Physiotherapy
Animal physiotherapy is becoming commonplace in the rehabilitation and prevention of many injuries, surgeries and degenerative conditions. Physiotherapy helps to improve pain, movement and function.
Animals undergoing physiotherapy may receive various treatments including soft tissue and joint mobilisation, massage, stretching and strengthening exercises. These provide pain relief and restore muscle and joint function. Electrotherapy such as laser, electrical stimulation, and heat treatment may also be used.
We can arrange hydrotherapy, exercising in an underwater treadmill. This accelerates muscle growth and restores normal limb function in a low impact environment.
Our physiotherapist, Nicky Suckle, will devise a comprehensive program to meet your pets needs, including exercises to perform at home.
We routinely recommend physiotherapy to ALL patients who have undergone orthopaedic surgery here at our clinic, as we find animals return more quickly to a normal and comfortable life post operatively.
Common conditions we treat:
Hip dysplasia, Elbow dysplasia, Patella luxation, cruciate ligament disease, spinal disc disease, fractures, limb deformities, arthritis, nerve injuries, muscle tears or sprains, ligament tears or sprains, aspiration pneumonia, chest trauma.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is recognised as a very useful treatment option for animals. Treating animals is not new; a treatise on treating elephants has been discovered in Sri Lanka and estimated to have been written 3000 years ago.
Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment. “Acupuncture” means piercing with fine needles. There are 361 acupuncture points on the body and 133 in the ear. These points have been shown to have reduced electric skin resistance – acting like little open gates from the body to the surface. Also acupuncture points are connected to each other on an organized fashion called “meridians”. The purpose of all treatment is to balance and restore the energy flow on the meridians.
A major indication for acupuncture is treatment of musculo-skeletal conditions: spinal/nerve trauma, paralysis, disc problems, arthritis and rheumatism, hip dysplasia, old age degenerative problems, tendon and bone disorders and muscle spasm.
Whilst receiving treatment most animals do not seem to mind fine needles and often get so relaxed they fall asleep. Sedation, restraint or any form of anaesthesia are never used, as they will suppress the nervous system and the acupuncture treatment will not work.
Dr Hazel Gray is trained in performing veterinary acupuncture.
If you are interested in either physiotherapy or acupuncture for your pet, please phone us for an appointment today.
