“My hound/shepherd mix (Oki) was diagnosed with a torn ACL. After a consult with a surgical vet, I wanted to see what other options were available for Oki. Post-surgical recovery carried a high risk of “catastrophic failure” of my dog’s back leg and seemed like an extremely painful and difficult trial to put my dog through. My vet recommended Deborah as an alternative.
After consulting with Deborah, we decided to try an alternative approach to surgery. She was realistic and said that he might still have to get surgery because of his size (90+lbs) but it was worth trying to heal the ACL through rehabilitation exercises, chiropractic care and restricted movement (no running, jumping).
(Note from Rehabdeb…I met Oki and Michelle in May, 2009. Since then I’ve seen hundreds of large dogs recovery extremely well without surgery for torn knee ligament, and I would never have the surgery again on one of my own dogs…no need)…
Deborah set up a detailed care plan for me (beginning here) and was always available when I had questions. We set up periodic appointments to monitor Oki’s progress and make adjustments to his rehab exercises.
It took about 6 months, but Oki’s ACL healed well and he never needed surgery or pain meds. He also thoroughly enjoyed his chiropractic adjustments. He was able to go back to almost all normal activities and avoided the pain and trauma of surgery.
Since then, Deborah has become my go to person whenever one of my dogs is injured. She offers practical and realistic advice, has great rapport with the dogs and I trust her opinion completely. Most importantly, Deborah is always thinking of the dog’s comfort and quality of life – allowing me to make informed decisions that maximize the benefit for my dogs.”
Michelle S. Forest Hills, NY
