VetRehab

23/10/2025

If your dog could book their own appointment, where would they choose to go?

Easy - they’d come to rehab!

I have it on good authority that this is what dogs think of rehab:

It’s fun - dogs that love attention get loads of it. They get excited turning down my road on the way here.

It’s tasty - dogs that love treats get to choose the yummiest ones.

It’s relaxing - does your dog like to channel day spa? Rehab visits are the ones for them.

It’s relieving - those tight, achy joints and muscles are soothed and softened at rehab.

It’s reassuring - rehab is much less scary than your average vet visit. We have more time to chill, and keep the stress levels low.

If that sounds like the choice your dog would make, book them in with me!

20/10/2025

Mythbuster!

"The vet said the xrays are fine, so my dog isn’t in pain."

I've heard a few people say that.

Xrays are a useful tool. They mostly show bony changes and help us look for things like fractures, dislocations, bone spurs, arthritis and cancers, to name just a few.

They’re not the best at showing problems in tissues like cartilage, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

So, you could have a dog with pretty good xrays, who still has pain from other tissues in their body.

But wait, there’s more! We know that what we see on an xray DOESN’T equal the pain your dog is in, even if there ARE bony changes.

So, one dog could have a teeny tiny bone spur that’s giving him gyp, while another could have lots of wear and tear but not seem at all bothered by it. That’s true for people and other animals, too.

We treat the animal, not the xray – but the xray is an important tool to help us understand what’s going on, and to rule out nasties.

Have you heard of anything else that you think might be a myth?

16/10/2025

You know how they say it takes a village to raise a child?

There are times when we also need a village to care for our dog’s health.

Your general practice (GP) vet is usually your first port of call. They’ll do your annual health checks and vaccinations, dental care, and see you through most illnesses and accidents.

If something a bit more serious or tricky has happened, you might need to see a specialist. In the vet world we can only be called specialists if we have quite specific extra qualifications. They’re pretty hard-earned, and we all worship the specialists!

In between your GP vet and specialists are vets like me. We’re vets who have a particular interest in our chosen aspect of veterinary medicine, and have done extra study in that area. Some of us don’t do GP practice any more, but only see pets who need the kind of help we’re focused on. That’s me, in my VetRehab practice.

I’ve been rehabbing animals for about 18 years, and have qualifications that range from animal chiropractic and osteopathy, to veterinary acupuncture and canine rehabilitation. On top of my vet degree, that gives me a very comprehensive knowledge base and skillset that I can use to help your dog.

So which pets do I see? Mostly ones who need help with muscle, bone, joint, spine and nerve issues. If you had the same issues as your dog (or cat, or rabbit, or horse, or sheep, or any pet!), would you have gone to a physio, osteopath or chiropractor? If that’s a yes, then bringing your dog to see me would be a great idea!

Your dog’s best healthcare village is a team of people who’ll work together to help and support your dog to have the best life they can have. If you’d like to add me to your team, just send me a message and we’ll make it happen.

13/10/2025

Just gimme the pills (said not many dogs, ever!)

Pain medications are a really important part of managing arthritis and other conditions that older dogs get. But they’re not the only option, and ideally they’re part of a broader management plan.

Here’s 5 reasons why pain meds are ideally used WITH other rehab options:

1. All medications have potential side effects. Some dogs are more affected than others.

2. Our bodies have to break down medications, often in our liver or kidneys, and we might not want to give them extra work to do if those organs are already compromised – common in older animals.

3. Pain meds make our dogs feel better, but don’t make the body heal. They can help with inflammation, but cutting down the pain doesn’t mean that the problem CAUSING the pain has been fixed.

4. Adding in rehab options like physical therapies, targeted exercises, weight/nutrition/supplement management, and things like laser or acupuncture, can allow us to keep pain meds for when they’re really needed.

5. Rehab supports the body to stay stronger, have better balance, and can reduce pain, too!

What things are you already doing to help your dog?

09/10/2025

Even small changes matter.

Sometimes I don’t get to see senior dogs until they’re already struggling quite a bit with joint pain. Sometimes they’re already on all of the heavy-hitting meds, the vets have run out of tools, and their owners don’t know else they can do.

That’s tough. There aren’t any magic pills, and I don’t have any wonder treatments that will make everything go away.

However, there ARE always things we can do to help your dog feel more comfortable. Gentle hands-on techniques help to ease joint and muscle pain, and if you like, I can show you how to do them at home.

My clients tell me they feel better once they know what they can do to help, and when they know they’ve tried everything they can.

No matter where your dog is at, I can help and support both them and you. Just send me a message to book a time.

06/10/2025

Although rehab is becoming more accepted, it’s a relatively young field. That means most vets haven’t been taught about it when they were in vet school, so they don’t always know what rehab involves.

It’s a lot more than exercises, and we only start doing exercises when the time is right for your dog.

Rehab is one of the fastest-growing veterinary fields worldwide as we learn more about how much it benefits our animals (just the same as it does for us).

Whether your dog is just slowing down a bit or has had a major surgery, there are still things we can do in rehab that help them to get better. Here are 5 great reasons to go to rehab:

1. Rehab helps the rest of your dog’s body to cope with the compensations of pain.

2. In rehab, we adjust activities according to what your dog needs and is able to do.

3. Rehab includes options for additional pain relief that don’t involve medications.

4. Rehab is responsive to the needs of each dog and their owner.

5. Rehab helps to keep their minds active even if their bodies can’t keep up.

Rehab vets are always happy to work with your GP vet, too.

If you’re not sure whether rehab is right for your dog or not, get in touch and we can have a chat about it.

02/10/2025

29/09/2025

I got sucked in!

My best boy has crunchy, arthritic elbows. He’s only 6 years old.

The first OBVIOUS thing I noticed was a few steps of stiffness after he got up from having a sleep.

But when I watch carefully, his body doesn’t move quite normally when he trots.

It’s subtle. It’s hard to see, because both front legs are affected. It would have been there and creeping up on him for a few years already, causing discomfort that I didn’t know about.

I feel bad for not having realized sooner, but now he’s on a great management plan that’s working really well for him, and he’s gone back to playing (no high speed zoomies allowed, though!).

Animals can’t talk to us about their pain, but if we know what to look out for we’ll see the signs.

What things have you noticed your dog doing now that are different from when they were younger?

25/09/2025

Are you worried that you’re imagining things?

Do you think your dog is starting to get a little bit stiff when they get up after a sleep? Maybe just the first one or two steps after they stand up? A bit sore after a run around, or not quite wanting to walk as far as they used to?

You know your dog better than anyone. Noticing subtle changes in their behaviour helps us to start looking at why that’s happening.

When we get a diagnosis, we can get in early to support them. When we’re talking osteoarthritis, the sooner we start, the more options we have. There are a LOT more things we can do than just putting them on painkillers.

My dog Louis has arthritis in his elbows. He's on some painkillers now, but I keep the dose down thanks to all the other tools I can use. He had stopped running and playing with my other dog – but now he’s back enjoying himself.

If you're not sure if something's up with your dog, message me to book an appointment and we’ll make a plan. The sooner we start, the better they’ll be in the long run.

22/09/2025

Whats the best way to get long term results?

Start early!

Some dogs are born with joints that haven’t quite developed properly, and they can be affected by arthritis from a really young age. Other dogs will develop it as they get older, after a life well-lived. In the end, they can lose all of their joint cartilage and have bones rubbing on each other – ouch!

Thankfully there are a lot more options than medications when it comes to looking after your dog’s joints. It’s lifestyle-encompassing medicine! The sooner we start, the more likely they are to have an effect, or to prevent the damage from getting worse as fast as it otherwise would.

Share the love for dogs with joints!

20/09/2025

I’m always grateful for my dishwasher – the mechanical one.

But my best friend lets her dogs lick the plates before they go in her dishwasher.

Yay or Nay?

(P.S. I think it’s gross!)