Ghost’s Story

Photizo Vetcare

28 Jul

by Sarah Darling - Founder of K9 Gait Massage Therapy - Providing Canine Massage, Rehabilitation Therapies and Lifestyle Management to Dogs in Areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Powys.

I have to admit, that every day I wake up feeling extremely blessed having the opportunity to work with the most incredible dogs and their loving parents.

Undoubtedly, I fall in love with all of them, especially when working with rescue dogs, who just seem to get deeply embedded into my soul.

When working with a rescue dog that has had a challenging and possibly abusive life, time needs to be taken to build trust, as their sensitivities may go way beyond skin deep! Sometimes even the slightest touch can cause pain, fear and extreme anxiety.

Often, I am not only dealing with physical discomfort, but also the mental trauma they have experienced, therefore I have to gently peel back one layer at a time and utilise an extensive toolbox of modalities and therapies to aid in their recovery.

As our dogs can often hide their pain, there are times I have had to hide my tears, and meeting Ghost was one of these occasions.

Ghost is an Asian Shepherd, who was adopted in October 2021 by clients of mine, Orin and husband Ryan. They already have two gorgeous Labradors, Jinx and Django. I have been regularly providing therapies for Django, aiding in her recovery from cruciate surgery in her right stifle and supporting a partial rupture in her left.

With their overwhelming love and passion for dogs, Orin and Ryan often spoke of how they would like the opportunity to adopt a rescue in need of a loving home, and when they came across a picture of Ghost, who was at the time at a rescue in Romania, they knew she was the one.

Ghost had been at the rescue for 12 months. Orin was told, although she was incredibly gentle and quiet, it may have been because she was such a large dog that had prevented her from being adopted for so long. Also, Asian Shepherds have a reputation of aggression and protectiveness due to their role as either livestock or family guardians. although she’d never shown signs of this behaviour.

Although Orin could see from her picture that her ears had been docked, and the rescue had told him that she was approximately six years old and that she may have a little arthritis, he really didn’t know too much about her past.

Orin paid £600 for her passport, blood test and vaccines. With the adoption complete, they collected Ghost on October 26th. On first appearance, Orin noticed how thin and little muscle she had and that her nose was covered in scabs. She only had half a tail, her movement appeared very restricted with her limbs shaking and scuffing as she walked. At the time Orin thought this maybe down to the travelling and poor sleeping conditions.

It was obvious Ghost had only lived in poor conditions, as her body was covered in dark stains from her own urine and faeces. Ghost was quite overwhelmed with her surroundings, where it was apparent she had never experienced grass, or luxuries such as carpet, sofas, or even love. It took weeks before she even made eye contact with her new family.

While observing Ghost, Orin noticed an obvious deep scar around her neck and also had concerns now that she may have a problem with her hearing.

While giving time for Ghost to settle in before taking her to get checked over at the vets, Orin contacted the rescue to try and find out more about how she came to be there and about her scars.

Orin was told that Ghost had been found at the side of a dual carriageway with a noose around her neck. She had been tied and dragged at speed by a truck and had scarring and scabs all over her legs and head.

Her horrific past continued to unfold after her examination at the vets. Orin was told that her ears had been docked with more of a blunt instrument rather than a surgical procedure and her tail had been taken off with something like a hedge cutter.

Under anaesthesia her ears were fully examined, which confirmed that not only was she was completely deaf, but this was because of a deliberate act. It was obvious she’d had some form of explosives put in her ears, such as fire crackers, as her ear canals were severely scared, twisted and knotted.

With the added discomforts of multiple joint arthritis, physically and mentally she was coping with so much.

We couldn’t even begin to imagine what other awful traumas were bestowed upon this precious girl.

How our gorgeous rescues can ever trust a human hand again I do not know!

Due to the condition of her ears and bacteria, infection and debris they were carrying, which the vet felt was causing her significant discomfort, he had recommended a full bilateral ear ablation. This is where they remove the ear canal as well as the drum.

This was a very costly procedure at £2,500 per ear, and sadly as her ears were docked, they were not able to claim on their insurance. However, there was no question this surgery had to take place for her wellbeing.

I started working with Ghost a month before her surgery, to help ease pains, tensions, restrictions and sensitivities to help aid in her recovery.

When I first saw her, I couldn’t believe her size! Her paws buried my hands, but the gentlest dog I have ever met with eyes that just burned deep into your soul. You couldn’t help but feel all her pain.

The Photizo Vetcare had a prominent place in her treatment plan and became an integral part of her being able to withstand my touch.

The bio-stimulatory effects not only deeply relaxed Ghost, but enabled me to spend less time manipulating and enabled me to ease deep areas of restriction, trigger points and spasms that she had developed throughout her whole body.

The following week, Ghost came straight over to greet me, which surprised everyone, as Orin said she had never greeted anyone before. A real heart melting moment!

I provided a machine for Orin to use on Ghost every day as part of her management, which incorporated gentle massage, mobilisation and stretch techniques.

With Ghost’s ear operations booked in, we incorporated Photizo on and around her ears to increase blood flow into the area to ensure that the tissues can absorb more nutrients and oxygen to aid in repair. We also used regular applications of leucillin, as this not only kills bacteria and infections in her ears, but dramatically help ease the irritation she was experiencing, as this was encouraging Ghost to regularly scratch her ears. We were also putting it on her paws to help prevent any further bacteria and infections forming.

Ghosts’ ears were operated on one at a time and a few weeks apart. We continued with daily treatments of Photizo following surgery, for pain relief, swelling reduction and cellular and immune stimulation. We also continued with leucillin regularly for its chemical properties, that not only kills bacteria and infections, but also calms associated inflammation and mirrors and supports the body’s immune system, helping speed up recovery.

The combination of Photizo and Leucillin had a remarkable effect on the speed of her post surgery recovery.

Ghost’s final operation was April 2022. Following both her surgeries, the change in her demeanour was incredible. She became more playful and interactive, clearly freer of discomfort.

**First Photizo Treatment After Operation**

Now more comfortable and used to my touch, I was able to utilise further specific techniques to ease restrictive scar tissue and further tensions and restrictions, as well as providing rehabilitation exercises to improve her mobility and balance. While Django was doing her pole exercises, Ghost, even while wearing her final cone, was determined to show her how it was done, and surprised us all with her grace and ease.

With the love and dedication of her remarkable parents and her regular treatments, Ghost continues to improve. She has gentle short daily walks, the odd sprint when it suits her, plays with her sisters and likes nothing better than rolling on the grass. The day she finally found the comfort of the settee, was a joy to see, however, she literally takes up the entire sofa! But it’s now her spot.

With a kind heart, a gentle hand, understanding and respect, Ghost has now been able to put her past behind her and now has the most wonderful life she truly deserves.

Improving the quality of our dogs’ lives, as they improve the quality of ours!

Watch the video about Ghost, below:

View Ghost’s Photo Gallery below: