07/28/2026
Meet Splash: Part 2
Splash is the sweetest and happiest boy! His recovery took time, patience, and a lot of support from his family and medical team. After four surgeries and four months of physical therapy, Splash achieved more than we could have hoped for. He went from struggling to stand and walk to playing and running with his housemates.
His specialized rehabilitation program included:
1. Laser therapy: We used our class IV laser to decrease myofascial and post-operative pain and to stimulate tissue healing after each surgery.
2. Manual therapy: In the physical therapy world, our hands are our two most important tools! We used a variety of hands-on techniques to decrease pain and swelling, improve joint mobility, improve soft tissue extensibility, and improve proprioception and muscle recruitment.
3. Land-based therapeutic exercise: PTs and OTs prescribe exercises that build simple postures and movements into more complex movements that translate directly to the functional activities a dog participates in during daily life. Splash spent so much of his early life standing in a hunched and crouched posture; we started with building strength in a square standing position and slowly progressed to step-ups, cavalettis, balance exercises, and more!
4. Aquatic therapeutic exercises: We could write a whole series on the benefits of aquatic therapy! We got Splash into the water as soon as his surgeon cleared his incisions. We used the properties of water to both support and challenge Splash depending on the stage of recovery and the exercise. Did you know the underwater treadmill isn’t only for walking?
If you made it this far, let us know in the comments what questions you have, and be on the lookout for a future post focused on the benefits of aquatic therapy!
