When we aren't with patients we are BUSY! There is always something on the go behind the scenes whether it's the running of the company, cleaning, planning for our patients, research or extra CE/courses.
Marissa wears many hats in the clinic including:
🔺Senior rehabilitation practitioner
🔺Mentor/trainer for our amazing junior practitioners
🔺Office/inventory/social media/human resources manager
🔺Bookkeeper
🔺Receptionist
🔺Scheduling guru
🔺Client communications director
As our staffing issues are coming to an end over the next couple of months, it's time for us to restructure. Marissa will be taking a step back from full cases and will be focusing on mentoring/training our newest practitioners and the day to day operations of running the clinic.
We are planning some new and exciting things for next year and we can't wait to share with you!
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#caninerehab #princegeorgedogs #princegeorgesmallbusiness
Have you heard of SHOCKWAVE therapy?
While it may sound scary, it's a non-invasive treatment that uses sound waves to help repair tissue. The sound waves trigger the activation of the pet's repair system to decrease pain, decrease inflammation and improve healing of both bone and soft tissue.
Conditions that are commonly treated with shockwave include
🔺 Osteoarthritis
🔺 Back pain
🔺 Soft tissue injury (such as a muscle tear)
🔺 Hip dysplasia
🔺 Fractures
AND MORE!
If you're interested in exploring shockwave as a treatment option for your pet, send us a message!
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#princegeorgebc #princegeorgesmallbusiness #caninerehab #canineshockwave #shockwavetherapy
Your Veterinarian may recommend surgery to correct your dog’s torn CCL and then you may hear from a friend that their dog’s CCL healed without surgery. The truth is, these types of injuries are extremely variable.
The CCL is made up of many threads (or bands) and dogs can either tear some or all of these threads. A high number of dogs who injure their CCL also suffer a meniscal tear at the same time.
If your dog has a mild tear or strain, it is possible that with an adequate rehabilitation plan and lifestyle management, you may be able to avoid surgery. Breed, genetics, weight and activity level will play a part in the overall outcome of conservative management.
If your dog has a moderate-significant tear and is over 10-15 lbs, conservative management is extremely unlikely to work.
If your dog’s meniscus is also damaged, conservative management will not work.
In short, the vast majority of dogs need to have their knee stabilized with surgery. Surgery combined with physical rehabilitation is the most effective way to get your dog back to all of the regular activities that they love.
If you choose to use conservative management, understand that if your dog’s activity is not restricted, they are at a serious risk of compromising the other CCL and other joints in the body. Rehabilitation can help to decrease these secondary problems.
A rehabilitation Veterinarian can help you make an informed decision that is best for you dog and your family.
Neurological disorders include a wide group of conditions that affect a dog's nervous system.
The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord and nerves and can be divided into the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS).
Symptoms of a neurological disorders can include:
Paralysis
Lack of coordination (ataxia)
Knuckling over or scuffing of the feet
Head tilt
Circling
Difficulty walking
Muscle tremors, twitching, trembling
Weakness in the hind end
Rehabilitation plays an important role in helping dogs with a neurological condition maintain quality of life and keep comfortable. Therapeutic exercises designed specifically for your pet’s needs will help strengthening the signals going from the brain to the limbs which can improve overall mobility.
Not all of these disorders are curable but rehabilitation can often slow progression and keep your pet mobile for longer.
If you’re suspicious your dog may be developing a neurological disorder, early intervention is key! If you have a breed that is predisposed to a neurological condition, it’s never too early to start prevention.
Welcome to SUNDAY STRETCH where you can learn an easy stretch for your canine companion.
Today, we are talking about HIP EXTENSION.
With one hand, support the upper thigh and the other hand can stabilize the back (to ensure it stays parallel to the ground) OR you can place it underneath the hock (ankle) for added support.
Gently move the hind leg to a naturally straight position. Continue extending back until a slight resistance is felt - don’t push past this!
Ensure there is no lower back rotation or movement from the other hind limb.
This maneuver stretches the hip flexor muscles - particularly the iliopsoas muscle.
This should not be uncomfortable for a sound dog. If your dog is exhibiting signs of pain such as pulling their leg back, crying, kicking their limbs, etc you should have them assessed by a professional as soon as possible.
Pain during this stretch can be an indication of many things including; hip dysplasia or arthritis, iliopsoas strain, lower back pain.
🌊One of the most versatile services that we offer - almost every dog can benefit from hydrotherapy!
5 of the top conditions we use hydrotherapy:
🔹Osteoarthritis
🔹Cranial cruciate ligament disease (conservative management and surgical cases)
🔹Hip dysplasia
🔹Intervertebral disc disease or other neurological conditions
🔹Obesity
Walking or floating in the underwater treadmill can:
🔹Reduce inflammation
🔹Increase blood circulation
🔹Assist with gait retraining
🔹Improve joint range of motion
🔹Improve weight bearing
🔹Increase muscle mall
🔹Increase stamina
🔹Help with weight loss
🔹Provide mental stimulation
AND MORE!
A strong core is imperative to prevent soft tissue injury, slipping and compensatory muscle strains. It can also help prevent some cases of intervertebral disc disease and other spine conditions.
Core and stabilizer strength is proven to help prevent cranial cruciate ligament injuries in dogs (this is the NUMBER ONE orthopedic injury), reduce arthritic flare ups, promote good posture and reduce iliopsoas injury.
Five to ten minutes of core strength training per day can make a significant difference in your dog’s overall fitness. It’s important to start these exercises slowly and build up difficulty over time.
Certain exercises may be better for your dog compared to others. It’s important that your dog is screened for any underlying orthopedic conditions prior to starting a strengthening program.
Do you know how to tell if your dog has a strong core?
Leave us a comment if you want to know!
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#caninerehab #caninerehabilitation #caninefitness #dogstrong #dogsofprincegeorgebc #princegeorgebc #dogstagram
It’s time for PATIENT OF THE MONTH! 🎉
🌭 MAXIMUS!
In Novemeber, Maximus when outside to go to the bathroom and unfortunately lost the ability to use his pelvic limbs. His owners rushed him into the Vet and then went for referral to the lower mainland for further diagnostics and surgery.
😿 The speciliast found that Max had a protruding disc in his lower back and intervertebral disc disease throughout the spine.
🛠 Max had surgery to correct the protruding disc but was warned that there is chance of reoccurance given the disc disease throughout the spine. He was discharged from the emergency clinic and got to come back home. His mobility improved over a few weeks and then plateauted with a crooked gait and weakness in the hind limbs causing him to fall over a lot.
😀 We met Max on January 3rd for a consultation and started an aggressive rehabilitation plan to get him moving and feeling better. Although he's not always the easiest to work with, he has made great strides and is getting around so much more comfortably!
🥳 When Maximus is in the clinic you can find him snarling at everyone until he makes his way to his favourite place - the canine gym! He will work hard for every cookie he recieves and is always willing to try new things (as long as we aren't using too many hands on techniques). The underwater treadmill has quickly become another favourite place of Max's and he does great with his hydrotherapy workouts!
Keep up to good work Maximus and family!
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#caninerehabilitation #dogsofprincegeorge #ivddrecovery #ivddsurvivor
Dogs move in 3 different planes of motion: MEDIAN, DORSAL and TRANSVERSE planes.
Walking, jogging, jumping up, etc are all done in the MEDIAN plane of motion. This means that the dog is moving forwards/back in a straight line - divded in left and right halves.
Circling/turning, rough housing, chasing a bug, etc are all done in the DORSAL plane of motion. This means it's a motion that divides their front from their back and can include rotation of the limbs.
Slipping on floors, walking sideways, lifting a leg to pee, etc are all done in the TRANSVERSE plane of motion. This means that the spine is rotating or the limbs are abducting/adducting.
So, why are we only exercising our dog in the median plane? Think about your dog's every day, routine life. They probably go for some walks, sniff around, jump on/off things, etc. During these activities they are exercising their MEDIAN plane of motion.
Not as regularly as the activites above, we ask our dogs to partake in more strenuous activites such as rough housing, chase, etc. Since dogs are not commonly moving in these ways, there are areas of weakeness which increases risk of injury. Most acute injuries in dogs come from one of these activities.
Has your dog ever slipped on the floor? Do they seem stiff/sore/scared afterwards? During the slip/splay, the dog is being pulled in a transverse plane of motion. Since dogs do not move regularly in this plane of motion, these stabilizing muscles are weaker than ideal which can actually promote slipping.
Not sure how to get your dog strong in ALL planes of motion? Reach out! We can help.
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#caninefitness #caninerehab #caninerehabilitation #princegeorgebc
Our hearts are so full everytime we hear something like this!
We take so much pride in helping your pets feel better and we are incredibly honoured to be trusted with your family members.
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#caninerehabilitation #caninerehab #princegeorgebc #smallbusinessbigdreams #princegeorgesmallbusiness
What my clients tell me is that they wish they knew...
How important a structured exercise and strengthening program is for their dog after injury!
With new research we now know the old methods of rest followed by return to function is not the best approach when it comes to orthopedic injuries or disorders.
Xayah here has had an on/off limp for approximately 8 months. Rest would improve the limp but, if she went back to regular activity (running and playing) the limp would come back.
There's a simple answer to this.
The soft tissues that were damaged became very weak through their rest and recovery process. Just like people, dogs need to work on weight bearing and strengthening after injury.
If the injured area is not given time to recover and regain its normal strength, how can we expect it to perform as well as it did prior to injury?
Typically, the beginning stages of return to activity involve exercises focusing on weight bearing, limb awareness, flexibility and range of motion. As the injured area gets stronger we can start to focus more on strength and power until we reach pre-injury conditions.
Once the strength is restored and the dog is able to go back to normal activity, the work is not necessarily done. For certain injuries, we recommend a regular strengthening routine to PREVENT future flare ups and injury.
A strong dog is a happy dog!
Has your dog regained their strength after a past injury? It's never too late to start a strengthening program!
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#caninerehab #canineinjury #doginjury #dogexercise #dogsofprincegeorge
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Does your dog get to move everyday?
Controlled movement is great for the joints and muscles but did you know that it's also important to make your dog HAPPY?
Think about how great you feel after a workout! Dogs feel the same when they get those endorphins pumping!
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#caninerehab #caninefitness #dogexercise #princegeorgebc #princegeorgesmallbusiness
