Harri’s Story – Patella Luxation
Harri is a sweet little girl with a heartwarming story.
Harri was found abandoned with 2 of her siblings and these young pups had clearly been roaming the wild for some time. They were taken in by the lovely people at North Clywd Animal Rescue, where her mum fell in love.
However, it sadly became evident that Harri was struggling in her back legs. She was diagnosed with patella luxation in her left back leg and underwent surgery to try and correct it. This is when I first met Harri, only X weeks after her surgery to help her with her recovery. Sadly Harri’s surgery initially failed to hold her patella in place, but after time, patience and a lot of strengthening, Harri’s patella is now firmly in place! We also sadly discovered during her first session that her left patella also luxates. This was also billed for surgery, but her mum decided to wait for a short while whilst Harri recovered from her first surgery, and now it may not even be needed!
When I first met Harri, she was extremely nervous and hide in the corner of the room for most of the session. I had to take the session slow and completely at Harri’s pace, gradually earning her trust. For the first weeks, I couldn’t even face Harri for any part of her session, instead having to sit side on. By week 6, Harri started relaxing in the treatment room and even started playing with her toys! On week 10, Harri walked into the treatment room on her own; up to this point Harri had to be carried in. And by week 20, Harri was happily coming up to me, letting me stroke her and her cheeky side started to show by demanding treats from me!
Harri is a completely new dog thanks to her newfound strength and confidence. Gone are the days of cowering in corners, she is now bouncing along on walks and enjoying life to the full. Keep up the amazing work Harri!