Deluxe Vet Physio

Specialist in equine and canine rehabilitation and maintenance care

Whether a pet, working, sporting or competition dog each can suffer from a range of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions where canine physiotherapy can help to relieve pain, improve movement and function.  Canine physiotherapy can also aid recovery following illness, surgery or injury, slow the progression of degeneration or maintain condition in a dog.

Some signs of potential injury in dogs generally can include:

• Lameness
• Heat or swelling around joint(s)
• Stiffness, particularly after exercise
• Muscle wastage
• Difficulty jumping in and out of the car or up and down on/off furniture
• Behavioural changes
• Weight shifting
• Reluctance to exercise or go on walks or reduced energy
• Reactive to touch
• Tripping or toe scuffing

Signs of potential injury in working, sporting or competition dogs could also include:

• Sitting crooked
• Knocking poles
• Trailing legs
• Loss of concentration
• Avoiding an obstacle or exiting the weaves
• Shortened stride
• Slower round times
• Fidgeting in stays

Canine Physiotherapy can often identify and treat a source of pain and using manual physiotherapy and electrotherapy physiotherapy techniques a canine physiotherapist can help to reduce pain and inflammation, mobilise joints and tissues and increase flexibility and muscle strength in order to restore movement and function allowing the dog to move freely without discomfort. Physiotherapy can also be required to treat a specific condition, rehabilitate or enhance recovery following injury or illness, offer support in order to avoid problems later in life or improve and maintain performance. Canine physiotherapy techniques can promote an accelerated healing response, achieve an improved quality of healing, limit the amount of muscle wastage during the recovery period and make recurrence of injury less likely. A canine physiotherapist can also provide exercise plans to aid rehabilitation and help your working, sporting or competition dog to perform at its optimum level.

As part of any dog's routine care canine physiotherapy can help to maintain body health and the correct locomotion of the dog's body and help to identify small issues and prevent these developing into something more serious. As part of a working, sporting or competition dog's routine care a canine physiotherapist can ensure your dog performs at its best.

Common conditions that could benefit from canine physiotherapy include:

• Reduced performance in competition
• Stiffness
• Weakness
• Obesity
• Age related degeneration
• Amputees
• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Muscle, tendon or ligament strains
• Muscle atrophy
• Wounds or muscle tears
• Osteoarthritis
• Cruciate ligament degeneration
• Medial patellar luxation
• Fracture repair
• Femoral head removal or hip replacements
• Spinal surgery
• Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD)

Neurological conditions that could benefit from canine physiotherapy include:

• Paralysis or recumbency
• Lumbosacral stenosis- Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES)
• "Wobbler syndrome"- Cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM)
• Fibrocartilaginous embolic myelopathy (FCEM)
• Vertebral body malformation
• Discospondylitis
• Congenital degenerative myelopathy (CDRM)
• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)
• Pre and post surgical care
• Palliative care
• Trauma such as from being hit by a car or a fall
• Postnatal physiotherapy and massage

As a specialist in canine physiotherapy Deluxe Vet Physio offer a mobile dog physiotherapy service throughout Oxfordshire and the surrounding area, providing the highest standards of treatment and rehabilitation for all canines.