Mylo
Age:
7 ½ year old Saluki
Diagnosis:
Achilles-tendinopathy
Mylo, a 7 ½ year old Saluki, had been diagnosed with a Achilles-tendinopathy (an inflammation and probably partial tear of the Achilles tendon) on both hind legs, after chasing a Squirrel. By the time he came to us, the incident was already 4 months ago and he had not responded to any treatment. From a veterinary point of view an arthrodesis of the hock (fusing the joint) was indicated or – if nothing helped putting the dog to sleep.
Treatment:
When Mylo walked the first time through our door, he tried to avoid using the hind legs in general and was very lame on the left hind leg. The hocks were visible swollen and he carried the left hock much lower than the right one.
Mylo was treated with a combination of Laser therapy and Acupuncture alongside hydrotherapy in the Underwater treadmill. We advised Mylo’s owner to make him wear a harness to support Mylo getting in / out of the car as well as climbing stairs at home, once he got a bit more mobile. We also looked into a joint support to protect the hock as good as possible. (Mylo was difficult to keep calm when he saw Squirrel or cats!). The attempt to slim Mylo a little bit down failed.
Nevertheless, - 8 weeks after starting treatment, Mylo was trotting and running about again. The left hock stayed a little bit lower than the right one and both hocks stayed a bit thickened, but it did not cause any problems with the leg movement or weight baring. Mylo had done much better than expected especially since he wasn’t one for sitting still at home.
