Veterinary Rehabilitation Services of Virginia at Fredericksburg

11/11/2023

🎉 We’ve merged (our social media!) 🎉

Follow to stay in-the-know with all things !

11/07/2023

🎉 We are SO excited to be merging our social media accounts with VRSVA Gordonsville location ()! This move will make it even easier to keep up with all things under one umbrella!

Starting on November 10 all VRSVA social media content will collectively be shared on one account! Make sure to follow by Friday to ensure you don’t miss out on any new posts!

11/01/2023

And the VRSVA costume contest winner is…a tie! 🏆

Congratulations to Binx and Romeo of VRSVA at Fredericksburg! Binx wins bragging rights & Romeo wins a bag of Dasuquin Advanced! Happy Halloween to all, and to all a goodnight 🎃

10/30/2023

Boris the Cowardly Lion 🦁

Our costume contest is in full swing! Post a photo in the comments of your pet in their Halloween best for a chance to win a bag of Dasuquin Advanced!

Winner will be announced on Halloween 🎉🎃

10/28/2023

Kicking off Halloweekend in style 🎃👻

Get in the Halloween spirit with us for a chance to win a free bag of Dasuquin Advanced! Share a photo in the comments of your pet in their Halloween best and we will announce the winner of our costume contest on Tuesday! 🎉

10/21/2023

🐾 We’ll be at Pet Palooza all day today at the Fredericksburg Expo Center! Stop by and say hi! 👋

10/20/2023

One of the perks of our job? We get be creative when figuring out how to challenge our patients! 🐾 We love being able to think outside the box!

10/17/2023

Creating a more relaxed environment during appointments is important for successful rehab! We are proud to have two Fear Free Certified practitioners on our VRSVA Canine team — Sam Blake of VRSVA at Fredericksburg and Dr. Courtney Belden of VRSVA Gordonsville! ⭐️

Fear Free visits reduce potential anxiety and stress triggers for patients, creating an enhanced and safer rehab experience for all!

10/12/2023

Did you know there is an emotional component to rehab? It takes time and patience for us to better understand your pet, what motivates them, and how to best work with them — especially after they have experienced past negative veterinary experiences. This is one of the reasons we love “prehab”!

If you know your pet will soon undergo surgery, we love meeting your beloved pet (and you!) prior to the procedure when both of you are in a more relaxed state without added medications or post-surgery restrictions. Prehab helps equip you with the tools to aid in a smoother and hopefully faster recovery — allowing your pet to resume their normal activities quicker!

09/30/2023

The evolution of Huck! 🐾

Huck is a what his mom lovingly refers to as a “velcro dog”, but after a bit of time and patience he does settle in nicely while at rehab! 😄

09/25/2023

Dr. Johnson is at VRSVA FXBG today to see patients, collaborate on consultations, and perform a diagnostic ultrasound recheck on one of our PRP patients!

09/22/2023

🐾 Canine case study (part 4)

Now Bella is strong enough to sit and stand unassisted! She will be running around VRSVA FXBG on her own before long!

The pads on her feet add extra sensory input for her nervous system as well as traction and protection for her toes.

09/21/2023

🐾 Canine case study (part 3)

Sam and Jackie outfitted Bella with this special walker at VRSVA FXBG and she officially hit the ground running on her rehab journey!

Great work Bella 👏

09/20/2023

🐾 Canine case study (part 2)

Sam had the brilliant idea of holding Bella above the water in our underwater treadmill to see if it would stimulate her to try paddling as she got closer to the water. And… it worked! 🌊

When Bella thought she was going to have to swim, she started using her front limbs! What a huge step forward! 👏

09/19/2023

🐾 Canine case study: Bella suffered a cervical spinal trauma when a big dog picked her up and shook her by the neck.

Initially, Bella had no use of her front limbs and would scoot herself around by her chin. She was very painful when her front limbs were extened manually. This video shows Bella when she first arrived at Veterinary Rehabilitation Services of Virginia at Fredericksburg.

Check back in tomorrow to see the huge improvements Bella has made through the hard work she has put in at VRSVA FXBG and at home with her owner! ❤️👏

09/09/2023

Tip #5: Bring your dog to rehab at VRSVA FXBG!

Let your dog exercise in a safe and supervised environment with professionals who can help them get their energy out in a supervised and fun way!

09/08/2023

Tip #4: Grooming! 🛁

Regular grooming is an excellent way to keep up with any changes to your dogs coat and body, as well as alert you to any soreness or injuries that may otherwise go unnoticed! Not only is grooming beneficial to your pets physical health, but doubles as an excellent opportunity to bond and strengthen your relationship together.

Click the link to read a great article by the ASPCA on grooming tips: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-grooming-tips

09/07/2023

Tip #3: teach your dog a new trick!

Learning a new trick is a great way to engage your restricted dog’s mind! Here is Stig and his mom Jackie showing their favorite trick — “chin rest”! 👏

Post a video of your dog’s favorite trick in the comments!

09/06/2023

Tip #2: create a snuffle mat!

A snuffle mat is a great enrichment tool that can be made with household items you probably already have in your home! Click the link to watch a great ‘how-to’ video by the Animal Humane Society to learn how to make your dog their very own snuffle mat! 🐶

https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/how-make-snuffle-mat

Snuffle mats are easy to make at home. These entertaining toys encourage your furry friend to use their most natural training tool — their nose!

09/05/2023

Tip #1: hide and treat 🍬

Hiding high-value treats around your house (or room if your dog has very limited movement) and encouraging your dog to seek out the treats is a great exercise and enrichment activity! You can alter the difficulty level based on your dog’s ability, or build in difficulty as your dog understands the task better!

09/04/2023

Having a dog that is restricted due to injury or illness can be difficult to navigate as a pet parent, but our team is here to help! This week we will be posting a new tip each day outlining ways to keep your restricted dog happy 😀

Follow along all week & let us know if you try any of these tips with your dog in the comments!

09/03/2023

Reminder that our Fredericksburg location will be closed tomorrow (Monday, September 4). Wishing all our patients an enjoyable and relaxing Labor Day! 🎉

09/02/2023

Putting in the work in our 💪

The buoyancy created by the water allows this patient, who is suffering from a degenerative spinal condition, the ability to more easily engage her hind end. Building strength, muscle memory and stimulating the sensory nerves in our treadmill helps her move more steadily on dry land and slows the progress of this devastating disease.

07/27/2023

One of the first things we discuss to improve mobility is traction — How difficult is it for your pet to rise? What are the floors like in your house? These paw pads and toe grips are a great tool for improved traction!

The trick? First, clip longer hair between toes. Second, trim the pad to the size of each pad, then apply. Third, make sure the paws are completely dry, then apply.

Applying the sticky as a whole will roll and fall off much faster. We love perfectly protected pads that allow our patients to get greater traction! 🐾

07/21/2023

We love a good peanut tower to challenge our patients! 🥜

07/11/2023

When the workout is over, but the ball doesn’t go home with you…😂

06/28/2023

Sisters Carmen & Sorcha visited today for Carmen’s weekly session and Sorcha’s first visit! 🐾

Carmen suffered an FCE (Fibrocartilaginous embolism) last winter and her sister is coming in for OA (Osteoarthritis) management — making it a family affair!

06/27/2023

Platelet Rich Plasma is now available at both VRSVA Fredericksburg & Gordonsville locations! 🎉

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is an autologous, minimally invasive therapy that can be an alternative to long term oral pain medication or in some cases, surgery.

Tendons, ligaments and cartilage all have poor regenerative capabilities and the repaired tissue is often inferior to the original tissue. PRP treated tendon and ligament lesions heal with improved strength and elasticity and have a lower re-injury rate. Joint therapy with PRP is safe and has less deleterious side effects than steroids.

Read our article “Platelet Rich Plasma in Equine and Canine Rehabilitation” (https://www.rehab.vet/blog/platelet-rich-plasma) to learn more & contact us today to discuss this therapy for your dog!

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is an autologous, minimally invasive therapy that can be an alternative to long term oral pain medication or in some cases, surgery.  PRP is produced by drawing blood from the patient into a specialized tube and spun down in a specific centrifuge to separate the p

06/06/2023

The underwater treadmill is an important tool used in both our equine and canine rehabilitation programs and our Gordonsville and Fredericksburg locations.

The underwater treadmill is incredibly adjustable, making it useful for a wide variety of cases. The speed of the treadmill belt, the height of the water, the temperature of the water and the duration of exercise can all be adjusted to meet the needs of the individual animal. It is useful for animals with:

⁃ Soft tissue injuries
⁃ Bone injuries
⁃ Joint inflammation
⁃ Arthritis
⁃ Post-surgical cases
⁃ Muscle weakness or loss of muscle
⁃ Neurologic cases
⁃ Back pain
⁃ Strength and conditioning

🌊 Click the link to read ‘Why Water? The Theory Behind the Underwater Treadmill’ and contact us to learn how it could help with your animal’s rehab!

https://www.rehab.vet/blog/why-water

05/18/2023

Sam and Jackie take great care fitting patients into carts and helping train their owners on how to use them. Aubrey is grateful to be mobile again! 🐾