PHYSICAL THERAPY

Physical therapy together with a good nursing care program is very often instrumental in bringing a pet back to walking independently. There are excellent Rehabilitation Centers available for pets. Check out our links- we are now a proud sponsor of rehabilitation centers all across the country. Or ask your veterinarian if there is one in your area.

The therapy you are able to provide will depend on the size of your pet, what your pet will tolerate and the time and finances you have available. Not all of the following suggestions will pertain to all pets or all conditions.

NOTE: If you determine after looking at our Evaluating Your Pet pages that your pet is a candidate for a cart, we cannot emphasize enough as to the therapeutic value of placing your pet in a K-9 Cart. After 40 years of providing carts for mobility-impaired pets there is absolutely no question that K-9 Carts encourage pets to return to walking independently and if they have a condition where that is not feasible then the cart will give your pet a greatly improved quality of life and make nursing care easier for you the owner.

Swimming is an excellent form of physical therapy! If you have a pool, then take your pet in the pool with you. Life jackets are available from many pet and marine stores if you feel they are necessary. Our Walkabout™ Harnesses have handles and are helpful in supporting pets while they are swimming. All Rehabilitation Centers have pools.

FLOTATION BATHS

This is ideal for the small pet. Fill your bathtub with warm water, deep enough so that your pet’s feet are off the bottom of the tub. Support the rear of your pet and let them swim with the front legs. Baths help keep the skin clean and healthy and very often pets, like people, are able to move more in water than on ground. Swimming has the added benefit of helping with weight loss in an obese pet.

NOTE: SWIMMING IS NOT A GOOD IDEA IF YOUR PET HATES OR IS AFRAID OF WATER!
Check first with your veterinarian to ensure that your pet’s hips and knees are not dislocated before attempting to do the following!

It is important that your pet retain normal range of motion in the limbs, so that they do not become rigid and the joints immovable or frozen.

Never allow pets to scoot around on their bottoms with their rear legs out at a 45 degree angle, as this behavior may preclude return to normal function should they regain feeling in their legs! Dragging around in this manner will particularly affect the hips and knees. Two examples of cases where you find rigid limbs are spinal fractures in any breed and Wobbler’s syndrome in Dobermans.

When doing range of motion exercises, place the pet on its side and with the paw flat on your hand, move the leg up and down towards the hip. You may want to keep one hand on the knee of a larger pet or on the hip if a smaller pet. Then turn the pet over and repeat with the other leg. Although your pet may have no feeling in its legs, doing this daily will help ensure that if and when feeling does return, the joints will be flexible.