Doctor Deb's Dog Blog

New products coming soon!

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:07:18 +0000

Lots of new, exciting products coming soon to the Wizard of Paws online store!

Human belts, leather-back dog collars, classic dog leashes… various sizes and colors, all coming soon!

Brodie’s new comfort flex harness – one dog’s opinion… :-)

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:09:01 +0000

Ellen Lutz sent this email to us from her Brodie, regarding the comfort flex harness she got for him. He can be a sarcastic little devil! lol

(We at Wizard of Paws love and highly recommend the comfort flex harnesses)…

Thanks, Ellen!

Enjoy….

Dear Miss Debbie

Thanks so much for sending my mom the right sized harness. Because of your actions, I have been forced to go to Plan B….going submissive when harness is placed on me.

Mom is going to have to break out the treats (she calls them rewards but I know they’re BRIBES) if she wants me to cooperate and wear this thing you sent.

Sincerely….NOT

Bodie…who is NOT HAPPY

P.S. Mom says to stop being a brat and just say thanks. So….thanks from her.

Maggie working on the balls at Wizard of Paws!

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:06:18 +0000

Maggie is a two year old Clumber Spaniel that recently earned her breed championship! She comes to us once to twice a week for strengthening and conditioning. Susan is a wonderful dedicated owner and Maggie is a wonderful dog!

Susan sent in this video of Maggie working on the balls at Wizard of Paws. She loves coming in! After the ball-work she goes into the water treadmill for 30 minutes. With all the snow we have had this year Susan has not been able to walk her, so this has helped her stayed muscled & toned.

Rosie the service dog helps out in Multiple Sclerosis rally!

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:31:16 +0000

Rosie the service dog is a client of ours! She comes in for strengthening and conditioning!

“Even Rosie the service dog helped out. Orange is the color of the MS Society, and there are 6,000 people in Connecticut who have Multiple Sclerosis.”

From News 8 in Connecticut:

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — There’s a field of flags on the lawn of the State Capitol today, as folks try to bring attention to multiple sclerosis.

One by one, they covered the lawn of the Capitol building with 6,000 orange flags. Even Rosie the service dog helped out. Orange is the color of the MS Society, and there are 6,000 people in Connecticut who have Multiple Sclerosis.

Click here for the rest of the story

Small Animal Symposium: April 26-28, Chelmsford MA

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:47:22 +0000

2013 Small Animal Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Symposium

I will be speaking/teaching at this symposium, in April:

“Conditioning/strengthening for agility/sporting dogs.”

Looking forward to it!

HERE IS ALL THE INFO:

Course Description:

It is our goal that this conference will be instrumental in continuing to shape the field of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, and will consist of several days of programming by speakers with expertise in a variety of areas. This is an excellent opportunity for those working in this field to come together in a collaborative manner to learn and exchange their expertise with each other. This conference is designed to focus on and share new information in this rapidly evolving field. Lectures and labs will be held as well as a cocktail reception on Friday evening.

The topics presented in this conference will help you keep current on new advances in the field and to continue building your rehabilitation practice

It is our firm belief that this will be an exciting Conference we take great pleasure in inviting you to participate!

April 26 – 28, 2012 (Friday afternoon, Saturday & Sunday morning)
Registration 12:30pm
Friday – 1:00 – 5:00pm class, 5:00pm – 7:00pm – Wine & Cheese Reception
Saturday – 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday – 9:00am – Noon

Location:
Radisson Hotel & Suites Chelmsford-Lowell
10 Independence Drive
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Ph# 978-256-0800

Ask for the Northeast Seminars room block and receive a rate of $99.00 per night
33 miles to downtown Boston, MA, .6 miles to downtown Chelmsford, MA, 4.6 miles to downtown Lowell, MA
34 miles to BOS – Logan International airport OR 33 miles to MHT – Manchester – Boston Regional Airport
Shuttle transportation to local businesses within a five-mile radius of the hotel (Mon – Fri)
Parking is complimentary

Course Outline:

Friday, April 26, 2013

1:00-2:30 — Update on Pain Management, Breaking the pain cycle, Pain related aggression, Managing pain in NSAID intolerant dogs, with Dr. Steven Fox

2:45-4:00 – Laser Update and Lab with Dr. Brian Pryor

4:15-5:00 – Wellness Program, Finances. Required monitoring with Dr. Marty Goldstein

5:00-7:00 – Cocktail Reception

Saturday, April 27, 2013

9:00-10:30 — Nutrition in Rehabilitation

10:30-10:45 — Break

10:45-12:00 — Conditioning/strengthening for agility/sporting dogs with Dr. Deborah Gross Saunders

12:00-1:00 — Lunch

1:00-2:00 – Lab: Conditioning/strengthening for agility/sporting dogs with Dr. Deborah Gross Saunders

2:15- 3:00 – Stem cell update and rehabilitation of stem cells patients

3:15-5:00 — The role of rehabilitation in multidisciplinary specialty practices- it’s not just for post-ops! with Dr. Carrie Althouse and Dr. Natalie Campbell

5:00-5:30 – Becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation: Residencies in Sports Medicine and Rehab (30 minute Q&A) with Dr. Darryl Millis

Sunday, April 28, 201312

9:00-10:30 — Dry Needling in Small Animal Practice with Dr. Rick Wall

10:45-12:00 — $Money in Motion: Maximizing Cash Flow in Rehabilitation

Featuring:

Steven M. Fox, MS, DVM, MBA, PhD

Martin Goldstein, DVM

David Levine, PT, PhD, DPT, OCS, CCRP

Deborah Gross Saunders, DPT, MSPT, OCS, CCRP

Darryl Millis, MS, DVM, CCRP, ACVSMR

Carrie Althouse, MS, DVM

Natalie Campbell, VMD

Rick Wall, DVM, CCRP, DAAPM

Why are some dogs so terrified of noise?

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:22:51 +0000

A very interesting article in ScienceDaily online talks about the varying degrees of fear response in different dog breeds, and offers information relating to the cause of these responses.

A recent research study from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol appears in Applied Animal Behaviour Science. The study shows that the early life of a dog is a vital factor in whether he will develop an undue level of fear of certain noises. And several breeds have consistently shown less fear to loud or startling noises than other breeds, such as Labradors, Cocker Spaniels, and Springer Spaniels. These are all breeds often used for hunting, so perhaps they not only grown up with loud sounds, such as shotguns, but perhaps their comfort with loud noise has been genetically reinforced.

Really worth a read: Check out the article: New Insight Into Dogs’ Fear Responses to Noise

Westminster Dog Show 2013

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:55:11 +0000

It is time again for the wonderful Westminster Dog Show, Feb 11 and 12, in New York.

If you are not able to attend, here are some links for info, results, TV coverage etc!

TV coverage of the show:

LIVE TELEVISION COVERAGE:
Monday, February 11, 8pm-11pm ET, Live on CNBC
Tuesday, February 12, 8pm-11pm ET, Live on USA Network
*Please note: Television coverage in the Pacific Time zone is delayed for that time zone and is from 8pm-11pm PT both nights.

Westminster Kennel Club- general

Westminster Kennel Club: SHOW RESULTS

WASHINGTON POST images of Westminster Dog Show, 2013

Update on Rocky, the little Llaso Apso from Bermuda

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:13:30 +0000

Many of you are familiar with little Rocky, the adorable Llaso Apso from Bermuda. He came to us after suffering an FCE on his cervical spine and needed rehabilitation. We have blogged about him several times, and now have another new email update from his owner, Ken.

Hi Debbie

Hope all is well, Rocky continued to improve for a bit then he sort of stayed at the same level. I stopped laser, etc. as I feel it’s not doing any further good now.

After a year , he started to get lazy and lay around all day so I got him a therapist from England, in the form of his nephew Hugo, and that little guy sure keeps Rocky mentally and physically engaged! He can only climb up or down two stairs but he certainly seems happy.

Take care and good luck.

Ken Lawley

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks Ken, and so glad he continues to do well and is enjoying his life!

Here is the most recent previous blog about Rocky, for those of you who don’t know the story!

Here is a video update on Rocky, the little Llaso Apso from Bermuda. He came to us after suffering an FCE on his cervical spine and needed rehabilitation. We all fell in love with him, got him on the road to recovery, and Ken, his owner, keeps us updated with the latest. Look at him running around , now!

Video Update: Little Rocky!

His owner is keeping him on a strict diet including salmon and chicken along with CoQ10 and other vitamins to continue the healing. Plus exercise. He is improving, but it will take some time.

Way to go, Rocky!

Here’s the earlier blog link about Rocky: Rocky blog link

CE Accredited Seminar on Animal Therapy March 8-9, 2013

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:43:30 +0000

Announcing: Seminar with Dr. Deb Saunders:

March 8th & 9th, 2013 at Wizard of Paws in Mystic, CT.

“Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the Veterinary Clinical Setting”

This is a didactic and hands-on laboratory Continuing Education Course, taught by Dr. Deb Saunders, and sponsored by Hudson Aquatic Systems.

Learn the basics of animal rehabilitation during this CE accredited 1—1/2 day course. You will gain a basic understanding of rehabilitating dogs, how to start your own rehab facility, and all the components you will need to get started.

Limited to 30 participants.

Click here for course description and objectives, and how to register

“WorkBall Dynamic: Improving Your Dog’s Endurance” New article in Clean Run!

Dr. Deb at Wizard of Paws — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:51:21 +0000

Click on photo for Clean Run’s website

Clean Run magazine has published an article of mine in their January issue. Many thanks to them, and I hope you enjoy it!

Here is a small piece of the article, with link to Clean Run’s website.

WorkBall Dynamic: Improving Your Dog’s Endurance PART 1

By: Dr. Debbie Gross Saunders, DPT, MSPT, OCS, CCRP

Many dog enthusiasts have realized the importance of ball or core work to their dogs’ overall health, whether it’s a competitive agility dog or a companion dog. If you have not, it is time to get on the ball and get your dog on the ball! Core strength assists dogs with the functioning of their lower and mid back, front legs, abdomen, back legs—well, just about every part of their body!

Types of Muscles and What They Do

Our bodies and dogs’ bodies have two basic types of muscle fibers—slow twitch and fast twitch, or Type I and Type II. The slow-twitch or Type I muscles help with posture, balance, and control, while the fast-twitch or Type II muscles give speed to the body and assist with quick and explosive movements.