FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you don’t find the answer to your question below, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Physical rehabilitation is becoming an increasingly important tool as an adjunct to veterinary medicine following surgical intervention, injury, chronic pain, and neuromuscular ailments. It aids in the prevention of injury and recovery from trauma, therefore expanding the physical potential and quality of life of our canine companions.
Physical rehabilitation therapy aims for restoration of physical function; for example, the ability to walk in a previously paralysed patient or the ability to use all four legs effectively in a patient previously lame as a result of an injury. To achieve this, your therapist will use numerous techniques or “modalities” – such as mobilisations, manipulation, electrotherapy (therapeutic laser, electrical stimulation etc.), stretching, massage therapy and exercise.
The use of physical rehabilitation to assist recovery is a well-accepted practice in human medicine and surgery. More recently, great strides have been made in identifying similar methods to help our companion animals.
Assessment
At Pets in Balance, after receiving medical clearance from your veterinarian, a qualified animal physiotherapist will evaluate your animal’s movement, spine and joint function, strength, co-ordination and other physical abilities and properties. This will enable your therapist to determine the impact of an injury, degenerative or inflammatory condition or disability on your pet’s health and mobility.
Physical ‘Diagnosis’ and Treatment Plan
Your therapist will then determine how best to restore proper movement and reduce the pain from an injury or disability to your dog. Your therapist’s knowledge and experience is based on scientific rationale and a thorough assessment of your pet’s condition, environmental factors and lifestyle. She will work with you, the pet-parent, to plan an individualised treatment program. Your therapist will also act as a source of support and encouragement throughout the rehabilitation process.
Treatment
Therapists engaged in animal rehabilitation utilize a variety of tools and methods in order to evaluate and treat patients. Manual therapy encompasses mobilizations, manipulations, massage therapy and stretching. Our therapists have specialized training in the biomechanics of joints as well as muscle origins, insertions, and actions. ’Modalities’ is a term which refers to the tools or machines commonly utilized by physiotherapists. These may include ultrasound, laser, electrical muscle stimulation, magnetic field therapy, and acupuncture to name a few. Lastly, an individualised and staged exercise program will be a fundamental tool to return your dog to a state of normalcy.
Report
After the initial session, You will receive a report written by your therapist documenting everything that has been found, discussed and performed during the course of the session. It will also outline and explain various exercises and supply other useful advice for managing your pet at home. A copy will also be sent to your treating veterinarian, as well as the operating surgeon in post-surgical cases.
Physical rehabilitation reduces pain, speeds up recovery post-injury, and strengthens muscles that have weakened due to arthritic changes and age. It also promotes a more rapid recovery from neurological or orthopaedic disorders and surgery, helping to avoid complications associated with prolonged cage-rest. In healthy, active patients, physical rehabilitation can improve or maintain strength, stamina and body condition.
Examples of pets (dogs, cats, horses, exotics) who would benefit from physical rehabilitation:
- Pre–operative, orthopaedic surgical patients, e.g. cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture
- Post-operative orthopaedic surgical patients, e.g. CCL repair, femoral head ostectomy, fracture repair
- Neurological patients e.g. intervertebral disc prolapse, degenerative myelopathy, wobbler syndrome, fibrocartilaginous embolism
- Overweight patients
- Geriatric and/or arthritic patients
- Agility, performance, and working dogs
- Animals exhibiting lameness or decreased performance
Unfortunately, animals can’t tell us what hurts if they are experiencing pain, and are also often very good at hiding their discomfort (due to age-old survival mechanisms). Often, in older animals, we notice that they are getting slower and interpret that as just old-age. If you notice that your pet is no longer moving as often or as comfortably as usual, or if they are limping, then it is advisable to consult your veterinarian and he/she may recommend physical rehabilitation therapy for your pet.
A referral from your treating veterinarian or operating surgeon is preferable but, if you do not have one, we will contact your vet on your behalf to get any information that is relevant to the assessment and treatment of your pet.
Initial Assessment
At Pets in Balance, after receiving medical clearance from your veterinarian, a qualified animal physiotherapist will evaluate your animal’s movement, spine and joint function, strength, co-ordination and other physical abilities and properties. This will enable your therapist to determine the impact of an injury, degenerative or inflammatory condition or disability on your pet’s health and mobility. The initial session usually lasts between 1 hour and 1:15, as it involves a period of questioning and history-taking, as well as allowing time for your pet to grow accustomed to the practice environment and therapist. Thereafter, sessions are 45 minutes. It is advisable to commit to at least three sessions, as physiotherapy is not a quick-fix.
Discussion and Planning
Your therapist will then highlight his/her findings over the duration of the assessment and determine how best to go about the rehabilitation process. She/he will work with you, the pet-parent, to plan an individualised treatment program. Your therapist will also act as a source of support and encouragement throughout the rehabilitation process.
Treatment
After the initial assessment, a short treatment will be conducted and could involve one or more of several treatment modalities (including stretching, massage, mobilizations, laser therapy, underwater treadmill, land exercises etc). In follow-up appointments where the therapist is already familiar with your pet, the main portion of the appointment will involve these treatment interventions.
Report
Sometime in the days immediately following the first assessment, you will receive an emailed report written by your therapist documenting everything that has been found, discussed and performed during the course of the session. It will also outline and explain various exercises and supply other useful advice for managing your pet at home. A copy will also be sent to your treating veterinarian, as well as the operating surgeon in post-surgical cases.
Not at all!
Physical therapy and rehabilitation techniques can be applied to any pet or animal athlete, be it a dog, parrot, pig or alpaca. That being said, as therapists, the vast majority of our patients are either equine, canine or feline.
Physical rehabilitation includes many different modalities and techniques. After a thorough physical assessment and reviewing of your pet’s veterinary history, your therapist will design a treatment plan that best suits your pet’s age, temperament and medical or surgical condition. The rehabilitation therapists at Pets in Balance have been extensively trained in order to ensure that your pet only receives treatment interventions that are indicated depending on the various factors playing a role in his/her condition.
Sometimes, there may be some mild soreness associated with muscle stiffness after the initial evaluation, but the goal of therapy is for your pet to have improved, and to be in less pain, after each session. Please contact your therapist if your pet experiences any signs of discomfort over and above mild stiffness and/or some lethargy.
Absolutely!
There are only a few cases in which a pet may do better without the owner in the room with them but, if at all possible, we want you with your pet so that you can be actively involved in the rehabilitation process (and to ensure that your pet feels safe and secure in the treatment environment).
Yes.
In almost all cases, it is recommended that you do some therapeutic exercises with your pet at home. You will be guided as to what to do and how often. This is an integral part of the rehabilitation process, and should not be glossed over. However, far from an inconvenience, home exercises are an exceptional bonding experience between owners and their animals and give both parties feelings of fulfillment. There is nothing quite like watching your pet get improve before your eyes!
Please send us an email so that we can forward you our current price list and answer any further questions that you may have. Visit our contact page via this link.
This depends entirely on the pet and the condition, but we usually see patients 1-3 times per week for at least a month. The duration of treatment is variable and depends on both external and internal factors. Some patients with chronic conditions attend sessions every week for the rest of their lives, and some patients we only see three or four times before their pathology resolves.
Absolutely!
Veterinarians and rehabilitation therapists work very closely with one another to ensure that your pet receives holistic treatment that works together to cover every aspect of your pet’s health.
Also, while rehabilitation aims to restore functional movement and improve wellness and quality of life in animals, we do not provide medical, surgical or diagnostic veterinary services. We will be in touch with your vet throughout your pet’s rehabilitation program so that they remain up-to-date on your pet’s progress. You may also be referred back to your treating veterinarian at any time, should your therapist deem it necessary for your pet.
You can book an appointment by –
emailing us at: info@petsinbalance.co.za
Calling us via the practice telephone on: 021 852 3551 (please bear in mind that our therapists are busy with consults during the day and may not always be available to take your calls)
Whatsapping (or calling us) via the work cellphone on: 076 877 9558
Sending us a Facebook message via our Pets in Balance page
Our underwater treadmill may be state-of-the-art, and very high tech (I promise that we are not biased), but is it really necessary for your pet’s rehabilitation? Can you not just swim your dog in the dam?
Research shows that underwater-treadmill therapy increases the rate of muscle strengthening and improves joint range-of-motion in dogs following surgery, with benefits gained in as little as 1-2 sessions per week. The benefits of this therapy, as well as a comparison of underwater-treadmill with swimming, are outlined here.
This is a concern for many of our clients, but 99% of the time our patients end up enjoying the therapy so much that they run into the treadmill room at their own volition upon arrival at the practice
Even if your pet doesn’t like water or swimming, he/she may tolerate the underwater treadmill because it is quite a different environment from anything they would have experienced before. First, your pet is acclimated to the dry treadmill space with treats and/or toys and praise. When they are feeling secure, we slowly add the water (it fills the tank from from underneath). We adjust the water level to make them feel as comfortable as possible, but usually never lift it above shoulder height. We also use treats and/or toys to make it a positive experience and give them enough time to get used to it. If necessary, we can put aside some extra time to make sure that we do not rush the process and create a negative connotation. However, if the stress experienced by the dog outweighs the benefits of the therapy, we will never force him/her to continue with it. The treadmill is not our only tool in the rehabilitation process and there are numerous other modalities that we use to achieve our rehabilitation goals.