Animalia Physiotherapy

19/05/2025

Physiotherapy, a profession! Great little snapshot of what we do as physiotherapists, thank you Holly!

15/05/2025

🐾 Woody 🐾

Gorgeous pup Woody has been attending physiotherapy regularly since he had FHO (femoral head and neck osteotomy) surgery in February.

This surgery involves surgical removal of the head of the femur, the 'ball' of the ball & socket joint of the hip, so the top of the femur (long thigh bone) is removed, allowing the body to create a new fibrous 'false' joint instead. Often done in salvage situations where the joint is severely damaged or diseased. Poor old Woody came to the rescue shelter with a very unhappy hip and was in need of help.

He is going super and using the operated hindlimb really well, no hopping for this boy as his foster carer (now very lucky guardian!) at the time got him started in physiotherapy early post op. which is great.

🙏 Thank you to the AAPS for giving him such a great second chance after a rough start in life and to this wonderful and dedicated foster carer for doing all the hard yards to get him to where he is and for offering him a forever home! I would have been next in line to take him home only I'll get in soooo much trouble with my better half if I start bringing my clients home 🫣😍😆.

👉 The earlier we see these guys post surgery the better, we have a 4 to 6 week 'window of opportunity' to really influence mobility of the new 'false' hip before it stiffens up too much. At the end of the day we want a new hip 'joint' with good stability so the dog can weight bear well and use the leg functionally, but also with enough range of motion to be able to move the leg throughout range to do all the amazing things pups do. Like get up to naughty things 🫣😆.

On a side note, please support your local rescue, they do such incredible work. The AAPS is a place very close to my ❤️ as I adopted my best boy Indie from there all those years ago in 2010, we enjoyed a fabulous 9 years together ❤️. So. Adopt don't shop!

13/05/2025

🐾 Matty 🐾

It's work time buddy, no more snoozing on the couch!

11/05/2025

🐾 Physiotherapy for the hounds in your life 🐾

A fun and informative article for some light reading on a Sunday morning!

📜Qualifications - Matter 📜

🧐 📜 On a more serious note, check your service providers qualifications. As animal rehab is unfortunately not regulated here in Australia, there is no industry oversight and regulation and there are no standards with regards to rehab, massage, hydro etc.

🤯 Here's in Australia I have come across way too many folks that have been trying to do the right thing by their animal, have been under the impression that they where were seeing a qualified physiotherapist for their dogs care, but the person they were seeing were neither a qualified and registered physiotherapist in Australia nor had any appropriate under or post graduate training.

🇬🇧 ACPAT - The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy represents physiotherapists who have completed post graduate training (PGDip or MSc) in Veterinary Physiotherapy in the UK. This is the gold standard of care and it is a long hard road to get qualified to this standard.

📖 For me, it was 4 years of undergraduate training, then two years of postgraduate experience needed before I could apply to study at a postgraduate level. Then it was another two years of work to achieve my PGDip and another 18 months to complete my research (long term outcomes in canine cruciate injuries) and gain my MSc in Veterinary Physiotherapy.

🛣 A long, hard, road. But worth it, so worth it!

🇦🇺 Here in Austraila, unfortunately we don't (yet!) have a body like ACPAT for you to go to to find a suitably qualified professional. You need to do your homework and ask what qualifications your therapist or physiotherapist has.

🕵‍♀️ So, check. And not just how many likes they have on their socials! The best physiotherapists I know and admire and look up to hardly have a presence on social media. They are the ones quietly working away diligently in the background of this crazy 'social media' landscape.

💦 And no, hydrotherapy alone is not physiotherapy.

Here in 🇦🇺 your physiotherapist should be registered with AHPRA (you can search their name on the AHPRA database) and have completed post graduate studies (PGDip or MSc) in Veterinary Physiotherapy, currently offered by the University of Liverpool in the UK.

https://www.ahpra.gov.au/search

Choose qualified. It matters and the hounds in your life deserves no less!

Bruno the goldendoodle has £100 lessons as well as his own yoga mat and wobble board so that he can exercise and reduce the pain in his left hip

25/02/2025

🐾 Aura 🐾

This gorgeous little lady has been attending for regular physiotherapy to help her lovely dedicated human to conservatively manage a cranial cruciate ligament injury.

Did you know that for some dogs we can manage these injuries conservatively? It all depends on the extent of the ligament injury, which may vary from a strain to a complete rupture. And whether the dog copes or not with any resulting stifle instability.

If just a few fibres of the ligament are inflamed or strained, then this can heal.

BUT, this means we do need to contain our furry friends and create the right healing environment for our dogs body - so yes to controlled leash walking, yes to the right controlled exercises (we need the right loading at the right time to stimulate ligament healing) and YES to relative rest too. This is where crate training is your pooches friend!

Physiotherapist led hydrotherapy (gotta get those physio hands on those legs to improve gait quality!) sessions have been really helpful for Aura to get her moving out well with the support and buoyancy of water.

She's doing really well and storms into the clinic like the treat bag might empty before she gets to it!

One minor hiccup to her recovery (ups and downs in recovery are normal) and we are back on track now.

Ligaments are slow healers so time, patience and consistency are needed.

Some bigger and heavier and more active dogs might be better off with surgery sooner rather than later. And of course, our gold standard for mamagement of complete cruciate tears is a surgical approach, the TPLO.

For dogs how are not surgical candidates, there are great orthoses available to provide the additional support needed to the stifle.

Onward and upward with rehab Aura!

23/01/2025

🐾 It takes a team 🐾

Meet my hounds, Taabi & Matt.

I almost wrote Josh - imagine, approaching 16 months now since he left our sides and wether myself or my husband, we seem to say his name most days. That's the impact our fur family have on us - they live on in our hearts and minds.

Matt is 11 weeks today since his surgery to repair a horrible radius and ulnar fracture - the memory of the accident haunts me to this day. A failed attempted zoom - slipped and fell and just horrible, horrible luck.

That's the problem with greyhounds - they are bred for extreme speed and power (to run on an immaculate flat pristine sand surface, so when things go wring, they can go very wrong.

👀 But forward we look and tomorrow we look forward to a trip back to the wonderful team to remove a plate or two, all going well. Unfortunately he had a wound breakdown (again, greyhounds have the most fragile skin) which just won't heal over the plate. So out the plate must come.

💡Rehab to date has been all about managing his movement - not too much, not too little. Keeping him happy whilst contained (thank goodness for crate training as part of his greyhound racing prep. - not that Matt actually raced. Too playful apparently!), looking after the mobility and range of motion of his neck and thoracic spine, shoulder, elbow and paw once bandaging allowed access to those tootsies of his.

🐾 Massage
🐾 Manual therapy
🐾 Contrast bathing (for oedema management)
🐾 Laser therapy
🐾 Exercise based therapy

And

Probably most importantly

🐾 Enrichment 🐾

We have had weekly visits to our amazing local vets in Healesville who saved and stabilised his leg immediately post accident (yes, amputation was mentioned) and have been with us every step of the way since with weekly check ups and bandage changes. Apparently, he's the perfect patient ⭐️🌟

If I can get a moment, I'll get some video footage of our current physio routine, before the next chapter begins tomorrow!

Wish us luck! 🤞

24/12/2024

🎄 Happy Christmas 🎄

To all of our two and four legged clients - we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Thank you so much for entrusting me with the care of your very best friend and for sharing your stories, experiences, losses, triumphs and hiccups.

There have been many laughs and many tears shed - for that is the life with these animals - it's a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes - the love and the funny moments and yes, the heart break at times.

Thinking of those of you who will be spending your first Christmas without your friend by your side ♥️. I feel it too and miss my two boys every year.

So, here's to 2025, we have a very exciting year ahead - but first, some down time with family.

Here's to you and your loved ones, from my family to yours!

Happy Christmas Eve!

12/12/2024

🐾 Ollie 🐾

Handsome Ollie!

LOVES his liver treats!

Can you tell?

Ollie attends weekly for neuro physiotherapy, laser therapy and hydrotherapy to maintain his mobility as best as we can - Ollie is living with a condition called degenerative myelopathy (DM) which is a little like ALS in us humans.

Unfortunately there isn't a medical cure as such as it is a gradually progressive disease, causing weakness of the hindlimbs then the forelimbs.

Ollie does need help to ambulate on land and in water - but boy, you should see him take off in his set of wheels - he is like a rocket!

Did you know that physiotherapy has been shown to increase the lifespan for dogs with DM by 8 months?

it might not seem like a long time, but when you are living with a life limiting condition, 8 months is a heck of an opportunity to make the most of life and do all the fun stuff!

Love this little spunky guy!

11/09/2024

Eating & drinking doesnt mean a lack of pain.

Thank you to International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management

19/07/2024

Fantastic work from the RSPCA Victoria - helping our animals get the care they need in these challenging times 🐕🐾

Upcoming low-cost pet clinics!

Our next community clinics will be held in:
• Craigieburn - Thur 1 Aug
• Bentleigh - Wed 7 Aug
• Glenroy - Wed 14 Aug
• Aspendale - Wed 21 Aug
• Croydon - Thu 22 Aug
• Cranbourne - Wed 28 Aug
• Mickleham - Wed 4 Sept
• Heidelberg Heights - Thu 5 Sept
• Truganina - Wed 11 Sept

For one low fee get your dog vaccinated and health checked, plus receive a certificate of vaccination and professional advice from our experienced veterinarians.

View all our upcoming clinics and reserve your spot now: rspcavic.org/petclinics

Please note: due to current state-wide cat vaccine shortages, vaccinations are available for dogs only at this time.