The dog who couldn’t climb stairs

The dog who couldn’t climb stairs

Lilly (8 year old spaniel-cross) visited me for BSR when her owner mentioned that she was having real trouble climbing up the stairs. The vet had diagnosed her with severe arthritis in her shoulders, and with age any type of jumping or climbing had become hard work. Her owner commented that Lilly had not been able to climb easily for at least 4 years, adding how she had to nudge her up the stairs and sometimes even had assist her by lifting her.

Lilly was a sweet little dog and she sat quietly for me while I worked on her lower back and up her spine. When we were done I was co-erced into scratching her ears too, it was clear she enjoyed the attention!

We made arrangements to see Lilly for a follow up 4 days later. Her owner popped in 3 days later for her own BSR session and excitedly reported that Lilly was now bounding up the stairs like a young dog – after only one session! She invited me over for coffee to witness this and I was thrilled to see how quickly Lilly had responded.

Lilly had slept solidly and deeply after her BSR session and as the tension in her lower back and neck area had eased, there was seemingly less pressure on the shoulder joints making it easier for Lilly to move around. While she might still have osteophytes in the joint, at least she was able to move around more freely without pain.

Lilly the Spaniel – 04-Jan-2011