Bianca Ottmann Veterinary Physiotherapy

31/10/2022

Had to jump on the bandwagon with this one.

24/06/2022

Hi everyone unfortunately it seems like someone has stolen my work bag out of my car containing various nail clippers, vet wrap, stiptic pencils, gauze, saline, gloves etc.

So this would have cost me well over £100 to put together so unfortunately until I can get a new kit put together I won’t be able to take on any nail clipping appointments as replacing it all would be an expense for me right now 😔 being a university student and especially during the summer I haven’t got a lot of money to replace it right now. If anyone sees a clear box with any of these items for sale please let me know.

So sorry for the inconvenience

05/06/2022

When you’re never off the clock 😂😂

18/05/2022

Dear mum and dad, thanks for letting me turn the house into a veterinary clinic whilst I revise!

17/05/2022

Sorry to those who’s messages I haven’t responded to, it’s currently exam season for me so I’m face down in a book for most of the day!

Feeling the mood of my cat right now 🙄

01/04/2022

An interesting point highlighted here about laminte floors and the implications they can cause. Even if your dog is not showing “obvious” signs of pain or OA yet, you can use rugs and runners to help future proof your house and they would still benefit from them even now!

Lets talk floors.

Often the first thing I notice when I go into people's homes is their flooring. I see many homes now with beautiful, shiny, wooden, laminate or tiled floors. I understand how easy these are to keep clean when you have children and/or pets but have you ever thought of the impact this has on your dog and they way that they move around the house?

Whether you have a young, excitable pup, a gangly adolescent or a middle aged/elderly dog, walking on these floors can cause long term difficulties. Often once a dog has skidded or slipped a few times they can become fearful and start to tense as they move around which in turn becomes habit and can lead to a point of long term, chronic pain. There are often, so called 'funny' videos online ,of dogs skidding and sliding along floors, crashing into walls and doors, but this can really do some damage to joints, muscle and soft tissues.

When discussing this with clients some have made interesting observations of their dogs:

'We've noticed that Daisy always hesitates when going from the hall into the kitchen but were never sure why' (hall carpeted & kitchen is laminate).

'Frank never walks straight to the back door he always moves to the left to walk along the edge of the dining room rug: we just thought it was cute' (rest of room wooden floors)

'I always have to pick Teddy off the sofa as he won't jump down, such a spoilt dog!' (laminate flooring throughout).

In each of these scenarios the behaviour stopped when runners/mats were used (though Frank will never stop being cute!!)

Carpet runners and rubber backed mats are great for creating safe pathways around the home. Have mats around any furniture that your dog jumps up and down from, allowing them to gain traction as they take off and land and be especially mindful if the bottom of your stairs leads straight onto an uncarpeted floor.

28/03/2022

Pete feeling relaxed after his massage today 😍

05/03/2022

Saturday stretches 🙆‍♀️

03/03/2022

Borrowed this from vet physio Phyle but it’s excellently put and something for horse owners to think about.

What does your horses muscle architecture look like? 💪

Atrophy means a decrease in muscle mass and therefore function. Essentially, muscle wastage (bilateral or unilateral).

Atrophy can present in varying forms; acute, chronic, focal, generalised. Different forms of atrophy can be attributed to its aetiology.

To palpate (feel), an atrophied muscle will often feel “empty”. In comparison to a healthy tissue, there will be little responsiveness and the superficial fascia and skin can often feel firmer due to dehydration. During mobilisation and movement, the horse may struggle to execute movements that require the engagement of an atrophied muscle due to weakness.

But why is this important? Ensuring our horses are built with healthy and functional muscle is so important for their musculoskeletal and biomechanical health. Healthy muscles (those with good mass and supple tone) provide an efficient system that moves the skeletal system; without muscles and other soft tissues, our bones wouldn’t be able to move. Good posture (statically and dynamically) and the support of joints are just a few examples of how positive muscle architecture helps our horses to maintain soundness and performance.

When atrophy occurs, it is due to disuse or dysfunction. Additionally, whether it is primary or secondary, pain is involved (particularly in unilateral cases). For example, horses that lack condition and correct strengthening training will often have atrophy to the gluteal muscles. This can affect the horses stamina in collection, ability to achieve a consistent contact, and even cause a horse to knock down fences with their back legs as they struggle to achieve adequate hip flexion & experience pain on sacroiliac joint extension.

I could talk for years on how important it is that our horses are well developed in order to perform comfortably and prevent injury. But for now, develop a therapeutic eye in order to critically assess your horse for areas of atrophy. I often hear “but he’s always looked like that”, or “that’s just his shape” - just because atrophy had been there for a long time, it doesn’t mean it has to stay.

16/02/2022

Why should a veterinary physio care about cat flu? Well you might be interested to know it can cause limping and lethargy which could be mistaken for another injury. If you suspect you've got a poorly cat, be sure to give your vet a ring.

09/02/2022

Spending the evening practicing RoM (range of movement) on Carrie testing the hip flexion and extension.

03/02/2022

Sander’s before and after massage pictures! There’s nothing like a good neck and shoulder massage to chill you out

03/02/2022

When your rescue cat absolutely loves having massage and physio 😻❤️

11/01/2022

11/01/2022

07/01/2022

Another reminder that there’s no such thing as a “badly behaved” horse. It saddens me that so many people chose to use corrective instruments and blame the horse before taking responsibility themselves or looking for a real cause. Most people use nose bands which is absolutely fine as long as they are lose enough to not cause any discomfort or pain as any bit/noseband/grackle etc can be harsh in the wrong hands.

13/12/2021

Practicing passive range of movement also known as PROMs on Sherlock. 🐕

This is to help detect any mobility issues or pain within the joint of his leg, each joint is tested individually from his distal phalanges (end of toe) all the way up to his coccyxfemoral joint!. (Hip)

19/11/2021

Trying to trot up your own dog for a uni assignment, and film and take notes. She’s less than impressed 🙄

12/11/2021

Goodmorning!

Thank you to all of you who have contacted me this weekend re horses and dogs - I will get back to you as soon as I can, I have an exam next week so I will be a bit busy in the mean time so please bare with me 🐕

11/10/2021

Another static assessment completed on Sherlock, my mum and dad’s dog. Today I checked his conformation and posture 🐕 I think I I have spotted a couple of potential issues

08/10/2021

I'm going to be looking for horses in the area of Eastbourne up to 40 minutes away for static assessments (no hands on work this time) for the coming week. Please Message me if you can help!

05/10/2021

My own dog Carrie is having treatment at the moment to help with her condition, myelopathy (damaged spinal cord). She sees another physiotherapist for her condition, but at home I use massage, Passive ROM in her hind legs and a warm heat pad to help with muscle spasms in her longissimus Dorsi muscles.

It’s important to maintain muscle tone and mass in her hind legs which can be difficult due to the spinal cord damage.

04/10/2021

For anyone with an older dog who has noticed them beginning to slow down or struggle to jump etc, consider arthritis and be sure to speak to a vet firstly. Arthritis can be very painful!

03/10/2021

Hello, I’m in my first year studying a Bsc in veterinary physiotherapy and I will be looking for lots of dogs and horses over the next few weeks to look at and complete my clinal hours. At the moment I am not able to treat your pets for any conditions, but I will be soon! I will be looking for lots of different pets to visit and do a visual assessment, take notes and ask questions to you all about your animal.

I’ve worked in a veterinary practice and lots of different livery yards over the years and love to see animals of all different ages and breeds, but I do specialise in canines and equines for now. Please leave me a message if you are able to give me 20 minutes of your (and your animals) time. Thank you!