Why You Should Choose Rehabilitation for your Pet
Rehabilitation Specialist Stephanie celebrating the completion of rehab with furry friend Tess!
Rehabilitation and Benefits
Following an injury, illness, or the natural effects of aging, your pet may need some help getting back to their normal selves. Veterinary rehabilitation uses non-invasive techniques to improve a pet’s quality of life by increasing blood flow to the problem areas. Rehabilitation reduces pain, swelling, and possible complications all while speeding up your pet’s recovery. It improves muscle, nerve and joint function of your pet and prevents other injuries from occurring in the future – call within a safe and controlled environments here at North Shore Family Pet Hospital.
Our Goal
Our goal here at North Shore Family Pet is simple: to alleviate any pain your pet may be experiencing. Reducing any inflammation, preventing or minimizing atrophy, preserving and improving joint function without surgical intervention, and eliminating secondary issues like weight gain or worsening joint function are all end goals we want your pet to achieve.
We understand each pet is different. Each rehabilitation treatment is specially curated to target your pets specific needs. Our rehab specialist will work closely with you and your pet to create and implement an appropriate recovery plan.
Meet Our Rehab Specialist
Stephanie, CVT CCRP
Stephanie is a dedicated professional with dual certifications as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner and a Certified Veterinary Technician. She completed her rehabilitation degree at the University of Tennessee, graduating in 2017. Her journey to certification included demanding requirements such as two years of coursework, 41 hours of practicums, a 40-hour externship, and the completion of five comprehensive case studies. She successfully passed a thorough two-day exam encompassing both written and oral components for her rehabilitation certification.
There are many possible ways your pet may display discomfort that can indicate rehabilitation is needed. Their symptoms may be subtle, but if you notice any of these behaviors or changes in your pet, they may need to be referred to our rehabilitation specialist.
• Slowing down on walks
• Grumpy, or reluctant to be touched
• Limping
• Trouble climbing up or descending stairs
• Trouble jumping on the couch or bed
• Yelping or crying when moved or picked up
• Restless sleep
The initial exam with your pet will be the most comprehensive in order for our rehabilitation specialist to create a custom treatment plan just for
them. Your pet will be examined in our office where they are most
comfortable and we will use low stress handling techniques (including
treats) to make sure their first visit goes as smooth as possible.
Keeping your pet at a healthy weight lowers their risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and some forms of cancer. It can also reduce the risks of injury to bones, joints and muscles that are associated with excess weight. If your pet has arthritis, keeping them at a healthy weight makes it easier to manage the discomfort. A healthy weight isn’t simply a number on a scale; it’s also about healthy body composition. Excess weight can reduce your pet’s life expectancy by more than two years, so keeping your pet healthy gives them the best chance of a longer, healthier, and pain-free life.
therapeutic massage with Tess.
Laser Therapy
performing laser therapy to help with
Clapton's feline asthma.
Laser light therapy is known to accelerate tissue repair and cell growth of skin, tendons, ligaments, and muscles.
It increases blood circulation to the areas that are being treated, helps relieve pain from soft-tissue and joint injuries, as well as decreases inflammation to those areas. Other benefits of Laser Therapy are to relieve stiffness associated with arthritis, relaxes muscle spasms, faster wound healing, and increased nerve function.
Low level laser therapy is noninvasive and there are no reported side effects.
performing acupuncture
on Rafa after back surgery
Acupuncture
Acupuncture produces a physiological response by stimulating certain points on your pet’s body that can decrease muscle spasm, pain, and improve circulation. It can benefit musculoskeletal, neurological, gastrointestinal and many other acute and chronic conditions. Acupuncture is often used in conjunction with other therapies offered at NSFP.
When Should Your Pet use Acupuncture and How Often?
We understand that each pet is different, and with the help of Dr. Berkowitz, she will specialize and create a plan perfect for you and your pet. Acupuncture should be used when conventional therapy and or medication’s are ineffective. Acupuncture could also be used in an instance where surgery is not feasible. When a patient initially starts, Dr. Berkowitz likes to perform weekly acupuncture for at least 3 to 4 weeks. If we notice a positive response in the patient, Dr. Berkowitz will then perform acupuncture every other week until she deems once per month for maintenance is appropriate.
Unfortunately, acupuncture doesn’t work for every pet and it’s important to let Dr. Berkowitz or our rehab specialist know if you aren’t noticing any improvement in your pet. If there are no improvements after three acupuncture sessions, it is presumed that the condition will not improve with acupuncture. The necessary steps will be taken with Dr. Berkowitz and our rehabilitation specialist to find the best treatment for your pet.
Assisi Loop
Uses pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy that accelerates tissue repair and cell growth of skin, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. The benefits of PEMF include faster wound healing, increased nerve function, and decreased inflammation. PEMF is noninvasive and there are no reported side effects.
Bring the Healing Home
The Assisi LOOP’s specific waveform accelerates healing while lowering inflammation, pain, and swelling. It is a safe, effective, non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical therapy using the same technology that has been FDA-cleared for human use. If Assisi Loop is deemed the best fit for your pet, you can purchase one from our online pharmacy and bring the healing home with you.
using the Assisi Loop on
Lucky after TPLO surgery.
Therapeutic Exercises
Passive range of motion, assisted exercises, and active exercises are performed to help your pet maintain and/or improve joint mobility. Therapeutic Exercises can improve flexibility of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The goal of these exercises is to re-develop muscle mass and regain strength and function of the limbs.
Why Exercise?
There are many reasons why our rehabilitation specialist might create an exercise regimen for a patient, including to promote weight loss; improve range of motion; improve muscle strength, flexibility, balance, enhance endurance and performance; decrease pain; and improve healing.
Are Physical Rehab Exercises just for Injured or Recovering Pets?
No! Pet exercises can benefit even healthy pets. There are many different therapeutic exercises that can benefit both your senior pet or jumping puppy. Many senior pets enjoy the mental challenge of performing age appropriate rehab exercises.
Steph assessing Dolly in a
Rehabilitation Consultation.
Steph assessing Dolly in a
Rehabilitation Consultation.
Steph performing a balance
exercise with Dolly.
Steph performing caveletti
exercises with Casey.
Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage is a series of manual techniques used to improve your pet’s joint/muscle mobility and overall comfort. By increasing blood circulation, massage
therapy helps decrease pain, muscle spasms or tension, and improves overall muscle flexibility. Therapeutic massages can also improve soreness from compensatory issues.
Why Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy can help your cat or dog recuperate from either an injury or an illness. It can also simply be a part of a complete wellness plan to maintain your pet’s overall health and vitality.
Some benefits of massage therapy include:
- Reduction of pain, discomfort and swelling
- Release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain reliever
- Potential behavioral changes by stimulating or soothing the nervous system
- Lowering of anxiety and stress
- Promotion of deeper and easier breathing
- Increased circulation of the blood and lymphatic systems
- Relief from muscular restrictions, tightness, stiffness and spasms
- Early detection of some potential health concerns
Steph assessing 18-year-old
Lamar during his senior
rehabilitation consultation.
Rehabilitation Specialist Steph measuring Lamar's leg extensions.
Steph performing therapeutic
massage on 18-year-old Lamar.
