Clean Run Magazine - August 2007 - 23

choosing a canine rehabilitation facility By Martha Faulk As all athletes know, where there’s sport, there’s injury. So it’s not surprising that the growing popularity of agility has increased the number of dogs needing physical rehabilitation therapy. In response to consumer demand for postsurgical and postinjury rehabilitation, as well as therapeutic conditioning of overweight or out of shape dogs, a new branch of veterinary medicine has developed. Last year, Trends Magazine, a publication of the American Animal Hospital Association, urged veterinarians to “ramp up to serve the booming agility market.” Unless you live in a rural area, you’ll probably have your choice of rehab facilities that seem to be springing up everywhere. Any health-care decision needs careful attention, and deciding which facility to choose for your dog is extremely important. Your dog’s continued good health and perhaps also his return to agility may depend on the quality of care your dog receives. There are many factors to consider when deciding on which rehabilitation center is right for you and your dog. You’ll want to become acquainted with rehabilitation and physical therapy certification, learn about the kinds of services and treatment modalities offered, and understand the costs involved. You may even consider visiting a nearby facility to see what they have to offer and how they are managed. veterinarians and physical therapists Your most important consideration is the training and expertise of the health care professionals who provide the services. Veterinarians, physical therapists, registered veterinary technicians, and certain other health providers may participate in educational programs to become a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT) or Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP). Currently, the University of Tennessee and the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in Florida offer these programs. But a veterinary license and rehab certification are not the only factors to consider. “Veterinarians should have good all-around training and practical experience before they get into rehab,” says Maria Glinski, DVM, the director and owner for the past eight years of the CARE Center in Aiken, South Carolina. Dr. Glinski also advises agility owners to find practitioners with agility experience so they will understand what a client means, for instance, when she describes her dog as “popping out of the weave poles.” The rehabilitation center you select should conduct an initial August 07 | Clean Run veterinary exam, which is required by law in many states. Lisa Stahr, who owns Scout’s House, a rehabilitation and conditioning center in Menlo Park, California, explains, “While your dog has probably been seen by many veterinarians at this point, it’s important that the rehab center’s veterinarian perform an exam as well— not only to determine an appropriate treatment plan for your dog, but also to avoid injuring or reinjuring him during therapy.” COURTESY SCOUT’S HOUSE ence working with canines through canine rehabilitation certification programs and by spending time in a veterinary practice. Dr. Jan Lowery, supervising veterinarian at Scout’s House, believes that PTs bring a unique and valuable set of skills to the rehab equation. “As veterinarians, we’re trained to recognize clinical signs and interpret data to reach a diagnosis. But PTs are trained to think in terms of movement— what facilitates it and what hinders it, what enables it and what interferes with it.” Most of the training that a PT receives to treat humans is also applicable to canine patients. They study such critical areas as kinesiology (the study of movement), orthopedic rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation, wound management, and geriatric rehab. They must also learn how to correctly use all the physical therapy treatment modalities. Ideally, the rehab facility will have a team of health care professionals that includes veterinarians, PTs, and registered veterinary technicians, with all their skills focused on the specific rehabilitation needs of your dog. You should expect the team to report to you, as well as to your regular veterinarian or veterinary surgeon, on your dog’s progress and to consult with specialists about any problems along the way. “The biggest pitfall in rehab is untrained individuals,” says Deborah Gross Saunders, a frequent contributor to Clean Run and publisher of Wizard of Paws Journal, dedicated to canine physical therapy. Deborah holds many certifications in canine rehab (MSPT, OCS, CCRP) and is also the owner of the Wizard of Paws Physical Rehabilitation for Animals in Colchester, Connecticut. Although having a variety of modalities is helpful for rehabilitation, Saunders believes that the most important thing a clinic should have is “a good set of hands and eyes,” which comes only through the education and experience of the rehab providers. © CLEAN RUN Initial exam performed by Jan Lowery, DVM (left) and Krista Niebaum, MPT, CCRT at Scout’s House in California You’ll also want to look for a facility that has a licensed physical therapist (PT) on staff. The PTs have a professional license and educational qualifications that include undergraduate degrees and postgraduate degrees such as an MPT, MSPT, or DPT. In addition, the PTs will have extensive backgrounds in human physical therapy and must take state boards to become licensed to practice physical therapy. They can gain the necessary experi- Deborah Gross Saunders, MSPT, CCRP, shows a client how to do Theraball exercises with her dog. 23

Clean Run Magazine - August 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - August 2007