FAQ

At Rehab 4 Pets all patients will start with a rehabilitation evaluation. This is not a diagnostic medical assessment. Your regular veterinarian will manage the general medical condition of your dog. An integrative practitioner looks at function and structure related to that diagnosis. Many dogs have the same diagnosis but present with different issues related to that diagnosis. An integrative exam will assess your dog’s function and define the appropriate therapy with parameters that can be measured. The therapy plan defined by our integrative practitioners will include an individualized home program and the appropriate treatments such as laser, massage, exercises, chiropractic, modalities and hydrotherapy that are best for your dog’s condition.

If your dog has had surgery, we will start with an initial post-op appointment and evaluation. This is where we will check your dog’s progress in the healing process. You will receive a home program and instruction on how to best progress their recovery. Depending on how your dog is recovering, we may do laser, other modalities, or treatments such as chiropractic to assist with tissue repair and healing, or we may start hydrotherapy. This will depend on what the doctor determines will be most beneficial for your dog.

The doctor will also recommend a treatment plan for your dog going forward. If your dog has had a neurological based surgery or any other nonsurgical issue, we will schedule you for an Initial Evaluation with Treatment. This is a 60-minute appointment, where you and your dog will spend time with the practitioner discussing the issues to be addressed. You will receive a home program with stretches and exercises to complement the integrative program, and then we will do a treatment.

Treatment may consist of hydrotherapy (underwater treadmill), laser, massage, chiropractic, specialized orthotic bracing, or a combination of treatments. The practitioner will establish a treatment plan to give you an idea of frequency and duration of treatment. Most clients start by coming in once a week, although that can vary depending on schedule, budget, and the dog’s needs.

Most of the time, skin staples and sutures come out at 2 weeks so if the wound is healed, we can start hydrotherapy. Even if there are internal sutures that do not get removed, the body needs at least 2 weeks to form a strong bond of healing between the skin and the associated tissues. Moving in the treadmill requires significant work, especially stress on the core muscles, so stressing those areas can cause pain and swelling, which can lead to other problems if we commence with hydrotherapy too early.

Rehabilitation is directed at assessing, restoring, and maintaining a dog’s physical function and movement. Working with the owner, veterinarian, and other healthcare professionals, an integrative practitioner will work with you and your animal to achieve and maintain optimal health and well-being through modalities such as hydrotherapy, massage, chiropractic, therapeutic exercises, shockwave and laser.

The goals of therapy are to relieve pain, restore range of motion/movement, improve function, prevent injuries, and expand the physical potential of the patient. Due to the fact that we are a specialty clinic Rehab 4 Pets requires vet referral and patient notes.

A Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist/Practitioner (CCRT/CCRP) starts by reviewing your dog’s history and then performs a general, neurological, and orthopedic exam, checking all muscles, ligament, tendons and joints, as well as neurological functioning. The practitioner also evaluates range of motion, gait, weight-bearing, and muscle tone.

Following the initial evaluation, your Rehab 4 Pets practitioner works with you to create a recommended, custom, and comprehensive treatment plan. The treatment plan is based on a combination of the vet referral, the recommended treatments, your goals for rehabilitation, your input, and other considerations.

For post-operative or conditions of injury, a referral from your veterinarian, or for post-operative conditions the vet who performed the surgery, may be required. Please contact the clinic to clarify the proper procedures.

Rehab 4 Pets s Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapists/Practitioners (CCRT/CCRP) use an underwater treadmill, extracorporeal shockwave, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, laser, hands-on massage, therapy/swiss balls, and other equipment in providing therapy for a dog.

Therapies include Chiropractic, hydrotherapy, laser, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, pulsed electromagnetic frequency therapy, hands-on massage, and exercise. 

You are absolutely allowed to be with your dog. As a matter of fact, Rehab 4 Pets encourages it.

Your encouragement and concern may be critical to your dog’s rehabilitation.

Part of Rehab 4 Pets’s approach to treatment is owner instruction. Owner instruction is individualized by the dog’s needs, your capabilities, and other plan considerations. You will be taught appropriate activities like strengthening exercises, massage, and stretches.

You may also leave your dog in our care on a temporary basis.

An important part of Rehab 4 Pets s approach to treatment is owner instruction. Owner instruction is individualized by the dog’s needs, your capabilities, and other plan considerations. You will be taught appropriate activities like strengthening exercises, massage, and stretches. Rehabilitation is not effective if there is no carry through at home. In some situations, Rehab 4 Pets will provide forms and/or written material to accompany verbal instruction.

Rehab 4 Pets will contact your family veterinarian for the referral information (medical history) prior to the initial evaluation. If you would like to take the form to your vet at your next appointment, referral forms may be obtained by either calling Rehab 4 Pets, downloading the form off the website, or have your vet complete our online form.

Bring a clean brushed dog to the first and subsequent sessions. This is important because our pools are sensitive to excessive dirt and hair. All dogs must be leashed while in the clinic so make sure you bring your dog’s collar and a leash.

Although Rehab 4 Pets provides lots of balls and other toys, feel free to bring your dog’s favorite toy for “additional motivation.”. We do not allow dog treats in the pool area.

At Rehab 4 Pets we do not board pets, daily or long term. 

Animal Chiropractic is a field of animal health care that focuses on the preservation and health of the neuro-Musculo-skeletal system. Nerves control everything that happens in your animals. Anything adversely affecting the nervous system will have detrimental effects that will resonate throughout the entire body. The command centers of the nervous system are the brain and spinal cord which are protected by the spine. The spine is a complex framework of bones (vertebra), ligaments, muscles, and nerves. If the movement and biomechanics of the vertebra become dysfunctional, they can interfere with the performance of the nerves that are branching off the spinal cord and going to all of the muscles and organs. As this occurs, your animal can lose normal mobility, resulting in stiffness, tension, pain and even organ dysfunction. Additionally, when normal movement is affected, and left unattended, it will ultimately impact your animal’s entire wellbeing and quality of life.

The nervous system also coordinates the body’s ability to heal and regulate itself. Trauma, over or underuse, may cause the vertebra of the spine to become fixed, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments may become compromised and inflamed. Nerves could become trapped in these damaged tissues, or in the passages they use to exit the spine. Their signals become unable to adequately reach their destinations. When they don’t, these impaired structures lose their ability to heal. 

This can directly and dramatically impact your animal’s health. Symptoms of spinal fixation may include pain, spasm, sensitivity to touch, lameness, gait abnormalities and postural compromise. The goal of an animal chiropractor is to restore function and mobility to the compromised vertebra in an effort to re-establish neurologic transmissions. This allows the body to perform at its optimum potential. These doctors use their hands to identify areas of restriction; and once identified, the animal chiropractor applies a precise thrust on the immobile anatomical structures. This treatment restores the normal motion of the vertebra thus removing neurological interference. When the nerves can efficiently communicate with all the structures in your animals’ bodies, they will begin to heal from within. 

This varies according to each particular pet’s condition and will be discussed at your initial evaluation with one of our Integrative doctors. Every case is different and requires an individualized treatment plan. 

Follow ups are all 30 minutes with either a doctor or our technicians.