Rachel Quinn Veterinary Physiotherapy

03/02/2025

Do you know your horse’s vital signs?

If your horse’s vital signs are not within the normal
range, you should call your vet for advice. These
simple checks will help you assess if your horse is
healthy or if something may be wrong.

29/01/2025

For January's Walk Your Dog Month, it's important that we can understand how to tell if our dogs are in pain during their walks 🦮

Dogs are often great at hiding discomfort, but subtle signs can indicate pain – especially during walks. Here’s what to watch for to ensure your dog stays happy and healthy ✨

1. Limping or Favoring a Leg
One of the clearest signs is if your dog limps, avoids using one leg, or shifts weight to one side. This can indicate joint pain, muscle strain, or injury.

2. Changes in Gait
A stiff, unsteady, or hopping gait can indicate pain, as your dog may try to minimise pressure on certain joints.

3. Reluctance to Walk or Exercise
A dog that usually loves walks but becomes hesitant to leave the house might be experiencing chronic pain or discomfort.

4. Excessive Panting or Whining
While panting is normal during exercise, excessive panting, whining, or vocalising may signal pain or discomfort, even if the temperature is mild.

5. Frequent Sitting or Lying Down
If your dog sits or lies down frequently during walks, they may be trying to relieve pain or avoid using certain joints.

What to Do if You Notice These Signs:

Rest and Monitor: Give your dog time to rest and avoid strenuous activity.

Consult Your Vet: If signs persist, schedule a vet visit to explore treatment options.

For more information, head over to our free downloads section on our website for some useful monitoring tools:
https://caninearthritis.co.uk/how-cam-can-help/downloads/

29/01/2025

We’re giving our beloved Blunt Mondays a fresh new twist— say hello to Myth Mondays! 🎉

Every Monday, we’ll tackle common myths about canine arthritis and pain, replacing misconceptions with facts that can help your furry friends live their best lives 🐾

This Week’s Myth:
“My dog can’t be in pain because they’re still running around.”

Fact: Dogs are incredible at hiding pain, and adrenaline from activities like running or playing can temporarily mask their discomfort. Just because your dog is active doesn’t mean they’re pain-free. Look out for subtle signs like stiffness, limping, or hesitation—they could be telling you more than you think.

Let’s bust these myths together and make life better for our pups! 🐕✨

22/01/2025

More great advice from fellow physios at the win clinic!

🐾 Does your dog have hairy feet? 🐾

We often talk about the importance of nail care for our dogs, but what about hairy feet?

By trimming the hair on their feet it:
🔹 Provides better grip on slippery surfaces
🔹 Prevents the skin from getting sore from wet/muddy hair
🔹 Improves proprioception and sensation through their pads

Hairy toes might be cute, but not always functional for your dog.

21/01/2025

2 cancellation slots available tomorrow in colden common or surrounding areas. Please PM me to book.

09/01/2025

A cancellation means I now have availability next week.
Please comment/pm/text/email for more details.

06/01/2025

02/12/2024

Dogs suffering from chronic pain often experience frustration and anxiety because they often have difficulty in accessing their daily needs (Dermirtas et al. 2023).

Chronic pain is known to negatively affect the mood and reduce the capacity for pleasure in individuals by inducing maladaptive cognition such as pain catastrophizing
and negative emotions. Bidirectional relation­ships between depression and chronic pain are well documented in humans.

To learn more about how you can adapt your dog's home environment to better able them to access the resources they require, head over to our Home Adaptations page on our website:

https://caninearthritis.co.uk/managing-arthritis/home-environment-adaptations/

Demirtas, A., Atilgan, D., Saral, B., Isparta, S., Ozturk, H., Ozvardar, T., & Demirbas, Y. S. (2023). Dog owners’ recognition of pain-related behavioral changes in their dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 62, 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2023.02.006

29/11/2024

Hi everyone

Unfortunately due to rising costs I will need to make a small price increase as of 01/01/25.
I always hate doing this, and most of you know I have worked hard to keep my prices low and this will only be the 4th time I’ve increased my prices in 11.5 years.
Thank you all for your continued support.

Rachel x

17/11/2024

The importance of a correctly fitting saddle

Saddle Fit - Vital For Welfare and Performance

Saddle fit is essential for the welfare of both horse and rider, directly influencing comfort, performance, and health.

Saddle trees, commonly labeled as narrow, medium, or wide, vary significantly between manufacturers.

This inconsistency means not all brands can accommodate every horse’s unique conformation​.

However, saddle fit doesn’t exist in isolation. The horse's biomechanics, posture, fitness, and freedom from injury directly affect how the saddle performs.

Similarly, the rider’s balance, posture, and skill level influence saddle stability.

Factors like hoof balance and proper conditioning are also vital, as a poorly prepared or asymmetrical horse compromises the saddle’s efficacy

A poorly fitting saddle can cause discomfort, restrict movement, and lead to long-term health issues for the horse.

Regular checks and professional advice are key to ensuring the saddle functions as intended.

Learn more about being a knowledgeable owner or equine professional on this important topic at www.equitopiacenter.com

28/10/2024

Looking forward to the next 2 days of CPD in York! Learning something a bit different to add to the toolkit!

07/10/2024

Great post on dogs and ball throwing from fellow ACPAT physios at the Win Clinic

Balls and dogs… 🥎

Recently at a wedding someone was asking me for some advice for their dog after his recent surgery. He had fractured a bone in his forelimb and they said “it happened chasing a ball, if we had known it wasn’t a good thing to do we wouldn’t have done it”.

We hear this so often; everyone we see loves their dog and wants the best for them, but ball throwing and dogs have become synonymous in people’s minds and there is a strong culture for it - it looks so fun, it tires them out quickly and we think it is keeping them fit.

But what is actually happening?

Repeatedly stimulating their prey drive keeps them wired and overstimulated.
Motivated to carry on chasing, they work way past muscle fatigue, and high adrenaline means they won’t be aware of pain at the time.

What is chasing?

Fast uncontrolled acceleration and deceleration; twisting and turning without thinking about their bodies.

What happens to humans who do this in sport in a much more controlled way?

ACL injuries, Achilles ruptures, fractures… no surprise then that this is similar to what we see in our canine clinic.
Help us to help your dogs and spread the word.

We will be following this up with some ideas of fun ball related activities for your dog which aren’t repetitive chasing 🙌

26/09/2024

**𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗟**

𝗡𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘁

MacKechnie-Guire, R*, Williams, J.M., Nixon, J., Fisher, M., Fisher, D., Walker, V., Murray, R., Clayton, H.M

𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 (read without a subscription):
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.14420

For the past four years, we have investigated the pressures beneath different nosebands when adjusted from 2.0 to 0.0 finger tightness (0.0 finger adjustment so that the noseband was touching but not compressing the skin).

Poor noseband adjustment could create high pressures that may risk pain or tissue damage. This study is a step forward in providing quantitative data relating to pressures associated with noseband type and fit when adjusted to various tightness’s.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀:

🐴No significant difference between noseband pressures when the noseband was adjusted from 2.0 to 1.5 finger tightness.

🐴Noseband pressures were highest on the mandible vs. the lateral aspect of the nasal bones.

🐴No differences were found in noseband pressures between the cavesson, flash or Swedish (crank) noseband types at 2.0 to 0.5 finger tightness.

🐴The Drop noseband had the lowest absolute nasal pressures (mandible pressures not measured) and significantly lower values than the other nosebands. We need to be mindful of the position of the traditional drop. More work needed.

🐴Noseband pressures were lower when ridden in trot, compared with when chewing a treat.

🐴Noseband pressures were cyclical (rise and fall) and not continuous – changing during the stride and the chewing cycle of the horse.

As always, this is a team effort. Thank you to our research assistants, riders, owners and horses.. Thank you to our funders, World Horse Welfare, British Equestrian, Canadian Sport Horse Association, The Worshipful Company of Saddlers and Hartpury University.

NB image taken from pilot testing and was not included in the main study. All noseband types are described in detail in the manuscript.

16/09/2024

Last minute cancellation for Thursday this week. First come first served so please get in contact asap if you’re interested

08/09/2024

Did you know we have an in-house team of experienced Chartered Physiotherapists at Fitzpatrick Referrals?

Our busy team of physiotherapists work closely with every patient’s clinician to provide gold-standard rehabilitation for their aftercare – from carrying out post-op assessments and physiotherapy treatments to providing an ongoing plan for patients at discharge.

All our physios are ACPAT (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy) registered – ACPAT leads the field in the development of high-quality, innovative physiotherapeutic intervention in the treatment of animals and raising the standards of animal physiotherapy.

Today is World Physiotherapy Day so we wish to thank our fabulous team for their hard work and dedication to our animal friends and their profession! 💙 🐾

ACPAT - The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy