Poorlypaws Veterinary Chartered Physiotherapist

05/08/2025

Q: Can you spot the injured leg?

Did you know 38% of dogs will be affected by arthritis?
For dogs over 8 years it’s estimated that 80% of dogs have arthritis
Dogs are clever! They can appear to run on an injured or arthritic leg by compensating with their other limbs and shifting their weight from their sore leg.
This might involve holding the injured leg slightly off the ground, using a shorter stride, or favouring other limbs for support. It's important to remember that this behaviour doesn't mean the dog isn't in pain; they are simply compensating to the injury or arthritis.

By the time your dog starts to limp because of arthritis, they probably have had the condition for months if not years. You want to catch the disease as early as possible and make a note if you spot any of these signs:

1. Trouble sleeping or fidgeting and can’t quite get comfortable,
2. Less playful with you or other animals,
3. Looking stiff when they get up,
4. Not jumping in or out of cars or onto sofas or climbing stairs liked they used to,
5. Limping after exercise,
6. More sensitive or more vocal being touched or more irritable

A trip to your vet to find out what’s wrong, rest and pain relief medication usually does the trick and your dog will feel better. But the compensatory mechanisms that your dog has adopted over the months/years can still be there. This results in the injured leg getting even weaker even if they’re not in pain and put a strain on their other joints and the spine.
I have treated so many dogs that have been diagnosed with arthritis and have been given pain relief medication and the owners have started them on joint supplements but very few are referred to physio. This is such a shame as we can address the early compensatory mechanism and rebalance your dog’s movement and reach their full potential whatever their age. And ultimately give your dog a better quality and pain free life.

Arthritis management is complex, weight, diet, the right type of exercise, including hydrotherapy or underwater treadmill; avoiding certain activities and making minor home adjustments such as raising their food bowls can make such a difference. Every dog is unique and they have their own set of symptoms.

Sometimes all it takes is one visit to a physio to have an assessment, advice and a bespoke exercise programme is all that’s needed.

A: He has injured his right leg and the left leg is taking more weight
Thank you for reading.

05/08/2025

Q: Can you spot the injured leg?
Did you know 38% of dogs will be affected by arthritis?
For dogs over 8 years it’s estimated that 80% of dogs have arthritis

Dogs are clever! They can appear to run on an injured or arthritic leg by compensating with their other limbs and shifting their weight from their sore leg.
This might involve holding the injured leg slightly off the ground, using a shorter stride, or favouring other limbs for support. It's important to remember that this behaviour doesn't mean the dog isn't in pain; they are simply compensating to the injury or arthritis.

By the time your dog starts to limp because of arthritis, they probably have had the condition for months if not years. You want to catch the disease as early as possible and make a note if you spot any of these signs:

1. Trouble sleeping or fidgeting and can’t quite get comfortable,
2. Less playful with you or other animals,
3. Looking stiff when they get up,
4. Not jumping in or out of cars or onto sofas or climbing stairs liked they used to,
5. Limping after exercise,
6. More sensitive or more vocal being touched or more irritable

A trip to your vet to find out what’s wrong, rest and pain relief medication usually does the trick and your dog will feel better. But the compensatory mechanisms that your dog has adopted over the months/years can still be there. This results in the injured leg getting even weaker even if they’re not in pain and put a strain on their other joints and the spine.
I have treated so many dogs that have been diagnosed with arthritis and have been given pain relief medication and the owners have started them on joint supplements but very few are referred to physio. This is such a shame as we can address the early compensatory mechanism and rebalance your dog’s movement and reach their full potential whatever their age. And ultimately give your dog a better quality and pain free life.
Arthritis management is complex, weight, diet, the right type of exercise, including hydrotherapy or underwater treadmill; avoiding certain activities and making minor home adjustments such as raising their food bowls can make such a difference. Every dog is unique and they have their own set of symptoms.
Sometimes all it takes is one visit to a physio to have an assessment, advice and a bespoke exercise programme is all that’s needed.

A: He has injured his right leg and the left leg is taking more weight

Thank you for reading.

05/08/2025

Q: Can you spot the injured leg?
Did you know 38% of dogs will be affected by arthritis?
For dogs over 8 years it’s estimated that 80% of dogs have arthritis
Dogs are clever! They can appear to run on an injured or arthritic leg by compensating with their other limbs and shifting their weight from their sore leg.
This might involve holding the injured leg slightly off the ground, using a shorter stride, or favouring other limbs for support. It's important to remember that this behaviour doesn't mean the dog isn't in pain; they are simply compensating to the injury or arthritis.
By the time your dog starts to limp because of arthritis, they probably have had the condition for months if not years. You want to catch the disease as early as possible and make a note if you spot any of these signs:

1. Trouble sleeping or fidgeting and can’t quite get comfortable,
2. Less playful with you or other animals,
3. Looking stiff when they get up,
4. Not jumping in or out of cars or onto sofas or climbing stairs liked they used to,
5. Limping after exercise,
6. More sensitive or more vocal being touched or more irritable

A trip to your vet to find out what’s wrong, rest and pain relief medication usually does the trick and your dog will feel better. But the compensatory mechanisms that your dog has adopted over the months/years can still be there. This results in the injured leg getting even weaker even if they’re not in pain and put a strain on their other joints and the spine.
I have treated so many dogs that have been diagnosed with arthritis and have been given pain relief medication and the owners have started them on joint supplements but very few are referred to physio. This is such a shame as we can address the early compensatory mechanism and rebalance your dog’s movement and reach their full potential whatever their age. And ultimately give your dog a better quality and pain free life.
Arthritis management is complex, weight, diet, the right type of exercise, including hydrotherapy or underwater treadmill; avoiding certain activities and making minor home adjustments such as raising their food bowls can make such a difference. Every dog is unique and they have their own set of symptoms.
Sometimes all it takes is one visit to a physio to have an assessment, advice and a bespoke exercise programme is all that’s needed.

A: He's injured his right leg and the left leg is taking more of the weight
Thank you for reading

05/08/2025

Did you know 38% of dogs will be affected by arthritis?
For dogs over 8 years it’s estimated that 80% of dogs have arthritis
Dogs are clever! They can appear to run on an injured or arthritic leg by compensating with their other limbs and shifting their weight from their sore leg.
This might involve holding the injured leg slightly off the ground, using a shorter stride, or favouring other limbs for support. It's important to remember that this behaviour doesn't mean the dog isn't in pain; they are simply compensating to the injury or arthritis.

By the time your dog starts to limp because of arthritis, they probably have had the condition for months if not years. You want to catch the disease as early as possible and make a note if you spot any of these signs:

1. Trouble sleeping or fidgeting and can’t quite get comfortable,
2. Less playful with you or other animals,
3. Looking stiff when they get up,
4. Not jumping in or out of cars or onto sofas or climbing stairs liked they used to,
5. Limping after exercise,
6. More sensitive or more vocal being touched or more irritable

A trip to your vet to find out what’s wrong, rest and pain relief medication usually does the trick and your dog will feel better. But the compensatory mechanisms that your dog has adopted over the months/years can still be there. This results in the injured leg getting even weaker even if they’re not in pain and put a strain on their other joints and the spine.
I have treated so many dogs that have been diagnosed with arthritis and have been given pain relief medication and the owners have started them on joint supplements but very few are referred to physio. This is such a shame as we can address the early compensatory mechanism and rebalance your dog’s movement and reach their full potential whatever their age. And ultimately give your dog a better quality and pain free life.
Arthritis management is complex, weight, diet, the right type of exercise, including hydrotherapy or underwater treadmill; avoiding certain activities and making minor home adjustments such as raising their food bowls can make such a difference. Every dog is unique and they have their own set of symptoms.
Sometimes all it takes is one visit to a physio to have an assessment, advice and a bespoke exercise programme is all that’s needed.
Thank you for reading.

Can you spot which is the injured leg?

27/02/2025

Meet the incredible Elsa, the skiing dog! She is a 12 year old lab who injured her back in December 2024. Due to Elsa’s age, her owners didn’t feel that it was right to put Elsa through an anaesthetic for further diagnosis or surgery, so it was decided to manage her condition with medication and rehabilitation. The first thing her owners did was to buy a walkin’wheels dog cart and now there's no stopping her. She went ‘skiing’, and with her rear wheel drive she is also off road! Her rehab is ongoing and this includes strengthening exercises with neuromuscular electrical stimulation to her muscles to her hind limbs as well as stretches to all her limbs along with hydrotherapy. We are pleased to say she is slowly improving. This approach will not suit every dog (or owner) but it’s lovely to see the options that are available. Elsa is happy, pain free, loving life and her tail hasn’t stopped wagging!

04/02/2025

We are reeling here at Spaniel Aid HQ. We expected January to be busy, but no one predicted 197 requests to surrender a dog to us, including 11 pairs. After follow up calls, 109 of those requests resulted in us agreeing to accept the dog. This doesn’t include strays or returning dogs.

By the time Spaniel Aid turns 10 on the 1st March, we will be very close to reaching 5,000 dogs taken in for rehoming. But they have never come in at the rate they are now.

Speak to any other rescue and they will tell you the same: owner surrenders are at an all time high. The waiting list for dogs to go into the major charities is months long. For dogs with issues, demand for rehoming is outstripping the available supply of homes. We have never been more needed, but we take no joy in it.

Why is it so bad? The cost of living crisis continues to hit hard, making it difficult for people to afford the time and money to care for a dog. Indiscriminate breeding, especially during lockdown, is still having an impact: dogs aged between four and five are still arriving in disproportionately high numbers. It remains too easy to acquire a dog without being fully prepared for the commitment. Too many people fail to do their research about the breed characteristics. And dogs are increasing treated as commodities, a new lifestyle accessory to be given to charity when it no longer suits.

At Spaniel Aid we have always taken a non-judgemental approach to owner surrenders. We know that life sometimes brings surprises that no one anticipated, and we are here to help you find the right home for your dog, if yours is no longer the best place for them.

But if you are thinking of getting a dog, remember, dog ownership is hard. You have to go out in all weathers, training is time consuming and demanding, dogs bark, get sick, chew stuff, and yes, they sometimes bite the hand that feeds them. You have to change your life to accommodate a dog, different holidays, days out, nightlife, even jobs. You have to accept that bringing a baby into a home with a dog carries the risk that the dog will not be able to cope.

Is it worth it? Of course it is. Dogs give back so much more than they take. We are all dog lovers or we wouldn’t be here. We will continue to work silly hours, unpaid, to find these dogs the very best homes. And there are thousands of great homes out there. And we will continue to shed tears for the ones to whom we have to say no, sorry, we have no room.

To foster for us: https://spanielaid.co.uk/forms/foster-application-form/

29/01/2025

This is marvellous Melvin having a rest in front of the fire after his physio session. Just likes us, dogs can get sore and stiff necks. With a combined approach of gentle neck mobilisations and stretches to target his stiff neck, medication for pain relief and restricting his off-lead work and high impact activity we’re happy to say to that he has made a recovery and back to off lead exercise.

25/01/2025

30/07/2024

No Hot Dogs, Please!
No not the kind you can eat, you can make your own decisions about that! I’m talking literally hot…dogs.
Maybe you’re thinking I already know about not leaving dogs in a car, dogs can’t cool down like people but did you know…..
Exercise generates heat, in one study dogs suffering with heatstroke was caused by intense activity rather than outside temperature. Of course, if your dog is running outside when it’s hot, the risk of heatstroke is greater.
Dogs cool down by panting, therefore those dogs with short faces such as Pugs and Shih Tzu, have poorer cooling mechanisms. The other way dogs cool down is through the skin and their groin areas have the most blood vessels which run closest to the skin. So you can use their groin area to cool them down more efficiently. Also, poor body condition affects their cooling mechanism. The fatter your dog is the more likely they will die if they experience heatstroke.
The best way and quickest way to cool your dog is water immersion, not only to treat overheating dogs but to prevent overheating. A study showed that a dog dipped in water for 5 minutes can return to their normal body temperature within 15 minutes compared to a fan in a room which took 48 minutes.
Thank you for reading, if you need more information, you can look me up on poorlypaws . com veterinary physiotherapist. Lynn x

23/07/2024

Meet Vinnie, the adorable Vizler...
When he was 7 months old, he broke his front leg whilst exploring the his local woods. He was seen at Bristol vet specialists who fixed his leg with metal plates and screws and then he was ready to start his rehabilitation. I was warned of his cheesy kisses!
He was really nervous on his first visit and he wasn't putting any weight through his leg which was a concern as he could develop complications of contractions of his joints and tendons. We managed to encourage him to put his foot to the ground with lots of massage, reassurance and cheese.
We were able to progress his exercises, and thanks to his dedicated Mum and Dad, Vinnie has made a wonderful recovery and is now running around and catching up on all the things puppies do, including giving cheesy kisses.
For more information about Vinnie and other cases please visit https://poorlypaws.com/