Dr. Maro: Physical therapy helps older, injured pets stay active
By Dr. Cynthia Maro / For The Ledger
If your pet is slowing down or has ever experienced lameness — even slight — upon getting up or after a walk, he may be a good candidate for rehabilitative therapy.
Ollie, a 16-month-old standard poodle, had one leg that was 2 inches shorter than his other front limb. He had two surgeries to correct the growth plate defect and curvature of the shorter leg, but he was still having lots of pain, and even with surgery, his legs were three-quarters of an inch different six months after healing.
Surgeons at a university recommended an expensive, painful procedure that would require several months of recovery. A surgery resident knew the owners did not want to put their dog through more pain, so he called me to see if Ollie could begin rehabilitative therapy at my office.
Instead of starting underwater treadmill and physical therapy exercises, I first worked with Ollie to become pain free without using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. I adjusted Ollie’s spine and joints, and my staff supported him with massage and laser therapy. His owners did stretches and exercises at home to help with scar tissue and adhesions built up from two prior surgeries.
When Ollie was moving more freely, we began underwater treadmill therapy. Within a month, his lameness resolved and his limbs were almost equal lengths.
Another dog, Shelby, came to the office for rehabilitative therapy because she was overweight and unable to exercise due to arthritis. She was in a cycle of gaining weight and getting less mobile and in more pain.
Shelby benefited from therapies similar to Ollie’s. When she began swim therapy, extra weight came off and arthritis signs went away, without pain medications.
If your pet is slowing down or has ever experienced lameness — even slight — upon getting up or after a walk, he may be a good candidate for rehabilitative therapy.
Pets who have had surgery to repair injury, cruciate tear, amputation or broken bone in the past can also benefit, even if it has been years since the injury.
Cats can also live happier and longer lives with therapy. If your cat is hiding more or sitting on lower perches instead of getting up on the window ledge, consider seeking a veterinarian trained in physical therapy modalities.
Pets with obesity, muscle loss, internal medicine diagnoses and endocrine disorders can also reap the benefits of improved muscle tone and organ function with rehabilitative and core conditioning.
If your pet fits any of the above profiles, he could benefit from physiotherapy, physical therapy and/or animal chiropractic adjusting techniques.
Up until the late 1990s, physical therapy for pets was not commonly recommended, nor was it taught as a post-injury or post-surgical therapy in veterinary colleges.
In human medicine, physical therapy has been used for post-operative recovery, injury rehabilitation and health maintenance for people with long-term illnesses and neurological disorders for decades. In veterinary medicine, it wasn’t until the late 1990s when the first post-graduate programs in physical therapy and rehabilitation became available to veterinarians. Even then, it took about 10 to 15 years for veterinary surgical specialists to routinely recommend therapy for post-operative patients.
Currently, some veterinary colleges in this country still have not included physical therapy in core classes for veterinary students.
When I studied rehabilitative veterinary medicine, I learned techniques, including massage, hydrotherapy, thermal treatments, cryotherapy, therapeutic ultrasound, laser therapy and other pain-control methods. Because I was already using acupuncture, animal chiropractic, prolotherapy, Chinese herbs and essential oils, when I added rehabilitative therapies, I discovered that long-term, conventional pain medications became unnecessary for my pet patients.
Conditions/pets that respond well to physical therapies:
1. Pets with amputations, limb or spinal deformities.
2. Trauma patients.
3. Patients with muscle loss due to hormone imbalances, such as thyroid or Cushing’s diseases.
4. Degenerative arthritis or nerve disorders.
5. Intervertebral disc disease.
6. Post-operative patients.
7. ACL/ligament tears and muscles strains (many pets can avoid surgery through physical therapy).
8. Bone growth disorders and development delay, such as swimmer puppies.
Rehabilitative therapies that benefit pets include:
1. Underwater treadmill.
2. Swim therapy.
3. Stem cell and platelet-rich plasma.
4. Strength and core-building exercises.
5. Laser therapy.
6. Therapeutic ultrasound.
7. Innovarius Sanawave.
8. Shockwave therapy.
9. Hot and cold therapy.
10. PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy).
11. Electrostimulation.
12. Trigger point therapy/myofascial.
13. Massage therapy.
14. Prolotherapy.
These therapies have all proved to be beneficial for many of my patients and those of my associate, Dr. Alyssa Carver, who has been trained in rehabilitative techniques.
Not all veterinarians are trained in the above techniques, and even many specialists are not aware of how many animals can be saved from having euthanasia or more extensive surgeries with the right therapy program.
You can find a veterinarian with rehabilitative therapy certification by searching AHVMA.org or looking for veterinarians with CCRP certification or the initials/credentials VMRT following their names.
Dr. Cynthia Maro is a veterinarian at the Ellwood Animal Hospital in Ellwood City and the Chippewa Animal Hospital in Chippewa Township. She writes a biweekly column on pet care and health issues. If you have a topic you’d like addressed, please email ellwoodvet@msn.com.
By Dr. Cynthia Maro / For The Ledger
If your pet is slowing down or has ever experienced lameness — even slight — upon getting up or after a walk, he may be a good candidate for rehabilitative therapy.
Ollie, a 16-month-old standard poodle, had one leg that was 2 inches shorter than his other front limb. He had two surgeries to correct the growth plate defect and curvature of the shorter leg, but he was still having lots of pain, and even with surgery, his legs were three-quarters of an inch different six months after healing.
Surgeons at a university recommended an expensive, painful procedure that would require several months of recovery. A surgery resident knew the owners did not want to put their dog through more pain, so he called me to see if Ollie could begin rehabilitative therapy at my office.
Instead of starting underwater treadmill and physical therapy exercises, I first worked with Ollie to become pain free without using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. I adjusted Ollie’s spine and joints, and my staff supported him with massage and laser therapy. His owners did stretches and exercises at home to help with scar tissue and adhesions built up from two prior surgeries.
When Ollie was moving more freely, we began underwater treadmill therapy. Within a month, his lameness resolved and his limbs were almost equal lengths.
Another dog, Shelby, came to the office for rehabilitative therapy because she was overweight and unable to exercise due to arthritis. She was in a cycle of gaining weight and getting less mobile and in more pain.
Shelby benefited from therapies similar to Ollie’s. When she began swim therapy, extra weight came off and arthritis signs went away, without pain medications.
If your pet is slowing down or has ever experienced lameness — even slight — upon getting up or after a walk, he may be a good candidate for rehabilitative therapy.
Pets who have had surgery to repair injury, cruciate tear, amputation or broken bone in the past can also benefit, even if it has been years since the injury.
Cats can also live happier and longer lives with therapy. If your cat is hiding more or sitting on lower perches instead of getting up on the window ledge, consider seeking a veterinarian trained in physical therapy modalities.
Pets with obesity, muscle loss, internal medicine diagnoses and endocrine disorders can also reap the benefits of improved muscle tone and organ function with rehabilitative and core conditioning.
If your pet fits any of the above profiles, he could benefit from physiotherapy, physical therapy and/or animal chiropractic adjusting techniques.
Up until the late 1990s, physical therapy for pets was not commonly recommended, nor was it taught as a post-injury or post-surgical therapy in veterinary colleges.
In human medicine, physical therapy has been used for post-operative recovery, injury rehabilitation and health maintenance for people with long-term illnesses and neurological disorders for decades. In veterinary medicine, it wasn’t until the late 1990s when the first post-graduate programs in physical therapy and rehabilitation became available to veterinarians. Even then, it took about 10 to 15 years for veterinary surgical specialists to routinely recommend therapy for post-operative patients.
Currently, some veterinary colleges in this country still have not included physical therapy in core classes for veterinary students.
When I studied rehabilitative veterinary medicine, I learned techniques, including massage, hydrotherapy, thermal treatments, cryotherapy, therapeutic ultrasound, laser therapy and other pain-control methods. Because I was already using acupuncture, animal chiropractic, prolotherapy, Chinese herbs and essential oils, when I added rehabilitative therapies, I discovered that long-term, conventional pain medications became unnecessary for my pet patients.
Conditions/pets that respond well to physical therapies:
1. Pets with amputations, limb or spinal deformities.
2. Trauma patients.
3. Patients with muscle loss due to hormone imbalances, such as thyroid or Cushing’s diseases.
4. Degenerative arthritis or nerve disorders.
5. Intervertebral disc disease.
6. Post-operative patients.
7. ACL/ligament tears and muscles strains (many pets can avoid surgery through physical therapy).
8. Bone growth disorders and development delay, such as swimmer puppies.
Rehabilitative therapies that benefit pets include:
1. Underwater treadmill.
2. Swim therapy.
3. Stem cell and platelet-rich plasma.
4. Strength and core-building exercises.
5. Laser therapy.
6. Therapeutic ultrasound.
7. Innovarius Sanawave.
8. Shockwave therapy.
9. Hot and cold therapy.
10. PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy).
11. Electrostimulation.
12. Trigger point therapy/myofascial.
13. Massage therapy.
14. Prolotherapy.
These therapies have all proved to be beneficial for many of my patients and those of my associate, Dr. Alyssa Carver, who has been trained in rehabilitative techniques.
Not all veterinarians are trained in the above techniques, and even many specialists are not aware of how many animals can be saved from having euthanasia or more extensive surgeries with the right therapy program.
You can find a veterinarian with rehabilitative therapy certification by searching AHVMA.org or looking for veterinarians with CCRP certification or the initials/credentials VMRT following their names.
Dr. Cynthia Maro is a veterinarian at the Ellwood Animal Hospital in Ellwood City and the Chippewa Animal Hospital in Chippewa Township. She writes a biweekly column on pet care and health issues. If you have a topic you’d like addressed, please email ellwoodvet@msn.com.
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