Discover the perks of rehab therapy for dogs and how it can boost their strength, flexibility, and overall well-being.
Here's a quick overview:
- Rehabilitation therapy isn't just about helping your dog recover from injury; it's about improving their motor skills, easing pain, and enhancing their strength and range of motion. Plus, it can even give a performance boost to canine athletes and aid in weight loss for overweight pets.
- Certain conditions respond exceptionally well to rehab therapy, including obesity, osteoarthritis, spinal cord issues, CCL ruptures, soft tissue injuries, and orthopedic procedures like femoral head and neck osteotomies.
- There's a wide range of rehab therapies available, from manual techniques like massage and water therapy to tools designed to improve strength, coordination, flexibility, and balance. Additionally, therapies involving hot/cold treatments, ultrasound, laser, and electrical stimulation can help reduce inflammation.
- During rehab therapy sessions, pet owners typically receive customized home care plans to assist their dogs in recovering and improving their overall function and mobility in their day-to-day lives.
The aim of canine rehabilitation therapy, often used alongside medical or surgical treatments, is to assist dogs in regaining their ability to function, enhancing movement in all parts of their body, alleviating pain, and ultimately enhancing their overall quality of life. The benefits of physical therapy for dogs are numerous, including quicker recovery from injuries or surgeries, better motor skills, less pain, increased strength and flexibility, improved performance for athletic dogs, and even weight loss.
A Broad Range of Disabling Conditions Are Addressed by Rehab Therapy
Over the years, rehab therapy for dogs has broadened its scope to assist furry companions facing various disabling conditions. This includes issues like abnormal walking patterns, spinal cord damage, injuries to joints and soft tissues, arthritis, swelling, and pain. It also caters to dogs recovering from surgery, as well as elderly pups dealing with age-related challenges.
Veterinarian Suzanne Starr, who is also a certified canine rehabilitation therapist (CCRP) and the owner of Paws in Motion Veterinary Rehabilitation Center in Natick, MA, has found through her experience that there are five conditions where rehab therapy proves to be particularly advantageous:
- Obesity is a significant issue among pets in the United States, posing serious health risks for dogs. It's one of the top medical concerns for canines, leading to issues like joint pain, difficulty exercising, and an increased risk of heart and lung problems.
Regular exercise plays a crucial role in tackling obesity, not only aiding in weight loss but also in building muscle strength and improving overall health. Each dog's exercise regimen should be tailored to their specific needs and abilities to ensure effectiveness.
- Osteoarthritis is tough on dogs, but there are ways to help. Managing pain is key because it stops a cycle where pain leads to less activity, which leads to weaker muscles, then weight gain, and even more pain.
One effective therapy is gentle water exercises, especially when combined with a pain management plan. Whether it's in a pool or on an underwater treadmill, this type of therapy builds muscle without stressing painful joints too much. As your dog improves, targeted exercises can further strengthen their joints.
- Spinal cord diseases can encompass a variety of conditions, like intervertebral disk disease, fibrocartilaginous embolism, degenerative myelopathy, spinal trauma, and inflammatory CNS disease. When it comes to treating dogs with spinal cord issues, the main goals are to manage pain, keep joints flexible, prevent muscle wasting, and restore coordination and body awareness.
The specific therapies chosen depend on the individual dog's symptoms and how severe they are. Treatment options may include massages, gentle exercises to move the joints, targeted movements using an exercise ball, and water therapy. Water therapy, in particular, can be incredibly beneficial for dogs with paralysis, as the water's buoyancy helps them move more easily. Once a dog progresses to walking independently, additional exercises using tools like Cavaletti rails can further improve their overall coordination.
- After surgery to fix a torn cranial crucial ligament (CCL), which is a common issue in dogs, especially larger breeds, the first steps involve managing pain, gentle massages, and doing exercises that don't require much effort from the dog.
As the dog heals, they'll gradually introduce exercises that involve shifting their weight and walking on an underwater treadmill. Once the dog starts feeling stronger and moves better, they can move on to walking on a leash in areas with inclines. Eventually, as the healing progresses, they can even start jogging to build up their muscle strength.
- Postoperative femoral head and neck osteotomy—this surgery removes the head and neck from the thigh bone as a last resort to ease the pain. It's often done to treat conditions like Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, hip dislocation, fractures, dysplasia, or arthritis. After surgery, therapy goes beyond managing pain. It typically starts with massages and gentle exercises to improve movement. Once the surgical site heals, an underwater treadmill can help the dog start putting weight on the leg and walking normally again. As the dog progresses and can walk on all fours, more activities to build strength may be introduced using tools like balance boards or exercise balls.
Types of Therapy
- Heat therapy involves using heat packs or warm, moist towels to ease pain and reduce inflammation, promoting faster healing.
- Cryotherapy, on the other hand, utilizes cold packs to alleviate pain, inflammation, and both surface and deep tissue bleeding.
- Manual therapies encompass various techniques such as exercises, joint mobilization, therapeutic stretches, and massages, typically administered by certified rehabilitation practitioners skilled in these methods.
- Aquatic therapy utilizes underwater treadmills and swimming to relieve pressure on your dog’s injured or painful joints, thanks to the buoyancy of water. It not only enhances cardiovascular health but also improves muscle strength and range of motion. Swimming mimics natural canine movements, aiding in mobility.
- Strength, coordination, flexibility, and balance therapies utilize tools like rocker and wobble boards, physio balls, therapy bands, and Cavaletti poles. These exercises include "unbalancing" activities such as walking on irregular surfaces, which help your dog develop spatial awareness and stability, preventing falls with changes in body position.
- Low-level laser therapy stimulates the release of your dog’s pain-relieving chemicals like endorphins, improving wound healing, reducing post-trauma swelling, and providing long-lasting pain relief.
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) involves low-voltage electrical stimulation of motor nerves to induce muscle contractions, aiding in improving musculoskeletal and vascular conditions.
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) employs a therapeutic ultrasound device to transmit high-energy sound waves through your dog’s skin. This process generates heat, increasing blood flow, oxygen, and nutrient delivery to internal injuries and wounds. ESWT effectively breaks down scar tissue, reduces swelling and inflammation, and alleviates muscle spasms. It has shown success in treating conditions like fractures, tendon and ligament injuries, hip dysplasia, and osteoarthritis.
Rehab Rx: A Medication to Help Your Dog Restart Their Exercise
After formal rehabilitation therapy sessions, pet owners receive personalized home care plans. These plans offer detailed instructions on how to assist their dog in regaining mobility and improving their quality of life. Additionally, there are various mobility aids available, such as slings, harnesses, and wheels, which can greatly benefit both dogs and their owners.
In my view, rehabilitation therapy should be a standard component of the overall care plan for dogs dealing with injuries, disabilities, or other health issues. The good news is, that even if you don't have access to a local physiotherapist, many offer telemedicine consultations. This means you can still work towards your physiotherapy goals, no matter where you are located.
Conclusion:
Rehabilitation therapy has the power to transform the lives of dogs facing health challenges. By providing targeted treatments and personalized care plans, rehab therapists empower dogs to overcome obstacles and thrive. As pet owners, it's our responsibility to prioritize our dogs' health and wellbeing, and rehabilitation therapy is a crucial tool in achieving that goal.
FAQ
What's missing from my dog's diet?
Your dog's diet may lack essential nutrients like protein, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and proper hydration. Consult with a veterinarian to ensure your dog's diet meets their nutritional needs.
What are the 7 basic needs of a dog?
The 7 basic needs of a dog are nutrition, exercise, shelter, veterinary care, mental stimulation, socialization, and love/companionship.
What would you do if you lost your dog?
If you lose your dog, search the area, notify local shelters, post flyers and online alerts, utilize technology like GPS tracking, and stay hopeful while enlisting help from others.
What are a dog's needs?
A dog's needs include nutrition, exercise, shelter, veterinary care, mental stimulation, socialization, and love/companionship for their overall well-being.
