Toby's x-rays

So we finally got Toby's x-rays done and the results are pretty shocking to say the least. Nothing is where it should be in his back legs and this is obviously not due to a frontline overdose, it's clearly a birth defect and possible trauma.

So the next question is what do I do now? I'll continue with physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and the other holistic treatments, but I have also emailed his x-rays to every orthopedic surgeon that I can find in the UAE, in the hope that someone might be able to suggest a relevant surgical treatment. Sometimes however, things are better left as they are in case of making them worse.

For now though, Toby is a very happy little pup, who is enjoying life and a sheer pleasure to have around :-)

The start of Toby's treatment

I'm a firm believer in alternative therapies for both humans and animals, as very often you can get results where conventional medicine fails. With little Toby, most vets just look at him and say well that's the way he is and there's not much that can be done about it. They try to 'fix' what is broken, whereas holistic therapies try to get what is broken working to the best of its ability.
 
Toby is currently having treatment with a wonderful German lady called Hilke, who works at Energetic Panacea in Dubai. She specializes in everything from homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and much more.

Today Toby had an hours session on the magnetic blanket, which basically uses and electrical current passed through magnets, which in turn pass their magnetic field through the body. This can help to relax muscles, unblock trapped nerves and alleviate pain - I'm considering getting one of these more me and my terrible back!
 
Hilke also made up some homeopathic treatments for him, one to detox his system and another to improve his joints. We took him home and did 5 minutes of swimming in the pool. He quite likes to sit on my lap, whilst I sit on the steps and have his legs massaged.

Toby always tries to use his legs more after he's been exercising, he hops when he gets lazy as it's faster for him to move about, but we need to break his habit of doing this, otherwise he'll forget how to walk.

Next week we are sending him for x-rays, just to see what the situation is with the bones in his legs. He'll also have some more magnetic therapy and hopefully some acupuncture.

It was a tiring day for a little pup and he also got introduced to four Great Danes! Picture that - tiny pup, huge dogs! But he did stand his ground and want to play :-)

A Toby update

So I took little Toby to see my usual vet last night and the prognosis really isn't great. The nerve and muscle damage to his hind legs is severe and they will never recover any decent mobility. The vet gave me the option of putting Toby to sleep, after telling me all the issues that he's likely to encounter. But you know he's such a happy little pup and his disability doesn't seem to hinder him, right now he's annoying my cat, chewing loo rolls and running (or hopping) amok around the living room!

I call him the tripod puppy, as he's like a child with rickets, he puts his back legs together and hops about.

I've decided that hydrotherapy will be good for him, to try and build up some muscle tone, to at least support his back legs better so we've been swimming this morning, then running about with the usual toys for some playtime. The water will also help with his skin, which is so try and flaky due to the fleas, ticks and mites that he's had.

It's actually quite amazing to see how he has adapted to his situation. He hops out into the garden, can't be bothered to try and walk, hop etc down the step into the grass so he sort of just rolls off and pulls himself into his favourite patch of long grass to watch the birds.

I've decided to try holistic therapy for him as well, as I'm a firm believer that alternative medicine very often can make a difference where conventional medicine can't.

Sometimes animals just choose you and just because there might be something different or wrong with them, doesn't mean they don't deserve the best chance in life too. Poor Toby has had the most horrific start in life, so I am determined to do the best I can for him :-)