Physiotherapy works for people to enhance power, endurance and suppleness to cut back ache and restore mobility, so why not attempt it on dogs?
Marissa DuBois noticed the advantages of canine rehabilitation as a veterinary technician working on the Murdoch Veterinary Clinic in Prince George and in June she opened & Fetch Animal Rehabilitation.
In 4 months of working the downtown clinic, she and her workers have created a thriving business restoring perform to dogs who can barely walk or are unable to maneuver on their very own earlier than they begin their remedy.
“Some dogs just need fitness and we condition them so they won’t get hurt, those are more active dogs that you want to take skiing, biking or hiking,” stated Du Bois. “We see dogs who’ve simply had surgical procedure and have to rebuild and we see dogs that want surgical procedure however can’t have it as a result of they produce other medical circumstances and might’t be put below.
“Some dogs we do get them back to 100 per cent again, it just depends on the injury. Some just need quality of life management and they might come every two weeks for the rest of their lives. Some people were on the verge of putting their dog down and now we’re a year past that. We’re realistic that we can’t fix every problem, but we can manage it and make them more comfortable and happier.”
They additionally work with cats, offered they don’t thoughts getting bodily dealt with.
During her 10 years working on the Murdoch clinic DuBois began out as a receptionist and have become a registered veterinary technician, then achieved her rehabilitation practitioner certification from the University of Tennessee. She labored for a pair years out of small examination room on the Murdoch clinic till veterinarian Marina Mann obtained her rehab coaching and was able to workforce as much as open the centre.
Staff work with dogs struggling paralysis or who want wheelchairs, prosthetics or braces to maneuver. The use hands-on manipulations and workouts to loosen up stiff joints or get rid of a limp. Staff additionally present therapeutic massage, laser remedy and pulse electromagnetic remedy.
The centre, at 988 Third Ave., has a number of remedy rooms, a full-sized animal health club and an underwater treadmill often called the doggie sizzling tub.
“Hydrotherapy is a good resistance workout for dogs so it helps them retain their muscle mass as they age and helps them rebuild muscles mass if they’ve lost it due to injury,” stated Mann. “It’s great for building fitness in dogs, especially here during the winter months if people aren’t able to exercise them as they would normally in the summer. It’s kind of like a hot tub for them.”
The preliminary Stretch & Fetch session with Du Bois and Dr. Mann prices $190 plus tax and the worth of every rehab classes is $75 ($115 if utilizing hydrotherapy). The worth is lowered for package deal classes.
Go to the website to make an appointment.
