Back ache, trembling in the hind legs, skin problems.. For those reasons, and to find a fresh point of view and advice on the care of an agility dog that wasn't getting any younger, we went to see an osteopath in Helsinki. I forgot to ask about the trembling, but got plenty of information and advice otherwise.
I was impressed with osteopath Maaria Kaiperla's skills. After a little bit of background information she got to work, feeling through Rekku's body with her hands. The first thing she said was that his pelvis is crooked. And thus his back is stiff. His joints are dry, especially at the shoulders. And his right side is his weaker side, but it is not because of the spine and pelvis etc - it is because of his liver. His liver is not doing too good, as it is overloaded from vaccinations and tick prevention treatments *. And because the liver and the skin use the same nerve system, his skin is acting out on the liver problems. So maybe it is not the allergies so much after all..!
Another impressive thing was her discovery of tension in Rekku's neck, the kind that indicated that he had bumped his head onto something. I did not think of it at the time, but he did bump into the weave poles so hard he yelped about a month earlier in Bernex (the evening sun was shining into his eyes coming out of the tunnel so he did not see the weaves). We also talked about Rekku's joints and muscles and agility. The osteopath recommended what I already knew and was going to do by the end of the year.. time to transfer to Oldie class with lower jump heights. "For him to have good mobility in the later years of his life, he should start jumping lower heights and do less contact obstacles, but weaves are very good for his mobility," she said. So, this is the official announcement: Rekku will be semi-retiring and will compete only in Oldie class from now on. (Sadly, looking at the competition calendar there are very few Oldie class competitions in Western Switzerland. So if I can figure out how to enter for a competition close by in France, Italy or Germany we might just jump the medium height (if there is no Oldie class there).)
I cannot even remember all the things Maaria Kaiperla told me during the session. There were other things "wrong" with Rekku too, but also good news, as in general, Rekku is in great shape for his age. Maaria was able to treat Rekku to fix the crooked pelvis and bring more movement to his spine, and there was something she also did that made him make a complaining noise of half whining half growling.. But he walked out relaxed and happy, even collecting a compliment on his bouncy trot from a complete stranger!
We got recommendations for supplements to take that will support Rekku in his aging, and recommendations for homeopathic medication that will help him with his stress and separation anxiety that he as had in the last six months.
I warmly recommend a visit to an osteopath for anyone with an older - especially sports - dog. I think I will visit one myself too..
I was impressed with osteopath Maaria Kaiperla's skills. After a little bit of background information she got to work, feeling through Rekku's body with her hands. The first thing she said was that his pelvis is crooked. And thus his back is stiff. His joints are dry, especially at the shoulders. And his right side is his weaker side, but it is not because of the spine and pelvis etc - it is because of his liver. His liver is not doing too good, as it is overloaded from vaccinations and tick prevention treatments *. And because the liver and the skin use the same nerve system, his skin is acting out on the liver problems. So maybe it is not the allergies so much after all..!
Another impressive thing was her discovery of tension in Rekku's neck, the kind that indicated that he had bumped his head onto something. I did not think of it at the time, but he did bump into the weave poles so hard he yelped about a month earlier in Bernex (the evening sun was shining into his eyes coming out of the tunnel so he did not see the weaves). We also talked about Rekku's joints and muscles and agility. The osteopath recommended what I already knew and was going to do by the end of the year.. time to transfer to Oldie class with lower jump heights. "For him to have good mobility in the later years of his life, he should start jumping lower heights and do less contact obstacles, but weaves are very good for his mobility," she said. So, this is the official announcement: Rekku will be semi-retiring and will compete only in Oldie class from now on. (Sadly, looking at the competition calendar there are very few Oldie class competitions in Western Switzerland. So if I can figure out how to enter for a competition close by in France, Italy or Germany we might just jump the medium height (if there is no Oldie class there).)
I cannot even remember all the things Maaria Kaiperla told me during the session. There were other things "wrong" with Rekku too, but also good news, as in general, Rekku is in great shape for his age. Maaria was able to treat Rekku to fix the crooked pelvis and bring more movement to his spine, and there was something she also did that made him make a complaining noise of half whining half growling.. But he walked out relaxed and happy, even collecting a compliment on his bouncy trot from a complete stranger!
We got recommendations for supplements to take that will support Rekku in his aging, and recommendations for homeopathic medication that will help him with his stress and separation anxiety that he as had in the last six months.
I warmly recommend a visit to an osteopath for anyone with an older - especially sports - dog. I think I will visit one myself too..
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| Relaxing at Noppa's place after the treatment |
* Living in SG, Rekku had gotten three times more rabies vaccinations and tick prevention treatments than usual, as use of tick prevention (Frontline or such) was recommended year-round and according to AVA, the rabies vaccinations that are good for 1-3 years by the manufacturer, are only valid for 1 year. In Switzerland and Finland they are good for three years. Moving to Switzerland, the vet recommended to use Expot for tick prevention, but it is the most poisonous of all the products.. Now we are going poison-free with natural tick prevention.
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