As told by Alison, Jett’s owner.
After several years in Silicon Valley with our active mini huskies, it was time for us to move home to Perth. We were looking forward to giving our apartment-dwelling-San-Francisco pups a garden of their own and all the benefits of the amazing Perth lifestyle. There were many hurdles to jump through, but one we didn’t anticipate was major surgery and rehab for our older dog, Jett.
We’d already completed a strict program of vet visits and vaccinations to qualify for the import permit that would allow us to fly our beloved pooches to the quarantine facility in Melbourne. It was a long journey from the Bay Area, to LA, to Melbourne, then Perth, but the dogs bounced out of their crates into their new garden in fine fettle. Soon after, though, we noticed Jett was unable to bear any weight on his right hind leg. After registering with a wonderful vet and upon further investigation, he was diagnosed with a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament and booked in for TPLO surgery. It was more stressful than I’d ever want a little dog to endure.
Jett’s first visit to Active Pet Rehab was six weeks after his surgery. Despite following the post-surgical instructions to the letter, cordoning off a section of the house, and carrying him when he needed to go outside, I’d been extremely concerned that Jett was trying to do too much activity, and that it would impede his recovery. It was a long nine-week wait until his follow up x-rays with his surgeon that would confirm the bone had healed properly. So, when Carmel assessed Jett in the initial consult, ahead of that second x-ray appointment, she put my mind at ease and brought down my stress levels. Who knew that Jett’s physio appointments were good therapy for this very worried owner too?
Jett’s sessions were initially weekly, then fortnightly. After taking baseline measurements in his first appointment, Carmel and Nik took Jett through a series of assessments, exercises, targeted light therapy and an aqua treadmill program of increasing intensity. Jett also got homework: daily exercises we could do to build muscle and stabilise his leg, which he loved as they involved lots of mental stimulation, praise and treats.
He was a little unsure the first time he entered the aqua treadmill — he’d already been through a lot to get to this stage, and being a husky breed he’s very vocal — but after a couple of sessions, he was an old pro, walking in there on his own and demanding to get the show on the road.
I’m delighted to say that Jett graduated from his post-surgical program with flying colours. Still, as an active and spritely senior and with the knowledge that he may need further arthritis interventions as he ages, we’ve decided to continue with Active Pet Rehab.
Jett’s now on the Super Paws program and sees Carmel and Nik in Mosman Park every two-to-four weeks. We feel that with his issues, ongoing physiotherapy, aqua treadmill, and light therapy will be key to his long-term health and fitness. Not to mention a key component of ongoing pain management and arthritis relief.
Thanks to the therapy he receives at Active Pet Rehab, he is now loving his new life as one of Perth’s dogs-about-town. His favourite things to do are running in the park, going to cafes and of course relaxing in his new garden.
