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Wow - it's that time of the year again already! Hearts and flowers are on everyone's mind and kisses from our canine and feline companions are especially sweet! Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!
Please read on to learn more about my two special canine valentines...
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One of my sweetest valentines is a little French Bulldog named Tristan. He stole my heart in ways I can't even describe - his infectious grin, questioning expressions, and sheer determination to enjoy life on his terms. Last September he had to undergo a hemilaminectomy in order to remove a ruptured disc that was compressing his spinal cord and that had caused sudden pain and paralysis to his hind legs. The operation was successful at relieving his pain but not fully successful at restoring his hind leg function, so Tristan came to see us at A Well Adjusted Pet seeking physical rehabilitation to retrain him to stand and walk again on his own one day if possible.
Fortunately for this little guy, he has an amazing mom, Amanda, who was motivated to do everything she could to make sure he lived life to the fullest. Tristan has been regularly receiving physical therapy and has shown increased strength and ability to stand, sit, and urinate on his own. This is Amanda's story about Tristan's journey:
"Tristan's doctor, Dr. Watt, and his team at VCA Vet Specialists did an amazing job taking care of Tristan but unfortunately bleeding and damage to his spinal cord caused him to have permanent paralysis..."
Click here to continue reading Tristan's story...
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Meet Rusty. He's a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever - a smart, independent and curious dog, this breed was created to lure and retrieve waterfowl and is excellent in the field and in the show ring, loves to work the obedience and agility circuits, and is a beautiful and intelligent member of any active family - and one I personally adore working with. Rusty loves to learn new things!
Rusty's mom is always eager to give him every advantage when competing in agility and she came to A Well Adjusted Pet to work with me in devising a training program to make him the fastest, most agile, and best. One look at Rusty's enthusiasm was all it took for me to know that he was a winner, and I was more than glad to focus on increasing his strength, speed and balance through targeted exercises using a custom cross training program, and sessions in the underwater treadmill. We documented some of Rusty's training to share with you - click on the images below to watch the movies!
Latest Update!
Rusty's mom checked in with the latest news and we have to send a huge 'Congratulations!' to Rusty! She told us:
"It's official! Rusty finished as #1 Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever in Agility for 2014 per AKC's Top Dog report!! 2014 was his first year competing in Masters. He is currently #1 for Invitational! I can't say enough and I would like to thank my breeder - Danika Bannasch - for giving me such an incredible and versatile Toller and giving this first time handler and Toller owner a chance to show how Tollers can really roll!"
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"Conditioning Rusty to be a Top Canine Competitor"
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 Rusty is not just any competitor: he has earned the title of #1 Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever in Agility in North America!
Yes, that's a pretty fine achievement!
I have been working with Rusty and his amazingly dedicated mom, Liz, since 2013, when I first started seeing him for regular Chiropractic Adjustments. Later we began a program of Canine Cross Training when Rusty ranked sufficiently high in his agility scoring to be invited to participate in the 9th annual 'American Kennel Club Agility Invitational,' held in Florida in 2014. Rusty would be competing alongside other top agility dogs of his breed who were recognized nationally with the title of Master Agility Champion. And we knew the competition would be fierce!
In preparation for the contest, we started our work by creating a cross training program especially for Rusty. It was modeled after the program outlined in 'Canine Cross Training: Building Balance, Strength, and Endurance' by Sasha Foster, MSPT, CCRT at Colorado State University. I had the opportunity to learn from Sasha directly in my course work at the Canine Rehabilitation Institute as well as during a day of training with her while I was in Colorado so I was thrilled to be able to apply my new knowledge directly to assist Rusty...
to read more about Rusty's award-winning training!
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We love your reviews! And we also love Yelp! So, let's combine the two! If you use Yelp and would like to write a review for A Well Adjusted Pet, we would be so grateful. If Dr. Ilana has treated your pet, why not let the world know?
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