Rehabilitation helps to improve the speed of recovery when your pet is recovering from an injury, surgery, or needs treatment for a variety of disease syndromes. Rehabilitation of pets also helps to restore your pet’s normal functions and abilities.
Conditions managed with modalities for rehabilitation include:
- Geriatric problems such as weakness in the hindlimbs (hips and knees) and other difficulties with moving.
- Orthopedic Conditions such as hip dysplasias, sprains, strains, and iliopsoas issues.
- Osteoarthritis
- Neurologic diseases or disorders such as intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)
- Other conditions including Traumatic Injuries and post-surgery management.
At Safari Veterinary Care Center, we have the tools and skills required to provide different modalities for rehabilitation of pets. These modalities include; treadwheels (hamster wheels for pets), land treadmills, water treadmills, swimming pool, cold laser, electrostimulation, Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation (TENS), Pilates, Weave Poles, Cavaletti bars, ramps, tunnels, tubes, wobble boards, and several other items.
Safarivet uses a combination of selected modalities to customize your pet’s rehabilitation and improve recovery.
Benefits of pet rehabilitation:
- It reduces pain, improves the restoration of limb functions, and improves movement.
- It enables faster tissue healing.
- It improves muscle strength and endurance.
- It facilitates weight loss.
- It helps prevent muscle atrophy after surgery.
- It prevents further injuries to damaged joints, muscles, and nerves.
- It reduces the need for medications.
- It improves the balance and coordination of pets.
Laser Therapy for Dogs:
Laser therapy for dogs involves using photobiostimulation to repair injured cells and promote healing. The energy of the laser aids the healing of cells in the injured area. It is the recommended rehabilitation modality for injuries to the spine or the peripheral nerves.
Laser therapy offers the following benefits:
- Reduced muscular pain, muscle spasms, and joint soreness
- Reduced arthritis symptoms
- Improved blood flow and faster wound healing
Cold Therapy:
Cold therapy is effective in the management of inflammation, pain, and swelling. It stops the mechanical, physical, and chemical actions of pain and inflammation when used at the onset of the disease process. Cold therapy involves using ice packs and gel packs which are commercially available and can also be homemade.
Cold therapy gives the best results within the first 72 hours after an injury or surgery; this helps with vasoconstriction, limits blood flow to the damaged area, and reduces swelling. Cold therapy also provides pain relief and reduces cellular chemical reactions; this prevents the damaging effects of inflammation.
Cold therapy applications should be limited to short sessions of between 5-15 minutes, multiple times daily. Short sessions help prevent excessive cooling. Your pet’s comfort during the application of cold therapy improves by placing a cloth between the ice or gel pack and the skin.
When IVDD occurs acutely, cold therapy can be applied directly to the affected area to reduce the effects of inflammation and swelling.
It is advisable not to use cold therapy in debilitated animals, animals with low body temperature, and animals with the circulatory disease, diabetes, or pressure sores.
