A Success Story  

Though Capeta is no longer with us, she is constant reminder of what rehabilitation can do for an older dog. It allowed her to play and enjoy life again.

Capeta was a 12-year old Labrador retriever who presented because she was having trouble getting up, navigating the house, and taking short walks. Historically, she had had surgery on both knees and had arthritis in the hips, knees and spine. She walked with her head down and had trouble rising, stepping up curbs, and walking across the room. Capeta's rehabilitation started with cold laser therapy, range of motion exercises, massages, and short swims in the pool. After 2 weeks, Capeta was performing stairs at home, walking longer, getting up with less difficulty, and was bringing the tennis ball to her guardian to play, which she had not done for 6 months. Over the next 4 months, Capeta continued with laser therapy and swimming. Progression of her home program included exercises to help with limb and core strength, coordination, balance, and preventative pain control. She eventually came for therapy (laser, massage, acupuncture) on an as-needed basis, but continued to swim for another year. We saw her again a year later when she began to show more stiffness and pain. Cold laser and massage were reinstituted with a gentler home program. She continued to swim and was happy and playful for the rest of her days.