4 Steps Forward Animal Physio & Rehab

04/07/2025

Did you know physiotherapy plays a crucial role in rehab for neurological conditions?

Sherlock is one such example. He is recovering from grade 4 IVDD managed conservatively. He has improved significantly in the time we have been working together. Initially struggling to walk, having poor feeling in his hind limbs, weakness, and ataxia.

From initially only being able to stand for short periods, and needing all his hind limb stretches passively. To here being able to actively perform a hip flexion and thoracic extension stretch.

As you can see there may be a few different techniques I use to try and help switch on muscles and generate body awareness. I always work closely with the veterinary professional for pain relief, and guidance around rest/exercise to ensure we work together for the best possible outcome.

Sherlock has been doing amazing, super proud of this cute little guy that lives for snacks and cheeky kisses.

16/06/2025

I have the pleasure of working with this remarkable duo. They truely are such a dream team, who are doing and going to continue doing such great things.

Having friends with POTS i am a huge advocate for awareness of lesser known medical conditions that are no less debilitating. The ability for animals like gorgeous Evie being able to be trained to support Elissa with her POTS symptoms is remarkable. I hope that awareness of assistance dogs, what they can do, and the difference they can make to lives will be able to help other people in similar situations.

Voting isn’t hard, if you can click on the link in the post, we can all help Elissa and Evie towards the Young persons award they deserve ☺️

We are pleased to share that Elissa Oakey, a former Australind Senior High School student, has been named a finalist in the Health and Wellbeing category of the 2025 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards WA, and we encourage our school community to support her by considering voting in the People’s Choice Award.

Elissa is a dedicated advocate for health, wellbeing, and invisible illness awareness. Living with scoliosis and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), she has:
◾ Self-published a children’s book to promote early scoliosis detection
◾ Trained Western Australia’s first scent-trained POTS alert assistance dog
◾ Balanced her Occupational Therapy studies while caring for her mother during cancer treatment

Her resilience, determination, and commitment to creating a more inclusive and informed community are truly commendable.

Voting is open until 11:59 pm on Monday, 23 June. To vote, visit: https://awardsaustralia.app.do/2025-7news-young-achiever-awards-wa-people-s-choice-award

We are proud to celebrate Elissa’s achievements and invite our wider community to show their support for this outstanding young alumna.

10/04/2025

Breed feature: German shepherds

I am lucky enough to treat these three magnificent dogs regularly (Stormie, Happy and Angel). They all have wonderfully dedicated pet parents who use Physiotherapy as part of their management to keep them as pain free as possible.

It is important when getting a breed that you are aware of breed specific needs, and some of the conditions they are susceptible to in case your pet may have them. German shepherds are prone to congenital conditions such as elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia which require long term management, and in some cases surgery. Physiotherapy plays an important role alongside your veterinary professional to manage pain, keep them mobile, and maintain their strength.

Like any condition being picked up early helps with long term outcomes so if you are ever unsure have a chat with your vet, or your local animal Physio.

Look at those faces 🥹 they melt me every time.

29/03/2025

How do you know if you are doing your animals physio exercises correctly? Take a video of yourself doing them!

Visual feedback is super helpful for both physio and training exercises to see if you are doing the exercise correctly, or if your handling could be impacting how they are performing the technique.

To get the right muscles activated it it’s important we are doing the correct technique to switch on the ones that we want to work, and minimise compensation with other muscles.

From taking these pictures to put into an exercise program for a new client I realised Ember was using her front limbs too much, and not getting the glute activation I wanted. To help get the result I wanted I used a mat to help with paw targeting. Doing my courses through really helped me with handy tips like videoing and handling to get the most out of my exercises/training, and I couldn’t be more appreciative. If you are ever struggling with an exercise feel free to reach out for tips/tricks to help optimise your technique.

29/01/2025

Heard the term “hip dysplasia” used and wondered what it means? Ever wondered what things can be done to help your pooch if it has hip dysplasia?

Let’s talk about hip dysplasia

What is hip dysplasia?
- hip dysplasia is a condition where the head of the femur and the socket (acetabulum) have a mismatch
- This means the joint is not as stable and can move around more causing uneven loading and PAIN
- long term this causes PAIN, abnormal movement patterns, decreased mobility and osteoarthritis

How can Physio help?
- education around environment and things that can be done to reduce long term effects
- massage, mobilisation and reduction of pain caused by compensation of other parts of the body and the joint itself
- thorough assessment to determine any other areas of weakness
- rehab program to strengthen the hip, and other areas found to be weak to slow down disease progression and cause comfort
- collaboration with your veterinary professional for pain management and nutrition support
- use of electrical stimulation for pain relief and strengthening

The sooner the involvement the better. Here is the gorgeous Biggie who has regular physio for his hip dysplasia to keep him moving the best he can, and keep him as pain free as possible.

25/12/2024

Wishing everyone a safe and merry Christmas from Santa Paws (aka Ember). Hope your family and 4 legged family have a wonderful day of celebration 🎄🧑‍🎄🐶

Thank you for all of your support this year. Looking forward to the new year and caring for all of your pets.

21/12/2024

Availability update

As of the new year I am having a slight change to scheduling as I have changed my human physio job.

My Friday availability will remain the same, I am just now doing alternate Thursdays as opposed to Wednesdays. Please see the calendar for January as to which weeks Thursdays are available.

I am now currently on leave for the next two weeks returning to animal work on the 10th January. Emails/phone calls may have delayed responses during this time.

Merry Christmas and happy new year from myself and Ember. I look forward to continuing to look after your 4 legged friends in the new year 🐶 🎄 🐎 🐱

11/12/2024

This may just look like a photo of me posing with a dog, but there is one key difference. The dog has chosen to be there.

When I first met Jaz I couldn’t put my hands on her. She was in pain, anxious, super high arousal and didn’t trust me. Now I am able to do manual therapy and assess her more, and more each session. Today after our session she willingly approached me all loose and wiggly, gave me kisses, and then chose to lay down and relax next to me. To say this is a huge win is an understatement.

To be able to read animal behaviour/communication and work at their pace is what I always endeavour to do. They communicate with us, and to avoid them needing to escalate their communication (ie, bite) it is essential to read what they are telling us. It allows them to trust the person they are working with, and allows for reduced stress and better outcomes. I went through my own journey of not understanding my behavioural dog, which has fuelled my passion for wanting to help pet owners understand their dogs communication.

Fear free happy homes has a wonderful video explaining different ways our animals communicate with us, and how to understand them to live more fulfilled and happy lives for both dogs and humans alike. Have a look at the following link at the video: https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/video/dog-body-language-101/

23/11/2024

The ultimate satisfaction during a session? The animal being able to clearly communicate with you how they are feeling, and being comfortable with what you are doing.

Animal Physio’s are trained to listen to these cues, but it is so important for dog owners to tune into them to understand their animals. Not all animals will tolerate animal husbandry/hands on treatment instantly, but this can also be trained through cooperative care. Duke is beautiful at communicating exactly how he is feeling, and his tolerance to what I am doing changes depending on how he is feeling. Amazing owners/dog trainers like who have worked tirelessly on cooperative care make it possible for sessions like this. I am so lucky to be surrounded by fabulous trainers like Lauren in the Southwest, and getting to learn off them.

I can’t expect snores from every patient, but gosh it is satisfying when I do!

13/11/2024

Availability update.

I am excited to announce I have opened up a second day a fortnight on a Wednesday! Meaning I have more availability to come out and see your 4 legged friends for home treatment, and rehab.

Please see above calendars for the days in blue that i am available to see your pets ☺️ days in green are when I am taking some well deserved leave so may be a little slower with replying to emails/messages. After Christmas I will be available on the 8th January for your home visits, and will pop a calendar out for availability for the new year in December. Also resuming a Saturday a month for weekend treatments in December ☺️