Lilly the Springer Springs Back
Posted 19 December, 2018
Lauren Silano and Jon Beren's Spring Spaniel Lilly at age 10 began limping a great deal and licking her front right wrist joint. She licked the area so much there was a permanent dark saliva stain on her white fur and Lilly appeared to be in constant pain. She also had trouble jumping up onto the bed, her favorite chair, and wasn't able to get into the car. Her back end seemed to be giving her significant trouble too. Her symptoms and behavior were noticed by the family's younger dog, Bob, who began responded by demonstrating dominating behaviors towards Lilly, in an effort to claim the Alpha dog spot.
"We had her wrist X-rayed to make sure it wasn't a break, and it came back fine," says Silano. "Our Vet concluded it was inflammation due to arthritis and prescribed a daily dose of Rimadyl to relieve pain. Jon and I told a friend about Lilly's signs of aging and how she just can't keep up anymore. Our friend had brought their pup to BDR and recommended we see Darcy." The couple decided to take Lilly to BDR.
"Lilly is a cautious dog, and very stoic, and was nervous about going into the BDR treatment room. She stayed very calm through the treatment and it was amazing to see Lilly react to Darcy's touch," recalls Silano of the assessment at BDR. "Darcy was able to figure out where the trigger points were, and then did some dry needling. I could literally watch Lilly's muscles respond to the needles and the electricity once attached. Lilly was calm and let Darcy do whatever she wanted." Lilly received dry needling, cold laser and stretching treatment and Darcy also gave Silano physical therapy exercises to do with Lilly at home.
"The PT exercises were pretty easy and Lilly actually seemed to enjoy them," says Silano, "Within 2 treatments I could see vast improvement in her mobility and pain. Within 4 treatments her "permanent' saliva stain went away and her wrist clearly wasn't bothering her anymore."
Lilly is still a 10-year-old with loose joints so her mobility isn't perfect, but she is more active around the house and keeps up better on walks. Silano reports, "She can now get into her favorite chair without a problem, and she patrols passerbys through the window; one of her favorite activities. Mostly she jumps up onto the bed easily, and Bob the dog who was trying to take over Alpha position has stopped recognizing her as weak, and curtailed his behavior trying to make her subordinate."
Silano says, "Lilly now loves her visits with Darcy, and when I say 'Do you want to go see Darcy?' she gets super excited, I think: 1) Darcy is a total dog whisperer and 2) Lilly knows how much better she feels after treatment."
Check out this cute video of Lilly when asked if she wants to see Darcy.
