While some believe I am a White Witch, casting spells in my clinic room, magically making dogs feel better by luck and magic, believe it or not, I don’t have a magic wand or a crystal ball, and sadly I cannot see into the future. If I could, I would be able to tell you how long your dog’s recovery will be and how well they will recover.
Without these superpowers, what I do work with is my education, my experience and also, something I call;
The Three Outcomes of Treatment
We do this by using the acronym S.M.A.R.T which stands for;
S; Specific
M; Measurable
A; Achievable
R; Relevant
T; Time boxed
Now put your Dog Centred Thinkers hat on for this next bit; At the start of a treatment plan, we want to know what we are working towards, this is our SPECIFIC goal, for example, post stifle surgery rehab programme.
Then we want to know how we will measure the results of this rehab programme, we do this by creating a MEASURABLE outcome, in this example, it might be; return to a 2 mile walk with the owner 4 times a week. At this point, we need to ask ourselves if this is a plausible outcome for this particular dog, following this particular problem, therefore is it ACHIEVABLE?
We need to also establish whether the outcome we aim for is relevant to the dog and client in question, and whether the goal is RELEVANT. For example, I might say to my client; “ We will get your dog fit enough to go for a 5 mile run with you”. But my sedentary 70 year old client might say; “But I don’t go for 5 mile runs”. Therefore this outcome I’m setting isn’t relevant here.
Finally, we need to establish the time scale for this rehab programme, we call this; TIME BOXING. For example, for our stifle surgery dog, I would say we need 12 weeks post-surgery before we will be able to know if rehab has been sufficient. Trying to assess the outcome of rehab before the 12 weeks would not give us a true outcome.
Once we have worked through a treatment and rehab protocol using the SMART system, we need to establish what the outcome is.
Please welcome…The 3 Outcomes Of Treatment
There are ONLY 3 outcomes ever, which makes things quite simple;
- Outcome 1; The dog gets better. All areas of SMART have been achieved, and the protocol has been a success.
- Outcome 2; The dog has stayed the same. After following SMART to create a treatment protocol, symptoms have not improved.
- Outcome 3; The health of the dog has deteriorated. Even though all SMART protocols were followed, the original injury or symptoms have worsened.
If the outcome of treatment is successful, then happy days! If the outcome is that the dog has shown no improvement or things have gotten worse, then we still have an action plan, which is to refer you back to your vet for a review and further diagnostics.
These new tests and diagnosis, will then create a new Action Plan, whatever that may look like for your dog. Most important of course is that I always want my client’s to feel reassured that I will support them and their dog’s every step of the way.
About the Author:
Dani Paizis MSc MMAA AHPR Veterinary Chiropractor
Dani is a veterinary chiropractor, specialising in the rehabilitation of the canine patient. Practicing a welfare first, dog-centred, multimodal approach to canine wellness. Dani lives in Harrogate with her husband, two daughters and their lovely dogs Benji and Gracie.
You can contact Dani directly by email at: danipaizis@gmail.com
