Page 9 - PawsandHooves-Autumn2019
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STORIES FROM
OUR HOSPITALS
Holly Smith
“When you have a case like Gustav, you have to be prepared for all eventualities. You do not know how much movement the dog will have post-surgery and therefore what manpower and equipment you will need – so you plan for the worst-case scenario.
“After his operation, Gustav was treated in
our Intensive Care Unit for a day and I went to
visit him to see what range of movement he had. Unfortunately, Gustav could not stand at all. He had movement and feeling but could not hold any of his own weight. Gustav was soon moved to the neuro ward, where we had him out on the ward rather than in a kennel so that our team could attend to him easily and give him the intensive care he needed. Gustav had a catheter fitted to ensure he didn’t have accidents which he was then sat in. He had to be propped up and turned over regularly to prevent sores and avoid any chest congestion. Turning him over was a huge task and always involved at least three people!
“Gustav had physio three times a day with our dedicated physiotherapist Emily and the team of neuro nurses, which involved massage and moving and stretching his limbs for him to get the muscles working.
“Eventually we were able to move him on to take some of his own weight and use his legs whilst supported in the hoist. As he is such a big boy Gustav did not fit in one hoist alone, but luckily our team has two! We also had to stack multiple items like balance balls under him to give him the support he needed! It was a great day when we could
take Gustav out and about on walks in the hoist, although we did have to take precautions such as bandaging and putting boots on his feet to prevent them scuffing and getting sore. At least four nurses had to go out with him initially to provide enough support for him and ensure he (and the nurses) were safe. We then progressed to using a sling instead of the hoist, which enables more feedback to the feet and encourages the dog to do the walking himself.
“Once Gustav was off his pain relief medication and fluids and was able to go to the toilet during
Paws & Hooves Autumn 2019
his walks outside, we could then get him in the hydrotherapy pool. Initially we needed three people in the pool with him and then once he was stronger, we could go down to two. Gustav was a lazy swimmer but doing exercises in the pool with him really improved his progress, despite his best efforts to just float!
“Gustav was such a wonderful patient; he was never cross or upset about his situation and was so affectionate with all of the team. The only problem was his laziness! He needed a lot of persuasion to progress – he was quite happy letting us hold him up! All of the neurology and surgery nursing team were involved in his recovery and rehabilitation, along with students and patient care assistants.
We couldn’t have got Gustav back on his feet without everyone helping out. The team invested so much in his recovery – it was an intense ten weeks with a real team effort. We were so proud of each little improvement he made, and you can hear us all screaming and cheering him on in the videos we took of each milestone.
“We were sad to see him return to Belgium as he’d become a regular sight on the ward, but we were thrilled with his recovery and that he could go home and play with his brother a much happier dog!”
We’re thrilled to be able to support the QMHA’s physiotherapist and neuro team with equipment so that they can help more animals like Gustav.
Thanks to your support, the team will soon have some larger size ‘wobble cushions’ to improve strength, balance and muscle tone as well as a set of stairs to encourage a greater range of motion.
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