Pet of the Month! Rufus!
Rufus’s Story
Rufus is a big dog with a big personality! Last month 4 year old Newfoundland Rufus was brought to Horner Vets having collapsed when going upstairs. With many helpers Rufus was examined, and we isolated his pain to his hips. After X-rays under an anaesthetic, we confirmed that he had severe hip dysplasia and very bad arthritic changes in both hips. Given the possible causes for a collapsing dog, this was a good diagnosis and we treated him with anti-inflammatory, pain killers and rest.
He recovered really well and our attention has moved to trying to prevent this happen again.
Rufus has been taken under the care of Megan Bliss, our Physio at the Pet Rehab and Wellness Centre. Since then he has been making the most of all the services on offer and has been receiving regular physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and laser therapy. The aim is to build his muscle strength whilst reducing his inflammation and overall weight. By working on all these three areas, the impact of Hip dysplasia is reduced and improve his quality of life immeasurably!
We always know when Rufus has been for hydrotherapy as Megan must drain the tank to clean it….!!!
We asked Rufus’s owners some questions about him:
What is Rufus’s favourite thing to do?
Rufus loves to eat, give slobbery kisses and sleep. He’s not fussed what order they’re in!
Does Rufus have any nicknames?
Fluffy bum, Roofie, RuRu, Truffle Pig, Bulldozer, Ruffypoo, Chunky Monkey, Slobber Chops and a few more we can’t share in public society.
What do you enjoy the most about Rufus?
He is the biggest cuddle bug, he loves everyone he meets, he is the most gentle of giants. We love how excited and happy he gets when he sees people and dogs he likes.
Have you researched into his diagnosis/condition further?
We had been researching and looking for ways to help and support him for a while before he was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia because of it being common with Newfoundlands. We looked at what food and supplements he was having, bone broth, termaric paste, various exercise options and the biggest thing is understanding when he’s struggling and when he’s feeling fully fit an adapting his exercise to suit him.
What advice would you give to others?
Early diagnosis is so important so you can start treating it early and keeping your dog fitter for longer. Good quality food and supplements as well will help. Physio has really helped, over the past 4 weeks he has improved a lot. And a quality vets, like James Horner. And get good insurance so you don’t have to worry about money on top of everything else.
How has the Healthcare Subscription helped you?
The Gold Healthcare subscription has made a huge difference to Rufus’s care, with the everything included you’ve been able to really tailor his care, from the weight loss programme to the food. From a cost perspective, having a very large dog can mean very large vet bills, but we’ve been able to spread costs and have money off treatment and medication which is a huge help.
The weight loss clinic has been a massive help too. JB really ares about Rufus’ well-being and he’s always texting with tips and tricks and he loves having slobbery kisses at the end of each session too!