Barney was eight years old at the beginning of this year when we brought him into VPAH for his semi-annual ear infection visit. At that time our lovable Barney (aka Bubba) was a modest 132 lbs. If you would of painted black spotches on him and put him in a pasture he could of doubled as a Jerseymaid cow. Yes we still loved him, there was just more to love!
During my recent visits to see Kathy I had noticed the Biggest Loser Program posters and had been thinking to myself, hummm. No not my Barney! He's just a "large boned" dog. Well he is a big boy but it's what surrounded the bones that was continuing to grow and it wasn't all muscle.
See, Barney is spoiled, but he has had a pretty difficult life since he was almost a year old. At that time our local Vet. in Orange County had the horrable task of telling my wife and I that our Barney had hip displasia. It had progressed at such a rapid rate in such a young animal that we only had two choices. The first was to have multiple surguries which would cost an arm and a leg, no pun intended or that we would have to say goodbye to Barney and let him go see his maker much sooner than either of us could or would allowed to happen. We made the right choice. I had brought Barney home only two days after my wife and I had picked out his brother Jack ( a Golden Retriever) from a local breeder. Barney and Jack were like two peas in a pod. They were not only best buddies but for all they knew they were brothers. So we had the best breeds that we thought we could have, a Yellow Lab. and a Golden Ret. We never thought that we would be challenged with having to seperate them because of medical issues.
After a total of four different surgeries to Barney and a year plus later our Barney was back to being a normal puppy. Running, jumping, digging, eating things that he shouldn't etc. Barney was back and nothing was not edible to that dog! As the years went buy Barney's weight increased. We had talked about deceasing his food, cutting out table scraps but that's all we did, just talk about it.
During his visit with Kathy in January she explained to me that by starting him in the B.L. program I would increase the life of my dog. That's when the light bulb went on!! Why on earth would I not want him around in our lives for as long as possible? We had already done everything medically possible to do that in the first place with all of his operations and by allowing his weight to increase we were taking the years that we could spend with him away. Well that made no sense at all.
Enter Barney in the contest? It was a no brainer. And the reward, more time with Barney! Well I am so happy to say that Barney today (07/13/09) is a handsome 111 lbs.!! He feels better, has more energy, looks great, doesn't gasp for air when he does little things like rollover anymore, is able to go up and down stairs like he is Wonder Dog, loves going for walks even more now because he doesn't get winded like he did before and the ease at which he can get up and down is unbelievable. Not to mention that with less weight on his hips he has to feel better.
But wait! Our goal for the end of the program is around 97 lbs. So in October if you see something flying around in the sky in the Coachella Valley and it's not a bird, it's not a plane, it just might be Barney!
I just wanted to thank the entire staff at Village Park Animal Hospital for suggesting the program and especially to Dr. Carlson and Emily for their concern and follow up on the progress of our Biggest Loser.
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"Kliffy" - Rehabilitation with Hot Spa Therapy and Massage
Thank you for changing Kliffy's life. For those who don't know Kliffy and
are considering water therapy for their pet, I'd like to share his story.
Kliff, our 16 year- old Yorkie, has suffered from severe arthritis and
curvature of the spine for several years. We tried various medications to alleviate his pain, but he still spent most of his day in a closet, coming out for food and an occasional visit with the family. It was so sad to see our little dog, who has always been so active, become bedridden and withdrawn, but there wasn't much else we could do to help him, especially at his advanced age.
When you discussed the idea of water therapy for Klifford, I agreed because I thought it might help to alleviate his pain. I had absolutely no idea what a dramatic change it would make in his life.
Over a period of three months, his curvature has almost disappeared. He rarely needs medication, is able to take long walks and runs to the door (when he can hear it) to greet friends and family. He has started swimming again on his own. For Klifford, swimming includes leaping into our pool and chasing after his ball, no small feat for a 16 year old Yorkie.
His response to water therapy, and, of course, Val's massages, has been absolutely amazing. He is a new dog.
I would strongly recommend your water therapy program for anyone who has a pet with a disability, young or old. I would be happy to discuss
Kliffy's miraculous results with any of your clients who are considering using Aqua Paws facilities. It's the least I can do!
Kliffy and I, once again, thank you very, very much.
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