The following story is told by one of our customers - the proud owner of Bullmastiff Ella La La
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In May of '98 'Ella La La' the 6 month old Bullmastiff bitch entered our lives. Her owners found her to be unsuitable for the showring, so we jumped at the opportunity to become part of her life. A little naughty, stubborn, greedy and cheeky but an absolute treasure with us and other people especially the elderly and children.
We noticed at this young age that she walked with a slight 'pigeon toe' on the rear hind leg, on discussing with t
he breeder and the vet we were informed that there was nothing to worry about. At the age of 18 months Ella was spayed due to health problems, we requested that while sedated her hips should be X-Rayed, the X-ray clearly showed that the right socket was close to non-existent. We continued to exercise Ella as normal up to the age of 31/2 years, it was then noticed that she was becoming lethargic and struggled to walk any distance especially uphill. An injection of Cartrafen was prescribed by the vet, we were informed that Ella would only benefit from 3 or 4 injections and then it would no longer have an effect.
At the end of 2003 our darling bullmastiff Ella had lost the sparkle in her eyes, had become irritable, depressed and noticeable muscle wastage to the back right leg, as she used it so little, also her coat was dry and dull - Ella had no energy at all, would not put any weight on the leg and refused to walk at speed and generally lagged behind.
Our 'baby' had now become a real worry, we had visions of losing her and struggled to come to terms with the fact that she was becoming old before her time.
We put her on dietary supplements of cod-liver oil, green lipped muscle extract and glucosamine in an attempt to alleviate her discomfort, with very little effect. It was then mentioned to us The Dog Spa at Pontllanfraith was opened and to give them a call. This was the beginning of Ella's recover and transformation back into the playful pup we had previously known.
Our first couple of sessions (we attended as a family) were quite an experience for all of us. Bert and Norah (proprietors at The Dog Spa) could not have been more welcoming, they contacted our vet Julie Barrmore and discussed Ella's case and her suitability for swimming. They booked us on the last session of the evening, so as to spend time getting to know us and Ella, we were given a guided tour of their facilities and were suitably impressed with the cleanliness and quality of the Spa, and their obvious love of dogs.
On Ella's first couple of visits Bert and Norah carefully monitored her duration of swim (2 minutes then a rest then 1 1/2 minutes) this was increased at a rate that suited her. We spent this time getting wet and encouraging Ella to swim. Ella's favourite part of the evening is always the drying cabinet where on coming out she gets one of Bert's special dog biscuit treats.
Ella is now swimming once a week for 17 minutes continuously with the jets on for 5 minutes at each session (which increase resistance). 
For the first 10 sessions we visited twice a week, during this time it was very noticeable the muscle increase and development around her right hip socket and leg, she started to walk more freely and stood four-square, she used her right leg as much as her left and was happy to walk down and up hill. Ella is now running and playing with our puppy "Rocky" (who also attends and swims at the Dog Spa to condition him for the show ring) and has now decided that she can jump around like a puppy.
Her once dull eyes and coat are now shining like a two year olds. The muscle wastage around the leg and hip socket are gone.
Friends and relatives are amazed that this is the same dog of just 5 months ago. We are overwhelmed at the 'miracle' of her recovery and can't thank 
Bert and Norah at The Dog Spa enough for this continuing success story.
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For more details on our treatment programmes or to enquire about booking an appointment why not contact us?
tel: (01495) 221204
email: info@thedogspa.co.uk
smail: Cwmnantyrodyn, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood
