The Canine Physiotherapy and Performance Centre

21/05/2023

Please share to help let Veterinary Practices in the North East know that this is available to them. Thank you

10/04/2023

Pain relief medication alongside physiotherapy exercises can make a huge difference for older dogs.

If your dog can carry out the exercises comfortably and correctly this will increase muscle strength, and suppleness.

Strong and supple muscles provide support for arthritic joints decreasing pain and improving mobility.

Most of us are happy to take some paracetamol when we have a headache. Ask those who live with a more chronic level of pain how they feel about the painkillers they take on a regular basis, I'm sure they are glad of the relief.

It's the same for your dog. Why not try something that could make their life easier and less painful? It might only need to be a temporary measure.

PLEASE NOTE Medications should only be administered following advice from your vet

05/04/2023

This will be a balanced discussion on Librela. Worth a listen if you have a dog even if it’s to build your knowledge for the future.

06/03/2023

The manager is in today but he’s not working very hard….

16/02/2023

We have available for hire an Innopet Sporty dog pram.
Cost £10 per day. Collection only from Sunderland SR5 2TA
This may be useful to book for your holidays if you have an elderly or injured dog.
It’s also available for trial if you’re thinking of buying one but you’re not sure.
Please feel free to get in touch if you’d like to book it or ask any questions regarding suitability.

10/02/2023

If you own a Lhasa Apso this may interest you.

Do you own a Lhasa Apso :-) Interested in helping the breed long term and learning your own Lhasas blood type?
We're running a FREE blood typing (Dal) typing clinic at Washington Vets4Pets next week.
This is being run thanks to work being done at Montreal University in Canada by a vet and university researcher Marie Claude Blais.
The backstory: At Washington Vets4Pets we identified this beautiful chap pictured (Pip) as having a rare blood type a few years back as he had an odd response to a transfusion (despite that once we found out what was happening he lived a long and happy life :-) . Since then we've worked with specialists in the field and presented this. We found that our local Lhasa Apsos that came forward to be typed in case Pip needed a donor had quite a high percentage of this rare blood type. Currently typing is only available in the USA and Canada but we've been invited because of our previous work to take part in a further study to see if we can work out how this blood type is inherited. This means that Montreal have offered to type any samples that we submit completely for free.
We've decided to take part and our staff are volunteering their time to host and help :-)
Participation is entirely voluntary, and just involves collecting some details about your lovely Lhasa and a blood sample being taken. To take a sample dogs just need to be happy to have a cuddle with our team and sit still for a few seconds, hair clipping is optional (we do it to visualise the vein but in show dogs we are happy to use a modified technique that does not involve clipping). We would register you on our secure system for the purpose of booking the appointment and generating a form. A consent form explaining the study in full will be made available on the day.
Please see the link to the work we did below about Dal blood type in Lhasa Apsos.
https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/chapter/10.22233/9781913859114.Ch150
This will hopefully not be of consequence to your own Lhasa unless they found themselves in the rare situation of needing a transfusion, but in that instance having their blood type on their record could turn out to be very important, hence us being prepared to open up this clinic.
We have a strict timeline on getting these precious samples to the states and Canada so we are running two sessions to collect them, 1400-1600 on weds the 15th Feb and 1030-1130 on Thursday the 16th Feb.
Please ring the practice on 01914194200 or email washington@vets4pets.com and speak to or address the email to Phil or Liann and they will allocate you a timeslot.
Please spread the word to any vet practices, Lhasa Apso breeders or owners that you know.
Any questions about Dal in general please feel free to email us :-)

16/10/2022

🍄Autumn is here, and we are receiving multiple calls every day about problems following the ingestion of fungi, so no apologies for sharing this advice again!🍄

25/09/2022

Travelling dogs in cars
In my time as a physiotherapist I have treat a number of dogs injured whilst travelling in a car.
All of them have either been loose OR have been fastened via a harness on a seatbelt that was TOO LONG. The length of doggie seatbelt should NOT allow your dog to fall into the footwell or hit the rear of the front seat. Serious injury to your dogs neck or back (or any other part of his body) may occur if he hits the rear of the front seat.
Dogs should also never be tethered via their collar.
If you tether you dog (including in a dog car seat) please check the length of it. You might save your dog from serious injury if you are involved in even a minor accident.

15/09/2022

There are some simple but effective ways of making your arthritic dogs life more comfortable

03/09/2022

All set up at The North East Dog Festival. There’s so much going on, it’s definitely worth visiting.

02/09/2022

I’ve been setting our stand up at The North East Dog Festival tonight, ready for the weekend. There is so much for visitors to see and do. It’s definitely worth a visit if you like dogs, even if you don’t own one.

The sun has now set over our fabulous letters and our team are hard at work finishing off the site to welcome you all tomorrow.

Reminders
🐾 early bird tickets are available until 11.30pm tonight on our website
🐾 you can buy tickets on the gate
🐾 parking is open from 8.30am
🐾 gates open at 9.30am

Download our show programme for maps and timetables
https://www.northeastdogfestival.com/single-post/our-show-programme-is-here

Please support our wonderful traders and clubs this weekend, be kind and have a great time.

A massive thank you to those that have helped this week to turn empty fields into a festival.

Thanks to
All of our clubs, instructors and volunteers.
Our partner sponsor Vets on the Meowve
Our specialist sponsor Spotty Dog Design
Our arena sponsor The Dog Log
Our have a go sponsors The Dog First Aid Co. Ltd and Bow & Leia's Natural Dog Treats
Our venue Kirkley Hall
Our media partner Metro Radio
and our supporters Daves doggie beds, Doggy Days, Pawsome Suits, Skinner's, Village Photography Little Bear Leads The Canine Physiotherapy and Performance Centre

20/08/2022

We’re heading to the North East Dog Festival at Kirtley Hall on the 3rd and 4th of Sept.
We’ll have a stand in the indoor marquee. Please feel free to come along and meet us.

02/08/2022

Useful information regarding jelly fish

We have had a few enquiries recently about pets being stung by jellyfish whilst on the beach.

The severity of jellyfish stings varies with the species. Not all sting, but those that can may even do so for weeks after death. Licking or ingesting a jellyfish can therefore result in a painful sting. Other effects that could be seen include retching, drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, swelling within the mouth and twitching. Signs are usually immediate after the exposure and can last a few hours.

If your dog has been stung by a jellyfish, what should you do?
🌊 Take care not to get stung yourself
🌊 Using a towel or a stick, pull any remaining tentacles off the skin
🌊 Do not rub the tentacles off or rub the area with sand
🌊 If possible, flush the area with seawater, NOT freshwater. Fresh water can cause the stinger cells to fire.
🌊 Seek veterinary attention if you feel that your dog is painful and in distress or if there is any swelling around the face or within the mouth

If you suspect your dog has come into contact with a jellyfish whilst visiting the coast this summer, call the Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509000 for advice.

16/07/2022

The link in the article explains very well how/why clipped dogs coats grow back at different rates. It’s really interesting and worth reading (the link as well) if you’re curious about this subject.

CLIPPING DOUBLE-COATED BREEDS IN THE HEAT

Clipping Double-Coated breeds is contentious. That’s a massive understatement. As I have said repeatedly, although many people choose not to read that part, the decision to clip a DC breed in hot weather should be based on risk factors for heatstroke, for example being old, being overweight, being a large breed, being dark coated, being brachycephalic, having existing health conditions such as heart disease. I’d probably also add “being miserable in the heat”.

And yes, I’ve heard all the arguments “coat funk” (abnormal re growth) and “sunburn” being the most common ones.

Re abnormal regrowth, I’d suggest reading Mia Overnas The Educated Groomers page. https://theeducatedgroomer.com/shaving-double-coated-breeds/

Re sunburn - keep your dog out of the sun. You should be doing this anyway.

Image below posted from a private group with permission of owner. Personally I think Zhiva looks fantastic.

14/07/2022

This is up to date advice regarding treatment of heatstroke. Please read as even if you keep your own dog safe it might save someone else’s dogs life.

“HEATSTROKE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY”

I’m compelled to keep posting this. I’ve learned of a number of dogs that have died of heatstroke in the recent heatwave.

If you see a horse or person or dog with heatstroke, then cool them down by hosing/spraying water from the outside or house water supply (usually 10-20°C). It doesn't have to be ice-cold to be effective as long as you put a lot on. You may well save a life!

And yes, I know there is a lot of advice about cooling horses, dogs and people which goes against aggressive cooling and advises ice packs in the groin or armpit and using tepid water! It's outdated and ineffective and if you follow it your horse/dog/person is more likely to suffer permanent injury or worse!

If you don't believe me, then listen to the people who do this for a living with people...

"Active cooling via Cold Water Immersion (CWI) is now the standard of care and should be done immediately. This is a Grade IA recommendation.5 The patient should be immersed in ice water 1 to 3°C." http://www.emdocs.net/heat-related-illness-how-to-cool-em-and-what-to-do-after/

06/07/2022

Congratulations to the winner of the free canine massage competition Hollie Dollie Davison. We’ll be in touch with you Hollie to arrange your appointment.

29/06/2022

The lovely Kobi the Dobi (Doberman) having a massage.
He used to be quite unsettled but now he wanders in and lies down on the mat ready for his treatment. He seems to thoroughly enjoy it.

26/06/2022

Managing arthritis from the early stages can really make a difference to your dogs life

The signs of arthritis may be obvious, such as a limp, however frequently they are vague and nonspecific. But you as a will notice and know slight changes in your dog. These nonspecific signs may be picked up by your vet or vet nurse during a consultation, so it's best to get your dog checked for if you notice something different in their gait.
You can learn more on our website in member exclusives zone!
https://caninearthritis.co.uk/member-zone/