SAFARI VETERINARY REHABILITATION
At Safari, veterinary care doesn’t begin and end with annual vaccines; we’re so much more than that! We treat all types of animals large and small, pocket pets to exotics, or as we say, “If it fits through our doors, we’ll treat it!” Our chief of surgery is a board certified veterinarian. Our surgeons have advanced ultrasound, radiography, fluoroscopic, and CT sca
n equipment at their disposal. Our hospital leads the country in the use of stem cell therapy to treat your pets the safe, natural way. And on top of all this, we have an amazing rehabilitation department. Our goal is to bring our care for your pet the full circle of treatment he or she may need. Dr Garner attended the Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist program at the University of Tennessee, and has used that knowledge to equip our rehab room. Our underwater treadmill provides a safe place for your pet to rehab following injury or surgery. We use water treadmills for the water buoyancy that helps to support the weight of the pet while the pet uses its limbs more naturally. It can also be used to build muscle strength by providing 12 times more resistance than on land. Both the underwater treadmill and the land treadmill can be used to build strength, stamina, and endurance, as well as proper foot placement. The land or dry treadmills are an advancement for the pet who is able to use its legs and bear weight, but still needs to work on coordination. Our Cavaletti and Pilates equipment are used to help with neurological issues, to help regain coordination and balance and teach nerves to work to move the feet and paws once again. They allow us to help the pet build and maintain core muscle strength. We can build obstacle courses to encourage the pet to use different muscles to crouch or to climb up and over objects, for example. We can place the pet on balance boards or inflated “peanuts” to teach them to maintain their balance while at the same time building muscle. Proprioception is the ability to know where your feet are without looking. The nerves responsible for proprioception are located in the joints and may be damaged by surgery. These nerves are the first to be damaged in spinal injuries. Proprioception training involves getting the pet to stand on surfaces that give tactile stimulation. This stimulation helps the pet relearn how to properly stand and how to properly move on an injured limb. We also help overweight pets lose weight safely by exercising them at the right pace on the right equipment to keep them from overdoing it and hurting themselves. Other modalities we employ include heat therapy, cold therapy, cold laser, electrostimulation, ultrasound, and massage therapy. Your pet’s case will be managed so that the proper modality and therapy will be applied in a fear free manner. Whatever your pet’s physical therapy needs, we’re here for you.
