Sport: Agility

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Bang had had some strange hindlimb lameness on and off for almost a year and when I made plans for our Great Adventure in the USA (7 weeks living in an RV trialing and teaching agility) and one of my agility seminars was going to be in Maryland, I knew I had to book an appointment with Dr. Sherman Canapp for Bang to be checked to get more clarity and knowledge on the matter. A few months earlier at a trial on grass surface he had slipped many times with his front end also, but I thought it must be because the hind isn’t working as it should. 

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On the appointment with Sherman Bang got the gait analysis and that showed a mild decrease in weight bearing on the left front leg and then when on the physical examinations and palpation Bang showed marked discomfort in extension and abduction of both shoulders, Sherman suggested an ultrasound to check the structures on the shoulder. 

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Dr. Debra Canapp did the ultrasound examination and she saw some mild changes that suggest that there is a problem in the medial compartment of the shoulder. I was in awe of how skilled and detailed the US exam was, Debra took measurements of every important structure 3 times, I felt that the exam was very thorough and still she had time to explain everything to me. 

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The findings were a bit of a shock to me, since I hadn’t thought that the problem could be in the shoulders… But in hindsight it is clear to see.

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I had a decision to make, do I wait to get home to Finland to get Bang´s shoulders scoped or do I do it here the next day. I was a little worried having him be in the hobbles for the long flight home. But after considering and some research I decided on most experience and also the possibility for the radio frequency treatment. The RF isn’t offered anywhere in Finland yet, so even with some quite skillful vets in Finland too, I wanted to get the best possible treatment for Bang. Sherman was really helpful in this decision making process, he gave me time to think about it, showed me their research on shoulder issues and videos of the scopes and how the RF works and answered with patience all the many questions I had. 

So next day Bang had the surgery and luckily the changes in the shoulder were still mild enough, so that the treatment was RF and no need for the stem cell therapy or PRP. Surgery and the recovery from it went well, thanks to all the great staff at VOSM that took care of Bang. I was lucky to have the opportunity to follow along with Sherman on the other surgeries he had that day, it kept me in a good mood and not worrying about Bang too much, when I had other things to think about. 

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We got very detailed and thorough instructions on the rehab process and we have followed it diligently. The rehab has gone as expected and Bang is now on his 13th week and just had the 12week US check that looked very promising. Thanks to modern technology Debra can also examine Bangs control US images even with the US done in Finland! 

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We are now starting the next phase in the rehab without the Hobbles! 

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Ally has helped a lot too, answering my questions about the rehab exercises via email. 

I feel very confident that Bang got the best treatment, we were early to catch it and we will be back to agility rings doing what we love most!

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Our heartfelt thanks to team Canapp!

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- Minna