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Thursday 8am - 5pm Friday 8am - 6pm Saturday 8am - 12pm

4 Steps Forward Animal Physio & Rehab

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Australia
East Bunbury, WA
4 Steps Forward Animal Physio & Rehab

Offering physiotherapy to your 4 legged friends in the comfort of your home

4 Steps Forward Animal Physio and Rehab specialises in mobile animal physiotherapy in the Southwest, offering tailored treatment and rehabilitation programs for pets. Hi,
My name is Amy and i am an experienced human physiotherapist with a passion for animals. After working as a human physiotherapist for 10years i pursued further training in my passion field, and completed my Post Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Physiotherapy in 2023. Whether it's aiding in recovery or optimizing their mobility, our tailored approach prioritizes the holistic well-being of your furry friends. Through providing a mobile service, we bring assessment, treatment, and vitality in the comfort of your own home/stable.

14/12/2025

Christmas and the holiday period is fast approaching.

I have 1 appointment available Thursday 18th, and 2 available Friday 19th otherwise will be taking a few days off over Christmas, and back on the 2nd of Jan.

Email and phone communication will be limited from the 23rd Dec-1st Jan so best to get in touch now so I can support your pets into the new year.

01/12/2025

Drawing on my work as a paediatric physio, there are plenty of principles that carry over — especially building exercises and activity into everyday routines.

I do the same with my animal patients. A simple place to start? Use your post-walk paw check to add in three-point stands and round-the-world work.

Checking for grass seeds and burrs, trimming paw hair or nails — all easy moments to slip in strength practice. The more opportunities across the day, the better.

Here I’m pulling out a lot of burrs from Ember mid walk… summer is definitely on the way. 🌾🐶✨

25/11/2025

Things every new puppy owner should know to protect their growing bodies🐾

When I got my first puppy, I had no idea how much everyday things could impact their developing joints. Puppies look strong and capable, but their skeletons are still forming — their joints are mostly cartilage, which means they’re soft, wobbly, and easy to overload.

Here’s what I did the first time around (and wish I hadn’t 👇):
⚠️ Let my dog play on slippery floors
⚠️ Let them run up and down stairs uncontrolled
⚠️ Jump off the back of the ute
⚠️ Jump on and off my bed
⚠️ Go for runs with me before 12 months
⚠️ play repetitive fetch

And here’s what I did differently once I became an animal physio 🩺:
✅ Play only on non-slip surfaces
✅ Controlled leash walks up and down stairs, avoiding them as much as possible in the first 6 months
✅ Lift in and out of the car
✅ No jumping on or off furniture as a puppy
✅ minimal structured running before 18 months with incremental increases when conditioning — and always monitoring their fatigue, not mine
✅ No repetitive fetch- only very occasionally on non slip surfaces, or into water

Every small choice now protects their joints for life. Do this instead → use ramps, mats, and controlled movement games to build safe, strong pups. 💪🐶

15/11/2025

Forget fetch — try this instead 👇

Proprioception work is one of the best things you can do for your puppy’s growing body. It’s low-impact, joint-friendly, and builds the foundations for balance, coordination, strength, and confidence.

These exercises don’t just build muscle — they help your puppy understand where their body is in space, reducing the risk of slips, strains, and future joint issues.

💡 Try things like:
🐾 Walking over cavaletti poles
🐾 Up and down curbs
🐾 Through long grass
🐾 Along bricks or narrow surfaces
🐾 Digging for shoulder strength
🐾 Walking or balancing on pillows
🐾 Creating mini obstacle courses
🐾 Shallow water walking or swimming
🐾 Practising 3-point stands
🐾 Sit-to-stands for hindlimb strength and coordination
🐾 Elevated standing or slow walking over objects

⚠️ Always keep an eye out for signs of fatigue — slowing down, losing control, panting, or big changes in arousal levels (either up or down). These activities should always be fun, not fatiguing. Pushing your pup past their limits does more harm than good.

Set them up for success — confident, coordinated, and strong from the ground up. 💪🐶

09/11/2025

Puppy ownership can feel like drinking from a fire hose — there’s so much information and no clear starting point.
When I got my first puppy, Rollo, at the start of my animal physiotherapy post-grad, I was overwhelmed by what to do and what not to do. Years of study, hands-on work, and collaborating with great trainers changed everything — especially with my next pup, Ember.

This series, “Things I Wish I Knew the First Time Around,” is for anyone wanting to raise a healthy, confident dog without the chaos.

🎥 Episode 1: When play turns into chaos — it’s not cute, it’s stress.
Puppy play should build confidence, not push them past their limits. Monitor play intensity, style, and recovery. Learn your dog’s social limits and notice when they’re getting tired — physically and mentally.

Forget the old “5 minutes per month of age” rule — your dog’s activity should be guided by fatigue, not a formula. Puppies’ joints are still mostly cartilage, which means everything is wobbly and unstable. Overdoing it now can cause injury and increase the risk of osteoarthritis later in life.

And just as important — pushing a puppy past their social limits can have lasting effects too. When a dog feels overwhelmed and their subtle cues are missed, they’re more likely to escalate in behaviour to communicate their need for space.

Our job is to set them up for success — strong, stable, and confident, both physically and emotionally. 💪🐶

03/11/2025

🐾 When your patients can’t wait to see you, you know you’re doing something right ❤️

Physiotherapy isn’t just about exercises and treatments — it’s about trust, connection, and making every session a positive experience. The more our dogs enjoy their rehab, the better their outcomes, confidence, and long-term recovery.

Every wag, wiggle, and happy jump means they feel safe, supported, and understood 🐶💪

27/10/2025

🚗💪 Helping your dog in and out of the car can make a huge difference for their joints!

Repetitive jumping in and out of the car places high joint forces through the carpus (wrists), stifles (knees) and other weight-bearing areas. Over time, this repetitive loading can contribute to wear and tear, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis — especially in active or older dogs.

It’s also super important for puppies and growing dogs — their joints don’t fully develop until around 18 months to 2 years. Repeated impact from jumping can interfere with healthy joint development and increase the risk of problems later in life.

Supporting your dog by lifting or assisting both their front and back ends helps keep their body aligned and reduces the strain on individual joints.

✨ One small change — like helping them in and out of the car — can go a long way in preventing joint degeneration and supporting long-term mobility.

🐾 Gentle handling today = easier movement tomorrow.

25/09/2025

🌿🐾 Availability Update 🐾🌿

I’ll be away from 29th Sept – 10th Oct ✈️✨ Emails won’t be checked during this time.

💙 The exciting news → I’m now available to treat your animals every Thursday & Friday moving forward! 🎉🐶🐴🐱

Can’t wait to see all your gorgeous pets soon! 🐾💫

14/09/2025

✨🐾 Did you know animal physiotherapy can help pets of all shapes and sizes? From tiny kittens to giant St. Bernards, physio can support recovery, manage long-term conditions, and improve comfort, strength, and mobility. Here’s a little peek at some of the beautiful faces we’ve been working with recently 💕👇

📸 Frank – Managing conservative intervertebral disc disease. We’re using muscle stim, retraining movement patterns, and working on sensation, proprioception, and strength to help him feel his best.

📸 Pip – This brave kitty is recovering from TPLO surgery. Her sessions focus on restoring full range of motion, building strength and proprioception, and using creative exercises to optimise her recovery 🐱💪.

📸 Biggie – Our gentle giant, a St. Bernard with hip dysplasia. Regular maintenance physio helps keep him comfortable, mobile, and happy doing the things he loves.

📸 Atlas – Also living with hip dysplasia, Atlas benefits from a similar program to improve mobility, comfort, and overall quality of life 🐾.

📸 Gino – We’ve been focusing on building strength, flexibility, and range to keep Gino moving well and feeling great.

💡 Physio isn’t just for humans—it’s for our furry friends too! Whether it’s post-surgery recovery, managing a condition, or just maintaining comfort and mobility, physiotherapy can make a world of difference.

🐾✨ If you think your pet could benefit, get in touch—we’d love to help them feel their best!

Address

East Bunbury, WA
6232

Opening Hours

Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 6pm
Saturday	8am - 12pm

Website

https://4stepsforward.com.au/

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