South West Vet Physio

Of course you can buy generic conditioning programs online……. ❓ But are you sure they won’t exacerbate any underlying conditions. ❓Are you confident you’ll know if your dog is performing them correctly. ❓If they aren’t do you know how to correct it? ❓If you need to adjust them can you make them harder? Or easier? Or increase the intensity? All exercise programs I prescribe are bespoke to your dogs needs after a thorough fitness assessment to make sure they are adequately addressing your dog’s weaknesses. Performance analysis is completed for all exercises to make sure the form is 👌🏻 Life’s too short to do crappy exercise programs, message today for a plan tailored to you and your dog!

Don’t expect perfection on your first try!

Teaching new exercise is hard (for you and your dog). There are a lot of videos out there of them being performed beautifully. But remember: 🐶 Everyone has to start somewhere. 🤸 Conditioning exercises are probably unlike anything your dog has learnt before. ⏰ Progress takes time. Be kind to yourself, be kind to your dog and use as much patience as you can muster. And if it’s going really wrong you can always sack it off and go for a nice walk!

It's Rarely as Simple as Just Ordering a Brace 🐾❤️ Meet the lovely Zebedee, who has been bravely dealing with a ruptured tendon in his hock since September. At 11 years old, his family was hesitant to opt for surgery and sought alternative treatments. After several months of regular hydrotherapy with little improvement, they turned to me for help to maintain Zebedee’s mobility. There are many braces available for dogs with similar injuries, but it's crucial to seek professional guidance when choosing one. In Zebedee's case, because he had been offloading his injured leg for months, we needed to build strength in his leg before introducing a support. By creating a mock-up brace during our session, we could test various levels of support to find the perfect fit for Zebedee's needs. Once the support was in place, we advanced his exercise program to teach him to walk correctly, now that his hock is supported in a better position. A holistic approach combining strength-building exercises with the proper use of a brace can make all the difference. Zebedee’s journey shows that while braces are helpful, they are just one part of the solution. #PetRehab #CanineHealth #InjuryRecovery #DogBracing #Hydrotherapy #HealthyPaws #acpat #charteredphysiotherapist #vetphysio #canineconditioning #caninemassage #caninehydrotherapy

Building the correct understanding of foundation movement patterns means we can easily add complexity to exercises. Making sure we’re adding appropriate progression to your conditioning programs means your dog will continue to make: 💪🏻 Ongoing strength gains 💥 With continued intensity ⌛️ In the shortest amount of time. #acpat #charteredphysiotherapist #caninephysiotherapy #equinephysio #canineconditioning #agility #agilitytraining #agilitydog #cockerspaniel

Progress requires Patience! I’ve posted a few examples lately demonstrating how we can use equipment to facilitate an immediate improvement in our dog’s posture or movement. However those are just a snapshot in time and to achieve lasting, functional improvements in the way our dog moves we have to put the work in. These videos were taken six weeks apart and you can see the vast improvement in Kate’s ability to weight bear evenly and recruit her muscles effectively. Her previous asymmetrical weight bearing was causing chronic back pain and severely restricting her mobility. She is now back to long walks with the rest of her pack and is almost pain free! #acpat #charteredphysiotherapist #caninephysiotherapy #equinephysio #canineconditioning #agility #agilitytraining #agilitydog #cockerspaniel

Got to play with a load of kit today during Molly’s session. This obstacle course combines all the things we’ve been working on with Mollys conditioning program: 💪🏻 functional strength 💪🏻 flexibility 💪🏻 balance 💪🏻 proprioception 💪🏻 confidence 💪🏻 single leg power It’s great to see all the hard work her owner had put in paying off! Molly has achieved her goal of returning to zoomies and playing with her friends and is completing pain free! #caninephysiotherapy #acpat #charteredphysiotherapist #caninearthritis #canineconditioning #sighthoundsofinstagram

Square stand- Part one The square stand exercise focuses on establishing proper posture and is a fundamental part of most of my rehab programs. It ensures the dog's limbs are neutrally positioned to optimise the function of postural muscles against gravity, similar to us standing upright with knees fully extended and feet shoulder-width apart. This exercise is crucial for dogs starting a rehab program, as it lays the groundwork for subsequent strength and balance training. Dogs can adopt an abnormal standing posture for many reasons including muscle imbalances, pain, limb offloading, or fascial tightness. Continuing with improper movement strategies can lead to compensatory pain, as muscles are forced to function in ways they weren't designed for. Therefore, teaching dogs to adopt the appropriate posture is essential for their overall well-being and successful rehabilitation.

Studies show that over feeding your dog by just 10% makes them 6 TIMES more likely to get arthritis. Here is a visual representation of what 10% of the recommended calorie intake looks like for dogs of various sizes. Sneaking in little treats here and there can really add up especially during training so it’s definitely worth keeping a close eye on 👀

🧘‍♀️ Active Recovery 🧘‍♀️ The recovery phase is arguably the most important part of muscle building. While we are exercising muscle fibres are overloaded causing microscopic damage to the cells. During the period immediately after this the body responds by building new muscle fibres. It is important that the body gets sufficient rest to allow it to do this. If your dog is completing intense exercise every day their body will not have time to complete this process and they will struggle to build strength. Complete rest is not recommended so here is the routine I follow to promote blood flow, maintain joint mobility and reduce muscle soreness. If you would like a copy of the active mobility program I have created drop me a dm. #caninephysiotherapy #acpat #dogsports #crufts2024 #vetphysio #canineconditioning #dogagility #kennelclub #sportsmedicine #performance #InjuryPrevention #caninemassage #charteredphysiotherapist

✨ Post-event cool down ✨ Me and Bambi dipped our toe into the world of competing yesterday. I’m so pleased with how she went and most importantly we had a blast! However the courses were pretty long and she was definitely flagging a little by the end of the day. To minimise post-event soreness and accelerate recovery as much as possible I some gentle massage and LASER treatment. These treatments will: 🩸 Increase blood flow 🧬 Promote cellular repair 💪🏻 Minimise muscle soreness 💤 Reduce stress and improve sleep quality- very important for recovery!

Quick conditioning session between patients 💪🏻 #caninephysiotherapy #charteredphysiotherapist #vetphysio #canineconditioning #agilitytraining #footwork #dogsports

‘We’ve got the old Molly back!’ Beyond addressing pain and functional limitations, many owners find that after seeking physiotherapy for their dogs, the most rewarding outcome is witnessing their beloved pet's improved mood, quality of life and the sheer joy they express through pain-free movement. 🐾 All treatment plans are centred around getting your dog back to doing what they love! Get in touch today to see how your dog can benefit. southwestvetphysio.com

The new clinic space all set up Orchard Vets, Glastonbury ready to welcome lots of waggy tails! It’s fully equipped with lots of functional exercise equipment to provide bespoke conditioning programs alongside hands on treatments and LASER therapy.

The gorgeous Eira launching into the new season 🚀 I saw Eira for a Fitness Assessment a week or two prior to the first meet of the season. Fitness Assessments are an important part of any sports dog’s management to keep them comfortable ans able to perform at their best. Happily Eira is in great form and as you can see is moving beautifully! I was able to pick up a few tiny movement asymmetries and recommended some small tweaks to her conditioning program to iron them out as she develops. Prevention is better than cure! Fitness Assessments are just £40 and are a great investment in your dog’s long term health and comfort. Get in touch today if you’re looking to fly into the new season like Eira! #caninephysiotherapy #acpat #dogsports #crufts2024 #vetphysio #canineconditioning #lurecoursing #dogagility #kennelclub #sportsmedicine #performance #InjuryPrevention #caninemassage #charteredphysiotherapist

Never miss an opportunity to mix up your conditioning! Adding short drills or exercises to your walks are a fantastic way to fit conditioning work into your routine 💪🏻 Get in touch today to arrange your Fitness Assessment for a full evaluation of your dog’s current form and a bespoke fitness plan so you can enter the 2024 season in peak condition! #caninephysiotherapy #dogsports #canineconditioning #dogagilitytraining #dogagility #crufts2024 #caninemassage #acpat #charteredphysiotherapist #vetphysio

Sofy was more interested in cuddles than a gait assessment 😂 Like many dogs Sofy has stomach issues which prevent her from taking long term pain medication to manage her arthritis. So instead we are using LASER therapy for its pain relieving properties to keep her comfortable while she works through a strengthening to support her joints and maintain her mobility. If your dog has arthritis and you’d like to see how physiotherapy can help drop me a message or check out southwestvetphysio.com for more details. #caninephysiotherapy #caninebodywork #caninearthritismanagement #caninearthris #cooperativecare #winter #autumn #dogwalker #autumnwalks #muddypaws #acpat #hipdysplasia #tplosurgery #TPLOrecovery #orthopaedics #orthodontictreatment #orthopedicsurgery

Do you have an anxious dog who you worry would not tolerate physiotherapy treatment? Studies show that up to 70% of sudden behaviour change including noise sensitivity, separation anxiety and reactivity is driven by an underlying pain process. Many of these dogs would benefit from physiotherapy but their sensitivity to touch, strangers or unfamiliar environments puts many owners off seeking out treatment for them. This is Molly. Molly started becoming increasingly anxious around strangers and unfamiliar dogs causing her to display reactive behaviours. Her vet identified back pain and after x-rays were clear referred her to South West Vet Physio for further assessment. Due to Molly's anxieties her initial assessment was mostly hands-off and was based on chatting through her symptoms with her owner and observing her posture and movement patterns. As you can see from the video observation alone can reveal a huge amount of information and an initial treatment plan can be formulated with no restraint or unnecessary stress required! Happily we are now 4 sessions in with Molly and she can now cope with a full treatment session including massage LASER therapy (in the last session she chose to lie down during treatment with no rewards or restraint required!) You can see from the video she is already stronger and demonstrating improved control in her transitions thanks to all the hard work her owners have been putting in with her exercise program between sessions. We are looking forward to seeing more progress in the coming weeks, hopefully resulting in a happier, less anxious Molly in the future!