SOAR Veterinary Services

SOAR Veterinary Services Rehabilitation and Pain Management for Dogs and Cats Arrangements will be made to accommodate schedules to the best of our ability.

Southern Ontario Animal Rehabilitation (SOAR) provides rehabilitation to pets post-injury, post-surgery, specializing in orthopedic and neurologic conditions. We will work closely with your own veterinarian to give your pet the best treatment plan possible.

SERVICES:

• Rehabilitation Consultation and Assessment
• Acupuncture
• Goniometry
• Dry and Water Treadmill
• Therapeutic Ultrasound


• TENS and EMS
• Low Level Laser Therapy
Pain Management
Nutritional Counselling

Currently Dr. Anderson sees patients on a referral basis. House calls are available for some situations. A house call fee applies

Contact us today for more information!

Jasper has combined his Halloween photo shoot with his 11th bday celebration! Regardless of the occasion, I think we can...
10/23/2025

Jasper has combined his Halloween photo shoot with his 11th bday celebration!
Regardless of the occasion, I think we can agree he is super handsome!!!!


How many times have you sat in your veterinarian's office or even your own doctor's office and smiled and nodded while t...
09/29/2025

How many times have you sat in your veterinarian's office or even your own doctor's office and smiled and nodded while they provide a diagnosis or a treatment plan....but had no idea what they were talking about?

Often, despite our best of intentions, we use terms that are so common for us, not remembering to change our phrasing or checking in to make sure our words make sense.

Recently I have had several conversations that made me more aware of how intimidating it can be for clients to speak up and say "I don't know what that means".

Lack of communication leads to frustrated clients as well as frustrated vets and staff who then do not understand why their recommendations are declined or ignored.

So. What other terms have you heard that made you run home and google, or lead to frustration?

Kandis and Fizzgig have returned from Spain after competing in their world FCI-IGP event.  30th out of 131 competitors. ...
09/23/2025

Kandis and Fizzgig have returned from Spain after competing in their world FCI-IGP event. 30th out of 131 competitors. We are SO proud!
Welcome back Kandis!


Does anyone else have trouble hiring because of too many applicants??? I think we need to open another starbarks locatio...
09/23/2025

Does anyone else have trouble hiring because of too many applicants??? I think we need to open another starbarks location 🤦‍♀️

Henry entered the doors of SOAR full prepared to win the hearts of everyone in his path.  Update: he succeededHenry unde...
09/19/2025

Henry entered the doors of SOAR full prepared to win the hearts of everyone in his path. Update: he succeeded

Henry underwent a TPLO to correct a torn cruciate almost 8 weeks ago. He is doing very well. So why start rehab?
Short term
- manage pain / discomfort
- assist with achieving optimal body condition
-Reestablish adequate hind end limb use
-Maintain comfortable and adequate stifle (knee) ROM (range of motion)

Long term:
-Build hind end musculature
-Improve stifle ROM
-Promote long term joint health via joint supplementation

Rehabilitation improves the overall outcomes whether it is post surgery or conservative management. We are so happy to help Henry meet his goals!

We often have conversations with clients who are quite worried about using medications.  While medications are not alway...
09/15/2025

We often have conversations with clients who are quite worried about using medications. While medications are not always necessary in every case, they often play a crucial role in preventing abnormal nervous system responses.

So let's talk about WHY it is important to treat pain.
Pain that is left untreated can lead to abnormal reactions from the nervous system.
✴️Allodynia is when a normally non-painful stimulus is perceived as painful.
✴️Hyperalgesia is when a painful stimulus is applied and there is an exaggerated response.

While there is a lot involved in pain perception and its processing in the body, it IS important to not let pain go untreated.

Does this mean medications are always required? No! There are a lot of options to treat different kinds of pain including massage, rehabilitation modalities, acupuncture, laser, and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Each patient is different and so responses to different treatments will vary. In addition not every therapy is an option for every patient. Having an accurate diagnosis, and open communication about concerns will help to develop the best plan for your pet.

10 years ago I completed my certification in medical acupuncture.  Adding this to the available treatment options for my...
09/12/2025

10 years ago I completed my certification in medical acupuncture. Adding this to the available treatment options for my patients has been a game changer for managing pain. Is it an option for every patient? No. Is it tolerated in most patients? Absolutely. Acupuncture has helped us better manage pain in our senior patients, palliative care patients, post-operative patients and a variety of acute and chronic conditions. With four therapists at SOAR now certified in acupuncture, and the large percentage of patients presenting for pain management, it is one of the most common treatments at SOAR. Patients presenting for a few months of palliative often come for years. Do we still need more research? Absolutely. However the sheer number of positive results are higher than even a 50% projected placebo effect.

Things to consider:
✅️ like every treatment option, some patients respond better than others
✅️ pain is multifactorial so an integrative approach involving pharmaceuticals, and rehabilitation is often required
✅️ how quickly patients respond and the length of time of effect varies between patients
✅️ popsicles and treats make everything better

Since it is Animal Pain Awareness Month, I wanted to talk about the Paw Project.  It is a documentary discussing the jou...
09/10/2025

Since it is Animal Pain Awareness Month, I wanted to talk about the Paw Project. It is a documentary discussing the journey of a California veterinarian to ban declawing. It is definitely worth the watch.

As a teenager working in clinic I remember thinking how brutal the procedure was. When I graduated I felt like we were doing better as far as pain management....nerve blocks, pain meds to take home, and better pain management protocols. I performed the procedure telling myself if I didn't, people would find someone who would, or cats would be euthanized or surrendered for scratching.
Was I ever wrong....

What do we know?

🐾 there are lifelong complications from this procedure
🐾 declawed cats show an increased incidence of behavioural problems including aggression, and abnormal litterbox habits
🐾 amputations are one of the most painful surgical procedures...declawing is amputation of the "tips of each finger)
🐾 there is a risk of regrowth and boney change under the skin causing chronic pain

There are 10 provinces (NOT Ontario), many states, and over 40 countries worldwide that have banned this routine procedure. Clinics are trending towards educating pet owners about regular nail trims, providing appropriate scratching areas, and applying soft paws.

It is the perfect example of just because we can doesn't mean we should. There are times a declaw is medically needed and appropriate pain management is paramount. But as a routine procedure...? Nah...we can't do better

Address

4129 Harvester Road, Unit D
Burlington, ON
L7L5M3

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+19059617627

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