Maxwell the black Lab Retriever had always loved playing catch the frisbe. He was great at it too. He could run and jump to catch almost every throw. Then around age 11, Max slowed down some. He wasn't quite as fast as he used to be, and there were times he stumbled for no forseen reason.

His vet didn't notice right away that Max had a torn ligament in his left rear leg. We searched online for a rehab facility for animals and found one. The place is called Twinbrook Animal Clinic, and it's located in Valencia, PA.

On his first visit, the facility's vet examinied Max and found the torn ligament. We took Max back to his vet for the knee surgery and the shots he would need to attend Twinbrook for therapy. Up to now, all this cost over $800.

Maxwell needed three therapy sessions a week, and the therapy lasted about an hour. The fee for that service was $90 per visit. This went on for three months. The therapists taught us what to do at home to suplement what they were doing at the facility so we could get Max walking again.

He stood on a ramp. He sat down and stood back up several times. There were exercises that he had to maneuver against pressure, and the best excercise that helped the most was the aquatic therapy. The water gave him bouyancy, and the treadmill put him through the motions.

Maxwell is now down to one day a week for a 30 minute workout in the tub/treadmill. That service is about $40 dollars per use. This has been going on for the last month. We don't know how much more time Max will need, as he is still sometimes feable when he walks, but we'll continue to take him as long as he needs. It's an hour's drive to get there, but a healthy, walking pet is well worth the trip.

So far our total is about $1,626, and I wonder why we don't have the type of insurance for our pets that we have for ourselves. The pet insurance out there at the moment hardly covers most necessary procedures. I believe the agency that comes up with the medical, eye and dental insurance for pets will have a most lucrative business. Most people today say that you either insure your pet as puppies or it isn't worth it.

Where Max is concerned, we are happy he'll be walking around a few more years. Most of us will do what ever it takes for the health and longevity of our beloved pets.