Veterinary physiotherapy can benefit dogs of all ages, disciplines, and abilities, from your family pet to your world champion agility athlete. Dogs, like people, can suffer from a wide variety of injuries and conditions which are often related to their stage of life, their breed, and their type of work. Physiotherapy can help to improve these conditions by reducing pain, improving movement, and by simply making your dog more comfortable. Treatment can also help reduce the risk of injury so it is good practice to have routine physiotherapy treatment for your dog even if they do not have a specific condition or presenting issue.

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Aims of Physiotherapy:

• Reduce pain

• Improve mobility

• Promote healing

• Regain function

• Strengthen musculature

• Enhance performance

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Dogs communicate that they are in pain or experiencing discomfort by exhibiting changes in behaviour. These can be more obvious changes such as becoming aggressive, or more subtle changes such as difficulty going up/down stairs. 

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Signs that indicate that your dog would benefit from physiotherapy:

• Poor performance

• Stiffness (especially in the morning/cold days)

• Abnormal posture

• Lameness

• Behavioural problems (biting, growling, cowering)

• Muscle imbalances

• Lack of muscle

• Difficulty moving (sitting, lying down, getting up)

• Pain

• Change in performance (avoidance, lack of enthusiasm or endurance)

• Change in temperament (aggressive, nervous, withdrawn)

• Reluctance (to walk, go up/down stairs, get in/out the car)

• Loss of coordination

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Veterinary physiotherapy can benefit a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, and any compensatory issues which may arise as a result of an ongoing injury or condition.

 

Conditions that can benefit from physiotherapy:

• Osteoarthritis

• Soft tissue injuries (muscles, tendons, and ligaments)

• Hip and elbow dysplasia

• Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)

• Cruciate ligament injuries

• Post-surgical rehabilitation

• Muscle atrophy/imbalance

• Spinal conditions

• Injury rehabilitation (e.g. fractures)

• Neurological conditions (e.g. IVDD)

• Wounds

• Patella luxation

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If you are unsure about whether your dog might benefit from physiotherapy treatment, please do not hesitate to get in touch for a free phone consultation.