What is Veterinary Physiotherapy?
Veterinary physiotherapy is a complementary therapy which is carried out under veterinary referral. The most common areas of treatment are:
- Performance enhancement and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in the ridden horse and working or competition dog
- Post operative rehabilitation for animals with orthopaedic or neurological conditions.
- Enhancement of quality of life in patients with degenerative conditions such as arthritis - slowing degeneration and treating compensatory muscle spasm.
What is involved in an appointment?
Veterinary referral and full history intake
Initial Static Evaluation - conformation assessment and assymetries evaluated
Dynamic Evaluation - the animals movement will be assessed. For some this will be simply walking and trotting in straight lines and circles however some horses will be required to be lunged or ridden
Hands on assessment - the animal will then be palpated from head to toe to highlight any issues
Full physiotherapy treatment - a range of techniques will be applied to treat each individual animal
Any homework exercises and an exercise programme will be left for the owner to address the animals needs
Written report for owners and vets as required
FAQs
What animals do you treat?
The majority of my work is with horses and dogs, however many other animals can benefit from physiotherapy. Please contact me for more information or to discuss specific requests regarding other species.
Can you treat a lame horse?
Any animal that is lame and has not received veterinary consent for physiotherapy cannot be touched. In this case, the animal will be referred to the vet for a lameness work up prior to any physiotherapy occurring
Will my insurance cover physiotherapy?
If physiotherapy has been recommended by a vet, it is usually covered by your insurance company. Contact your insurance provider prior to treatment to check.
Do I need vet referral/consent for my animal to receive physiotherapy?
All clients must have received veterinary consent prior to treatment
How long does a session last?
- Equine sessions can take around 1-1.5 hours but can sometimes last up to 2 hours depending on individual circumstances
- Canine sessions can take around 45 mins to 1 hour but may last longer depending on individual circumstances
Payment and cancellations