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Patient Spotlight: Rocky Garcia

Rocky is doing great post-surgery!

In January, four-year-old Rocky’s owner noticed that his hind limbs were knuckling over. Knuckling is when the top of your dog’s paw drags along the ground as they are walking and is generally a neurological problem. The problem quickly grew worse and Rocky started dragging his toes. An MRI revealed multiple sites of spinal cord compression and a T13-L1 Hemilaminectomy was performed in February. A Hemilaminectomy is a spine surgery that involves removing one of the two laminae on a vertebra to relieve excess pressure on the spinal nerve(s).

Rocky came in to BARC for his initial evaluation two weeks post op and has since been coming for a gentle rehabilitation program of acupuncture and therapy three times a week. Now, six weeks post-surgery, Rocky is much stronger and more flexible with very little pain. He has been cleared for active underwater treadmill therapy; however he is not a huge fan of the water. If we can’t get him used to the water then we will progress his therapeutic exercises in the gym to challenge him and improve his strength, proprioception and coordination.

Service Spotlight: Therapeutic Exercise

Therapeutic exercise is an integral part of our patient’s rehabilitation program and is included in each therapy treatment session. Therapeutic exercises are individualized to the patient and designed to target specific deficiencies, including:

muscle weakness and inflexibility
range of motion limitations
gait and proprioceptive dysfunction
balance difficulties
functional mobility impairments
Inadequate cardiopulmonary endurance

We incorporate equipment such as Cavaletti poles, traffic cones, rocker boards, Bosu balls, balance discs, incline ramps, Therabands, bungie cords and even a canine land treadmill so your pet can get the most out of their time at the gym. Most importantly, therapeutic exercises are made to be fun and engaging to all patients, so you can bet that there will be treats, toys, smiles and lots of love involved!

Get To Know Jaime Nalvarte - Reception

Where are you from? Cali, born and raised!

What do you like to do when not at work? Jiu Jitsu and wrestling are huge in our family. My husband competes all over the U.S. in Jiu Jitsu, my daughter has been training Jiu Jitsu for 4 years, and my son is on the varsity wrestling team at Redondo Union High School. You will most likely find me at one of the local gyms or at tournaments cheering them on.

Favorite color? Red

Favorite food? My food! I love to cook and bake 😊

What got you interested in working in rehab? One of my dogs I got towards the start of working in the veterinary field has had quite a few health problems. He did not do well with much of the standard diets and medication, so I looked towards alternative and holistic medicine and he has thrived. This year he will be 14 and he still acts like a puppy! I have also seen the benefits of rehab over the years working at different animal hospitals and noticed how much better the patients were doing with acupuncture and/or rehabilitation in conjunction with western medicine as opposed to the patients who were not. Since starting at B.A.R.C., two of my other dogs have received care here and I could not be more grateful for the vets, physical therapists and technicians who have helped make their lives more comfortable.

What is a fun fact about yourself? I have to watch Cry-Baby whenever it is on TV. I just have to.

Have you been on any fun or unusual vacation spots? My parents retired when I was young and home schooled me for a few years. Where ever I was learning about we would travel there and learn about the people, culture, food, arts, etc. My favorite vacation was visiting southern Ireland. I loved it so much I almost went to Trinity College in Dublin.

Dr. Elizabeth Craig, DVM, CVA CCRT Eligible

More Than "Just Getting Old"?

Chronic pain in our elderly pets is a real issue and sadly, a poorly recognized problem. Most of the time it stems from arthritic changes although other problems can be present. Over time, the accumulation of changes in our pets can result in profoundly affecting their quality of life. Commonly, the changes we see are categorized as “they are just getting old”. But age is not a disease but prolonged, untreated pain is.

Pain is a complex thing with many different levels and often we make no noise with pain. When thinking about your own pain, when do you actually cry about it? Not often, unless it’s profound or acute. Chronic pain however is insidious and it never ever goes completely away. Just as us, animals, can experience pain without making a sound. And just as us, they will communicate their pain in behavior and posture. As we know in people, these chronic pain pathway changes, read more...