Veterinary Physiotherapy

Lifeworks by Rio

**PLEASE REGISTER FOR TREATMENT**

If you would like your dog to undertake a physiotherapy or hydrotherapy session you will need to register as all clients require a referral from their veterinary surgeon. Once we have your details, we can liase with your vet to ensure it is ok for your dog to receive treatment. Simply follow the registration process and we will take it from there.

Book Now

Physiotherapy Sessions

What is Veterinary Physiotherapy?

Veterinary Physiotherapy is used for the holistic treatment of animals. Alongside vet care, physiotherapy helps reduce pain, improve performance, and make your pet more comfortab

le. All animals will benefit from maintenance treatments, even if they have not got any diagnosed conditions. However, physiotherapy is very useful for any musculoskeletal or neurological conditions, including arthritis, hip dysplasia, and cruciate ligament ruptures.

We use an NAVP and AHPR registered Veterinary Physiotherapist. We provide animals with quality, professional care to improve their performance or rehabilitate them post-injury by using techniques including manual therapies, electrotherapies, and home exercise programmes.

Assessment – Before treating your animal, I must first assess it statically, dynamically, through palpation and finally through range of motion. This must be done before I treat your horse or dog. Below I have explained the different steps involved in this assessment:

Static- The first thing I will do when I come to assess your animal is look at them standing still. I will evaluate how they stand, their conformation, and any differences in muscle tone and weight bearing.
Dynamic- Next I perform a dynamic assessment. I will watch the animal walk and trot from all angles. I will evaluate their gait and look for lameness.
Palpation- Thirdly, before treating your animal is palpation. I will assess the animals symmetry through multiple bony landmarks and feel their muscles, looking for signs of pain, spasm and muscle tightness.
Range of motion- Finally, I will take each of your animals joints slowly and carefully through its full range of movement to assess for any joint abnormalities.
Treatment- I will then treat the patient. This is the final stage of my visit. I will use a combination of different manual therapy techniques, such as stretching, massage and range of motion, and I will also use electrotherapies.

Rehabilitation – Rehabilitation is often very important when a dog injures itself. Many dogs unfortunately suffer from injury, ranging from cruciate ligament ruptures to hip dysplasia to neurological issues, such as intervertebral disk diseases. I am able to help rehabilitate your dog

by using different techniques that should make him happy and comfortable, while hopefully improving his movement and exercise levels. I can create a bespoke treatment plan for you and your dog to help you reach your goals as quickly as possible.

Maintenance – Maintenance treatments are often very beneficial for all dogs, as they are very active animals. However, working and agility dogs will particularly benefit from these treatments to help them continue to perform at their best. Likewise, maintenance treatments can really benefit senior dogs, as they should help keep them mobile for longer and comfortable.

Veterinary Physiotherapy