Meet Peanut, our September 2017 Pet of the Month. We first met Peanut, an 8 year old, spayed female, Beagle Bulldog mix, in December 2016. She came to see us for rehabilitation care options following her R TPLO surgery, which was performed at Michigan State University Veterinary Medical Center. Unfortunately, Peanut tore her L cruciate two days before her initial visit with us, so her L TPLO surgery was already planned for early February at that point. As a result, her rehabilitation plan needed to address post-operative healing and muscle strengthening along with special considerations due to her active L cruciate tear. Additionally, she was carrying some extra weight so weight loss was also a mutual goal for us and her family. Peanut proved that she was up for the challenge!
We focused her rehabilitation program on strengthening her thigh, hip and core muscles. Peanut and her family worked very hard carefully monitoring her caloric intake and performing structured exercises at home. She progressed nicely in the early weeks of her rehab therapy and she took 2 weeks off when the time came for her L TPLO surgery. After that, Peanut returned to her rehabilitation sessions and surprised everyone with how well she did after the second surgery. She worked hard during her rehab sessions, performing structured therapeutic exercises, working out in the underwater treadmill followed by massage and laser therapy. Her appointment frequency decreased at the office as she and her family were able to do more exercises at home.
Team Peanut made amazing progress! Peanut and her family did lots of homework between her formal rehab sessions and all of that hard work paid off. Peanut lost a total of 5.6 lbs while going through rehab for 2 TPLO surgeries! In early July 2017, Peanut officially graduated from her rehabilitation program! Great job, Team Peanut!