Overview: Yogi is affectionately known as the ‘Come Back Kid’ at the Galen Therapy Centre. In 2005 he suffered a near fatal accident, but thanks to his and his owner Lisa’s total determination to pull through, he has now recovered fully and back taking part in Agility competitions, which he loves. The Problem: Yogi is a young Border Collie full of fun, with a zest for life – however this very disposition almost caused his downfall. As one day his enthusiasm led him to jump over a wall, that unbeknown to him had a three meter drop the other side. He suffered major lacerations which were expertly treated by his vet at the Oathall Veterinary Group and which thankfully haven’t left any scarring. However, his vet recognised that he had also suffered a soft tissue injury that was resulting in his being lame, as no skeletal problem had been diagnosed following an x-ray and his family were distraught to think that he may never be able to compete again.

This is Yogi at Paws in the Park in 2007. He ishowing fluidity and posie, it is a wonderful examples of how all dogs should look on the agility circuit.

The Treatment:
When Yogi was brought to the Galen Therapy Centre he was unable to put one of his back feet on the ground and when studied from the side his back looked like an inverted ‘V’, with his pelvis dropping away. Also, from above his shape was like a banana and almost just as significant was that his usually sunny disposition was dull, which was very alarming and upsetting for his family.

On palpation (a physical examination using hands) Julia discovered he had incurred major back trauma in the accident affecting the deep hip flexors, which was causing the banana shape and transferring pain to both his neck and shoulders. It is likely he was also having severe headaches.

He had also suffered nerve damage in his leg which was causing him to drag his foot. Julia relates this to putting your foot on a hosepipe “If you stop the flow of water through a hosepipe then it is unable to function, this was similar to Yogi’s situation as his foot was unable to work properly due to nerves which had become trapped.

The Outcome:
It was through implementing only four sessions of deep tissue manipulation that Julia was able to recover Yogi to full health, which is considerable considering the seriousness of his injuries. She believes the reason for this is because he was brought to her quite soon after the accident: “Most dogs I see have sustained injuries quite some time ago, which means that the body has compensated and it is often difficult to trace back to where the source of the problem is. With Yogi, it could be identified straight away due to the speed of his referral to us from his vet. Yogi is a wonderful, happy dog. I’m delighted we were able to get him back to his old self so quickly.”

Customer Quote:
Lisa, his owner, says “After Yogi has his accident I was worried that he would never run properly again, let alone compete in Agility, but as soon as Julia saw him she said that she was confident she could quickly get him back to normal. She was fantastic, as soon as she touched Yogi she found one of the problems and from his face and body language we knew that he was in pain. But, somehow he knew that what Julia was doing was helping him and he even put his leg out to help her get the right spot.

Now Yogi is back in Agility training and taking part in competitions. He is also winning many trophies and is revered by his fellow competitors when standing in line – let’s hope his winning streak continues! I can’t thank Julia enough for her wonderful work. More people should be taught how to massage their dogs. Thank you again Julia, for giving Yogi back his life and us the dog that we adore!”

To ensure any muscular issues do not embed, Lisa is fastidious in ensuring that Yogi is warmed and prepared properly for every show.

Galen Myotherapy® does not replace veterinary medicine, or act as a diagnostic tool. Your veterinary surgeon will be consulted prior to any therapy. You should consult your veterinary surgeon with specific questions and for a diagnosis of your animal’s health.