"Rehabilitation is a complex field of medicine that requires a precise assessment of the physical problems of the patients. Once discovered and measured, these problems are placed in perspective in relation to each other and an individual treatment plan is designed and implemented, most often as an outpatient."

Denis Marcellin-Little, DEDV, Cofounder and Chief Medical Officer

Rehabilitation & Maintenance Therapy

Physical Rehabilitation uses therapeutic exercise and a variety of modalities to improve function and promote healing. It helps to decrease pain, improve cardiovascular fitness, increase joint mobility, muscular strength and endurance. Companion animals, like their humans, require physical rehabilitation to recover the ability to walk, regain the use of a limb, or to promote overall well-being after an injury or insult to the body.

You should consider physical rehabilitation for your companion animal:

• To restore mobility after a severe orthopedic or neurological injury
• To help safely use a painful limb after an injury or surgery
• To achieve weight loss in the case of overweight or obese animals
• To manage acute and chronic pain
• To improve and prolong the quality of life of geriatric and arthritic patients
• To improve and prolong the quality of life of animals with debilitating metabolic diseases such as diabetes, Cushing’s Syndrome, hypothyroidism and immune-mediated diseases
• Provide ambulatory assistance to patients who need ambulation carts, orthotic devices or prostheses

To accomplish our treatment goals, we use a combination of:

• Low impact exercise on land and water (i.e. swimming or exercise in the underwater treadmill)
• Manual Therapy (joint mobilization)
• Therapeutic Massage
• Stretching
• Range of Motion exercises
• Weight shifting and balance activities
• Moist heat application
• Cold pack application
• Electrical Modalities:
• Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
• Therapeutic Ultrasound
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
• Shock Wave Therapy

Maintenance Therapy

Maintenance Therapy begins when the original rehabilitation goals that were set have been met. At this time your pet has reached a higher level of functioning than upon initial assessment. Our goal here is to maintain the progress achieved during the initial rehabilitation stages and promote a higher level of strength and conditioning.

The time to transition from acute rehabilitation to maintenance therapy is set at the discretion of our treatment team.