Canine Case Study: Jez (Newfoundland)

Jez posing for the camera!!

Posted 15th July, 2009

The dog used for this case study is "Jez", a 6 year old Newfoundland, owned by Keri Dowson. Jez was a rescue dog, and his previous owner had allowed him to get extremely overweight. Obesity is always a factor which increases the risk of injury to joints, but the risks are even greater in a giant breed. Jez's healthy weight is approximately 12 stone. Keri noticed that despite a weight-loss regime, Jez gradually started to become less willing to run around and had difficulty getting up. She also noticed him starting to sit with his legs straight out on either side of him. This led her to suspect that he had hip problems, which are common in Newfoundlands. A visit to a specialist vet revealed serious problems with his cruciate ligaments on both knees, which could be corrected with bilateral TPLO operations. This type of surgery in such a big dog is risky, and so Keri decided to manage Jez's condition without surgery for as long as possible.

At the time of Jez's treatment he had been suffering these knee problems for two years, and was on a huge range of supplements and painkillers to help.

After just one treatment, Jez was walking and sitting normally, and after a few days he started to run around and try to jump up - he was obviously happy and more comfortable. In Keri's words, "We were sceptical, but following Liz's treatment Jez has been a different dog, more mobile and obviously in less pain. He's had no painkillers since and is running for the first time in a long while."