Thread: Dog recovery – your advice?

Listen to the vet and follow their qualified and experienced advice. Give Kevin the rest and recuperation time he needs, get a rehabilitation plan in place and ensure you follow it. Hydrotherapy (treadmill in a water tank) is extremely beneficial and allows a gradual development, with minimal impact. Physiotherapy will compliment it also.

One of my spaniels had a partial rupture of her bicep tendon 5 years ago which ended her gamebird season for that year. Followed vets advice with very restricted activity (i.e. didn't go outside the house without being on a lead, enforced crate rest etc), anti-inflams, hydrotherapy and physiotherapy and she came 98% right without requiring surgery to reattach. 5 years on, she will be lame on that shoulder after a big day hunting, but comes right within a day or so with rest.

So sacrifice a few months hunting with your mate in the short-term, in order to get many years more hunting time with him in the long-run.