducted acupuncture, gentle chiropractic treatment and prescribed some herbal medicine to begin. At this point Travis had very limited use of his right fore leg and needed to be supported by a sling - he was would also fatigue very quickly and could only walk for very short periods of time. Since then he has been on an intense course of hydrotherapy in the underwater treadmill twice a week and has done so brilliantly. We are so thrilled and proud of how much Travis has progressed and has almost made a full recovery thanks to his hard work and owners acting fast when recognising there was a problem as well as their dedication to bringing him twice weekly since. Keep up the good work Travis! |
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24/10/2016 | Our dog of the month for October is Winston! |
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Winston is a German Shepherd crossed with a Retriever who we have nick named the Clown, due to his goofy behaviour. He has been attending Chapel Farm for the past 2 years and is a regular on a Friday. Winston always brings that Friday Feeling with him when he attends and just makes us smile. His right hand man and partner in crime is Patch our previous dog of the month and they love nothing more than just playing and being mischievous together. We always look forward to seeing to Winston on a Friday, well done Winston keep up the good work! | |
16/07/2016 | Our dog of the month for July is Jimmy! |
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Jimmy otherwise known as Jim has been attending Chapel Farm since the early days back. Around 6 years ago we first met him and he has become a firm favourite of both staff and clients (he is pretty much part of the furniture here). Jimmy is a 7 year old male Rottweiler that unfortunately has multiple joint problems, but do not worry - this does not stop him having fun in any way! At 6 months old Jimmy had his first surgical intervention on his elbow to remove a small piece of bone that was aggravating his joint. 6 months later he ruptured both of his cruciate ligaments in his stifles (knees) that resulted in them both needing surgical repair at separate intervals. Unfortunately for Jimmy complications arose and a nasty infection occurred and resulted in him having to have the metal plates removed from his left stifle joint. As if this wasn't enough 4 years ago he had a total hip replacement. Initially Jimmy’s recovery was great but sadly for him it was short lived and more complications arose again resulting in him needing more surgery; this time to remove the implant in his hips and to have further surgery called a femoral head and neck excision. Multiple joint problems in dogs can cause a multitude of problems so its important that the range of movement within the joints is maintained, muscle mass is kept nice and strong to help support affected joints, pain levels are kept minimal and the dogs have a great quality of life. Jimmy comes for hydro every week twice a week and absolutely loves it. He also has regular physiotherapy evaluations with out ACPAT physiotherapist! He swims mainly chasing his toys but also has sessions in the underwater treadmill to help with his gait retraining. This little superstar may not be able to go on long walks but he loves life, loves spending time in the water and is always smiling! We love you Jimmy! |
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13/05/2016 | Due to popular demand we are now open on Thursdays from 9am-1pm for hydrotherapy appointments |
12/05/2016 |
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Our dog of the month for May is Tom & Jerry! |
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We are pleased to announce our dog of the month this time are duo Tom and Jerry. Tom and Jerry and two very active and lively 4 year old springer spaniels that are litter brothers. |
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CLICK HERE to download our latest newsletter | |
12/05/2016 | |
28/04/2016 |
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28/04/2016 | |
28/01/2016 | |
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22/01/2016 |
doggy pic to appear here |
Our dog of the month for January is Bailey! |
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Bailey is a 7 year old chocolate Labrador who has having treatment at Chapel Farm since September 2015. |
06/07/2017 | July Dog of the Month |
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Aeryn | |
Our dog of the month for July is Aeryn. Aeryn is a 9-year-old German Shephard who has been coming to us since April this year. After her owners noticed that she was beginning to scuff her hind legs when she was walking, Aeryn was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy. This condition is a progressive neurological disorder affecting the spinal cord in older dogs, typically over 8 years old. It presents by a loss of coordination of the hind limbs, as Aeryn did. The condition sadly worsens as the disease progresses resulting in the dog eventually becoming paraplegic – the course of this can range between 6 months to a year typically. This horrible disease is really hard for the owners to witness and can be upsetting to see but it is important to know that is not a painful disease. Sadly, there is no treatment to cure or to stop the progression of this disease. However, there are ways to help slow the progression and keep dogs comfortable and mobile for as long as we can. Aeryn first saw our ACPAT physiotherapist, Anna for her initial assessment. She has been responding really well to weekly physiotherapy sessions including laser; a deep tissue light energy treatment for pain relief. She had underwater treadmill sessions for a few weeks before deciding that the pool would be a better form of hydrotherapy for her. We wanted to try the treadmill to give her a controlled and supported environment to walk in to maintain her muscle mass but found that the standing in the tank for the duration of the session, even with the full support of the water was a little too much for her so we moved her into the pool! The pool provides a completely non-weight bearing environment where she could relax and not have weight going through her joints allowing her to get a better range of movement when swimming. She really enjoys her swimming and is doing so well. We enjoy keeping her comfortable and thinks she loves all the attention! She swims twice a week with us and this has helped to slow down the development of the disease by keeping her as strong as we can for as long as we can. Keep going Aeryn – you’re doing great! |
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