Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions that are commonly asked by clients or other professionals in the Veterinary industry. As Veterinary Physiotherapy is a fairly new part of the Veterinary industry, what we do and how we can help is not widely known yet. So, here is some information that should hopefully help!

However, if you have any other questions, that were not answered here, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

What is Veterinary Physiotherapy?

As a Veterinary Physiotherapist, it is our job to enable your animal to have the best possible chance at a happy, healthy life. We work as co-professionals alongside vets and work with professionals such as farriers, saddle/tack fitters and trainers to give your animal the best chance at recovery.

Veterinary Physiotherapy is commonly associated with rehabilitation; however, we less commonly associated with prehabilitation. This is where we maintain the animal's physical health in order to prevent injury. This is just as important, if not more than rehabilitation.

We will first assess your animal to give us an understanding of how various factors could be affecting them. This allows us to gain all of the vital information we need, alongside their case history, to be able to treat them effectively which reflects their individual needs.

We will then come up with a treatment plan; in which, we will include manual therapies, electrotherapies and remedial exercise. We can follow this plan and get you as the owner involved in your animal's rehabilitation too.

How are patients assessed?

During an initial appointment, your animal will be assessed while standing (static assessment); this is where your animal's posture, conformation, behaviour and visible muscle coverage will be visually assessed. After a visual assessment, a palpation assessment will be carried out. This is where your animal's physical condition will be assessed; this includes the condition of their muscles, areas of atrophy or hypertrophy, muscle tension, areas of heat and much more.

A range of motion assessment is then carried out on the animal's joints to assess joint health and movement.

Your animal will then be assessed dynamically (while on the move) to see how their biomechanics (movement) is affecting them.

All of this information that is gained during the assessment process helps to provide a complete picture of what is affecting your animal and how we, as Veterinary Physiotherapists, can help.

What is the difference between Veterinary Physiotherapists and Chiropractors?

As an owner I feel that it is really important that you know the difference between professionals so that you can make an educated and informed decision on which practitioner would benefit your animal the most. As professionals within the veterinary industry we will work together to provide your animal with a holistic care plan, but here are the main differences outlined:

Chiropractors mainly specialise in mechanical issues, adjustments and stretching.
Chiropractors are mainly used when adjustments are needed for the skeletal system and only when these specific issues need to be addressed.
Chiropractors can help realign a joint, that if left unchecked, could develop osteoarthritis.
Veterinary Physiotherapists can use manual therapies, electrotherapies and remedial exercises to provide holistic care to cater to all of your animal's needs.
A Veterinary Physiotherapist creates a holistic treatment plan that is completely tailored to your animal.
Veterinary Physiotherapists are not only for post-operative/injury rehabilitation but also general maintenance, post-diagnosis treatment, improvement of sporting performance and sporting maintenance.

Does your animal need Physiotherapy?

Sometimes our animals don't actually show how much pain or discomfort they are really in. Our animals often don't show obvious symptoms or signs due to their natural instincts; for example, when your dog is running around and wagging their tail it is easy to miss the signs that they aren't feeling their best. Dogs often won't show that they are in pain until it gets to the stage that they are unable to weight bare. This is due to the fact that in the wild their pack would most likely leave them behind as they would be an extra mouth to feed.

This also applies to horses; horses are prey animals which means that they are hardwired to not show their herd members that they are suffering for the same reasons as stated above. In addition, it would also signal to a predator that they would be easier to kill.

All of this means that it is much harder for you to know if your animal is experiencing pain or discomfort of any kind. This is why it is so important to get an assessment from a highly trained professional such as myself or a veterinarian.