At Clare Veterinary Group, we aim to provide you and your pet with the best possible veterinary care!
This means we will ensure your pet gets a complete treatment and recovery plan.
We provide professional physiotherapy for your pet that is carried out at our surgery by Siobhan Menzies from Holistic Pet. Siobhan is a qualified vet, who now specialises in physiotherapy and Elsa Izaguirre who qualified in physiotherapy in 2011 at the University of Leon.
What is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy is widely recognised in human medicine as being effective in the treatment and rehabilitation of soft tissue injuries, arthritis, neck and back pain following fractures or surgery.
The aims of physiotherapy are to aid the animals healing capacity by reducing pain and inflammation, improving joint range of motion and muscle strength, therefore restoring movement, function and quality of life.
Why should my pet have Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy can be very useful for treating:
- Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
- Cranial Cruciate Disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Muscular, tendon and ligament injuries
- Stabilising fractures
- Paralysis
- Neurological Problems
- Neck or back pain- secondary to degenerative disc disease, disc protrusion/extrusion, or after surgery.
How does it work?
Once your pet has been assessed by a vet - this may involve radiographs, they will then refer you to see our physiotherapist. Your pet’s first consultation will usually take approximately 45 minutes to take a full history, treat the animal and discuss the case. Further consults are usually 30 minutes.
During the consult:
The physiotherapist will watch your pet’s movements and palpate to feel for any areas of increased sensitivity, pain, muscle wastage or restricted movement.
A treatment plan may consist of a series of exercises involving stretches or strengthening exercises for you to carry out with your pet.
Hands on treatment will then begin - this may involve:
- Acupuncture - Acupuncture is most commonly used to manage pain. It involves inserting thin needles into specific points on your pet’s body. The size and exact location of the needles will depend on the size of your animal and the condition in which it is being treated. Your cat or dog will remain awake during the procedure as it is not painful and can be very relaxing for them. Once the needles are in place, pets of all sizes should be pain free. They are often so relaxed that they fall asleep!
- Laser treatment - In rare cases, in which our patients do not enjoy needling, we use a laser, which provides a painless delivery of acupuncture therapy.
We do not use drug sedation to force compliance, which would mask and may alter the body’s natural responses.
To take full advantage of physiotherapy, you, as an owner, has to be dedicated and follow all home care instruction. Results will not be seen overnight!
How do I book my pet in?
You can ring the surgery or call in – ask at reception and we can give you a date and time.
Is Physiotherapy covered through my pet insurance?
Yes. Depending on your insurance company, you will be allowed up to 10 therapy treatments, although you will have to pay a separate insurance excess.