khanu Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 I took Talyn to see Julia Robertson at the Galen centre today. What a brilliant and lovely lady Talyn has been intermittently lame on his left leg since he arrived (last time was defintately his shoulder, I think the other times it was too, but can't be sure). The last time he went lame it was much worse than just a bit of a limp, he wouldn't put weight on it and screamed when he did it which he never has before. Vet said it was his shoulder, he went on anti inflammatories for 5 days which helped but it didn't go away for another few days. I made the appointment with Julia hoping that we would be able to come up with a plan that would allow us to do agility. Talyn needs something to do, and he is a very active dog, he really does need to be running, doing obedience just won't cut it. Obviously I was (am) worried that doing agility would mean he would be forever lame, and I don't want that. So off to Galen we went. Julia was so very patient with him as he is a nervous boy. So very gentle and always gave him an escape route if he wanted. She has found a hard lump on his left scapula which needs checking - slightly worried about this since this is the side he keeps going lame on, but I'm determined not to get obsessively worried about it until we've been to the vet. She concentrated mainly on his front shoulders and neck - he has been using his neck to propel himself (something a lot of dogs do apparently) as his back legs don't work so well due to his fused spine. She said his back end wasn't actually that bad - because his spine is fused he actually can't twist up his muscles like he can in the front end, but his lower leg muscles could do with some more treatment for sure. He actually closed his eyes and almost breathed a sigh of relief when she massaged his neck. I am now very hopeful that with TTouch, massage therapy, hydrotherapy and stretching exercises we will be able to keep Talyn as sound as possible for as long as possible so that he can enjoy a full life. Julia said that she thought much the same as me, we should be aiming for quality over quantity and that realistically doing agility may shorten his life expectancy but there are things we can do to make sure he can keep going for as long as possible. I can't begin to say how much of a relief it is to know that what I have been doing will have been of benefit to him, and that what we can continue to do will enable us to undertake an activity that I know he will love. I wish and hope that we'll have 10 years together, but know realistically it's going to be more like 5 or even less, but I'm determined that it'll be a fun packed few years. I can't recommend the place or Julia highly enough. Julia also says that some insurance companies will pay for treatments, so its certainly worth considering if you are near a therapist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murtle Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Wow, that sounds like a great experience for you both. I am glad that it sounds like you'll be able to have lots of fun together, and really glad that the TTouch is working well, maybe you just can't have enough TTouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Fantastic news i have looked into Galen for my dogs before...there is nobody even remotely close to us though i am really pleased that Talyn has made a bit of progress, i love TTouch as well and after my dogs first session we went to a park and for the first time in his life he didn't bark at another dog...even though it was going nuts in his face. i hope that you continue to enjoy your sessions together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barb Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Holly had Galan therapy on her leg and it helped a lot. Caroline came to the house to treat her, a lovely lady, and Holly enjoyed the experiance and let Caroline massage her with a look of bliss on her face. I would recommend it to anyone Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanrossscot Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Another Galen fan here, we used to go to Julia with Keira it made such a difference and she loved it! Julia is fantastic, mad as a box of frogs!! but very lovely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purrpuss Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 I havn't heard of Galen therapy before, it sounds interesting ! May just have to go and google. Glad to hear that the dogs have all enjoyed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Ooh, that looks interesting. If there was a practitioner near at hand I'd try that with Az, who is now getting quite stiff and creaky - but Sussex is such a long way away. Maybe I should buy the DVD and try a spot of DIY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careli Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Ooh, that looks interesting. If there was a practitioner near at hand I'd try that with Az, who is now getting quite stiff and creaky - but Sussex is such a long way away. Maybe I should buy the DVD and try a spot of DIY. Hi Cycas, Galen Myotherpists are dotted all over the Country. Have a look at the find a practitioner section on the website. http://www.caninetherapy.co.uk/find-a-practitioner/ It is not unusual for me to travel over 150miles round trip to treat a dog that I knew I could make a difference to. Although I am based in East London/Essex, I will also soon be treating dogs in the North Norfolk area. Where abouts do you live? If anyone would like further information regarding Galen Myotherapy then please feel free to contact me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 I live in Cornwall, so the nearest practitioner is well over six hours there and back again! I wouldn't really expect anyone to do that to treat a single dog and the petrol costs would be awful too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clare Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) Julia is fab She has helped Murf so much with his arthritus, and as soon as he is stronger we will be back to her, well worth the 90 mins travelling for the benefits of some Julia attention Edited August 5, 2010 by Clare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barb Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Carali is the lovely lady that treated Holly, she taught me a few moves and I still use them on her. If you can find a therapist it will benifit any dog, I am sure of that Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greys mum Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Have bookmarked the Galen website, never know when your dog will need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careli Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 If any one is attending Paws In The Park in September, please do come along and say hello! A team of Galen Myotherapists will be there all weekend undertaking Muscle Balance Assessments and answering any questions regarding Myotherapy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple_mog Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 Fantastic to hear about bodywork helping so many dogs! I certainly don't want this to come across as sour grapes, but Myotherapy and Galen therapy are basically different names for massage therapy and bodywork. There are more people practising this than you might realise, and a good massage therapist is the same thing. Just to bear in mind when looking for local practitioners. Bodywork comes in all flavours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 Bodywork comes in all flavours It does, but a lot of them seem to be quite loopy. I did start looking at people offering other forms of massage, but I was getting too many 'things that made me go hmm' from many of the more local websites so I gave up. Call me Ms Nonpersistent... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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