Rehab, Recovery, and Fitness

"We strive to improve your pet's quality of life so that you can both resume the activities that you enjoy doing together!"

So, what exactly is "Veterinary Rehab"?

"Veterinary Rehab" is the animal version of "Human Physiotherapy." The terms rehab and physiotherapy are often used interchangeably for people and for pets. 
So, just like us, pets sometimes need additional care to help them recover from an injury, a surgical procedure, or a chronic, debilitating condition.
Veterinary rehab provides specialized, targeted exercises and therapies to speed the recovery process.

Our staff is trained to identify deficiencies, outline treatment plans, and provide specific therapies to control pain and return as much of your pet's normal function as possible. We are trained and experienced in a variety of methods to ease painful conditions, improve muscle strength, increase flexibility, and improve neurologic function.

Our overall goals for our rehab patients are to:         

• Have our patients be Pain Free.
• Be as close to normal function as possible.
• Be Happy!   
                                                                                                                                                                   

These are some of the conditions we treat:

• Post-op orthopedic surgery recovery.
• Post-op spinal surgery recovery.
• Spinal conditions such as a ruptured intervertebral disc, spinal arthritis, and loss of rear limb control (degenerative myelopathy).
• Chronic arthritis, for example: hip dysplasia and elbow osteoarthritis.
• Shoulder instabilities.
• Muscle, tendon, and ligament injury.
• Weight management.
• Return to athletic function. 

Land Based Therapy & Exercise  

We use a large variety of exercises, equipment, toys, and treats to make your pet's therapy session fun and productive. These include carpeted ramps, padded steps, Cavaletti poles, exercise balls, wobble boards, and land treadmills.

Some of the treatment modalities we use include therapeutic massage and stretching, joint mobilization, TENS unit treatment, Low Level Therapeutic Laser treatments, acupuncture and Tui-na massage, Piezowave shock wave therapy, and heat/cold therapy.

TENS unit treatment for back pain.

Low Level Laser treatment after cruciate surgery.

Piezowave shock wave therapy for tendonitis.

We also provide wheelchair fitting service from Eddie's Wheels, joint braces and artificial limb fitting from Paws in Motion,
joint splints and support wraps from TheraPaw, and fitting & adjustments for Help'em Up Harnesses. 

Water Therapy & Exercise  

The benefits of water therapy are numerous and include: 

• Buoyancy.  This allows your pet to perform non-weightbearing exercise with full range of motion in all joints.
• Heated pool.  The warm water increases circulation to muscles and soft tissues.
• Hydrostatic pressure.  This is a property of water which will decrease swelling in soft tissues and joints and greatly helps with pain control.
• Water resistance.  Exercising in water builds strength and endurance, burns calories, and really helps with weight control. 
• Swimming!  ...It's a whole lotta fun !!
  

Our Swim Therapy sessions are held a short drive away at the pool at the Dawg Paradise boarding facility in Westville. For more information about our Swim Therapy Program please visit their website here.