Hydrotherapy, also known as aquatic therapy, is a type of exercise or physical therapy involving water use to help improve the strength, flexibility, and endurance of animals. Hydrotherapy can be particularly beneficial for animals with injuries, mobility issues, or other physical conditions that make it difficult for them to engage in traditional forms of exercise. Hydrotherapy can be performed in a swimming pool or in an underwater treadmill. At Sound Animal Rehab &amp; Fitness, we use an underwater treadmill for hydrotherapy.&nbsp;Using the body’s natural buoyancy, the water allows us to decrease the amount of weight and stress on the joints that occurs while standing on the ground and helps our patients move more freely with less pain that full weight bearing may cause. We use different heights of water and varying speeds of the treadmill to fit the specific needs of each patient.&nbsp;The end result is an increase in strength, muscle tone, coordination and range of motion of the joints. <h3>What conditions can be treated with underwater treadmill therapy?</h3>-Pre-surgical strengthening and conditioning<ul><li>Strengthening your pets’ muscles and tendons before an orthopedic surgery will promote a faster and stronger recovery after surgery and can reduce the amount of time to return to normal function.</li><li> </li></ul>-Post-Surgical recovery<ul><li>Often after surgery, there is increased pain and your pet may be hesitant to use the limb(s) affected.&nbsp;Dogs will often use a limb in the water that they would not use on the ground because the body’s buoyancy in water decreases the amount of weight bearing on the limbs, which decreases the pain when the limb is used. The hydrostatic pressure and the warmth of the water on the joints can also reduce swelling, reducing pain and increasing range of motion.</li><li> </li></ul>-Neurologic conditions<ul><li>Whether your dog is recovery from back or neck injury/surgery or other neurologic conditions, the most common problem we see is weakness in the limbs due to nerve injury.&nbsp;This weakness causes the dog to have difficultly supporting their full weight or causes incoordination of the limbs, which can affect their ability to walk.&nbsp;We use the water to reduce that weight bearing and to improve body awareness (i.e. where the limbs are in reference to the body).&nbsp;Many (not all) neurologic dogs that appear unable to use their legs will readily use their legs while in the water.</li><li> </li></ul>-Age related arthritis<ul><li>The water in the underwater treadmill reduces the stress and weight on the joints which allows an older, more arthritic dog to move more easily.&nbsp;The hydrostatic pressure and the warmth of the water on the joints can also reduce swelling, reducing pain and increasing range of motion.</li><li> </li></ul>-Non-surgical soft tissue injuries<ul><li>Sometimes a non-specific or non-surgical soft tissue injury can cause a lameness that results in the dog not using the leg.&nbsp;This can result in muscle atrophy which can predispose your dog to further injury. Often times, these dogs will use the leg in the water, but not on land.&nbsp;We can use the water to strengthen that leg and recondition the dog to use the leg.</li><li> </li></ul>-Physical conditioning<ul><li>Whether your dog is an athlete, a working dog, a geriatric, has cardiac disease or is a little overweight, underwater treadmill therapy is a great way to keep them strong and fit. A workout in the treadmill has excellent cardiovascular benefits and your dogs therapy is always under the supervision of a veterinarian that is certified in canine rehabilitation.</li></ul> <h3>How long should my pet received underwater treadmill therapy?</h3>Our team at Sound will be assessing your pet at every visit to determine how they are responding to treatment and determine how long therapy is needed.&nbsp;Some patients graduate from therapy when they improve or have achieved complete recovery. Other patients with more chronic issues, like our older arthritic patients, may need to be in therapy on a long term basis.&nbsp;

Hydrotherapy

Therapeutic exercise is physical rehabilitation (therapy) specifically designed to help your pet improve its mobility, strength, and overall physical function following an orthopedic, soft tissue, or neurologic injury or surgery. Therapeutic exercise is the same service as you would receive if your doctor referred you to a physical therapist following surgery or injury. A veterinarian-certified canine rehabilitation practitioner is the equivalent of a physical therapist in human medicine but has the additional benefit of being a doctor. In veterinary medicine, physical therapy should be performed by a trained professional, such as a veterinarian that specializes in sports medicine or a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner. It may be used to address a variety of physical issues in your pet, including injuries, surgeries, chronic conditions, and age-related declines in mobility. Therapeutic exercise can also be an alternative option for our patients that are not good candidates for surgery. At Sound, we see many patients who can’t undergo a surgical procedure, or the pet parent(s) have decided to try physical therapy instead.&nbsp;Sometimes these cases can be the most rewarding! At Sound, we will create an exercise program specifically designed for your pet and the overall goal for your pet, which will include a combination of: <ul><li>- Underwater treadmill or land treadmill sessions</li><li>- Laser therapy for pain and stiffness</li><li>- Therapeutic massage for pain and stiffness</li><li>- Heat or cryotherapy before and after exercise</li><li>- Stretching and targeted muscle strengthening</li><li>- Obstacle courses of various types to work on body awareness and paw-eye coordination</li><li>- An at-home exercise program with videos and instructions specifically created for your pet</li></ul>

Therapeutic Exercise

Therapeutic massage can be beneficial for your pet in a variety of ways. It can help to reduce muscle tension, improve circulation, decrease pain and increase flexibility and range of motion. It can also help to reduce stress and anxiety in pets and may help to improve their overall sense of well-being.&nbsp;Dr. McKnight often incorporates heat or laser therapy into her massage protocol depending on the patients needs.&nbsp;Pet therapeutic massage is typically safe and well-tolerated by most pets. However, it is important to work with a trained professional knowledgeable about each pet's specific needs and limitations.

Therapeutic Massage

Laser therapy, also known as photobiomodulation therapy (PMB), is a non-invasive treatment that uses red to near-infrared light to stimulate the healing of tissues in animals. Photobiomodulation therapy occurs when a dose of light energy reaches the target tissue and results in decreased inflammation, decreased pain, and accelerated healing. Sound Animal Rehab &amp; Fitness utilizes a Class IV medical laser that reaches deep into the target tissues.&nbsp;Several different types of lasers are used in veterinary medicine; however, all lasers are not created equal.&nbsp;Our Companion Animal CTX-IQ Class VI laser uses state-of-the-art precision and precise dosing. Current research has shown that laser therapy contributes to muscle regeneration, wound healing, joint healing, and acute and chronic pain control.Laser therapy is often used to treat a variety of conditions in pets, including:&nbsp;<ul><li>- Pain: Laser therapy can help reduce pain and inflammation in animals with conditions such as arthritis, degenerative joint disease, and chronic pain.</li><li> </li><li>- Neurological conditions: Laser therapy may be helpful in the treatment of certain neurological conditions in animals, such as degenerative myelopathy (a spinal cord disease), intervertebral disc disease, and vestibular disease (a disorder of the inner ear).</li><li> </li><li>- Wounds: Laser therapy can help stimulate the healing of wounds, including surgical incisions, cuts, and abrasions. It may also help reduce scarring and improve the overall appearance of the wound.&nbsp;</li><li> </li><li>- Inflammatory conditions: Laser therapy can help reduce inflammation in animals with conditions such as dermatitis, otitis (ear inflammation), and gingivitis (gum inflammation).&nbsp;</li></ul>

Laser Therapy

Fitness programs are structured exercise and training programs designed to improve your pets’ physical condition, health, and performance. Our fitness and exercise programs are tailored to each patient’s needs and abilities. Keeping your dog fit and moving well enhances their physical and mental well-being and improves their performance in various activities or sports. At Sound, we will create an exercise program specifically designed for your pet that will include a combination of an underwater treadmill or land treadmill sessions, stretches, obstacle courses, and land exercises that are aimed at strengthening their muscles and improving their overall range of motion. At Sound, we will create an exercise program specifically designed for your pet and the overall goal for your pet, which will include a combination of:<ul><li>- Underwater treadmill or land treadmill sessions</li><li>- Laser therapy for pain and stiffness</li><li>- Therapeutic massage for pain and stiffness</li><li>- Heat or cryotherapy before and after exercise</li><li>- Stretching and targeted muscle strengthening</li><li>- Obstacle courses of various types to work on body awareness and paw-eye coordination</li><li>- An at-home exercise program with videos and instructions specifically created for your pet</li></ul>

Fitness Exercise Program

Pain management is the practice of identifying and treating pain in animals. Pain can be caused by various factors, including injury, surgery, illness, or chronic conditions, and can significantly impact an animal's quality of life. Pain management typically involves a combination of approaches, including both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies. Some standard pharmacologic treatments for pet pain management include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids, and local anesthetics. Non-pharmacologic therapies may include physical therapy, laser therapy, and other modalities. Pain management aims to reduce or eliminate pain and improve the pet's overall quality of life. To achieve this, it is essential to accurately assess and diagnose the pain's cause and develop a treatment plan tailored to the pet's needs.

Pain Management

Wheelchair/Cart Consulting, Measurement, Prescription, Ordering, and FittingAfter your pet's initial evaluation appointment with Dr. McKnight, it may be determined that it would benefit from a wheelchair. At that time, you will be provided information on the most commonly used wheelchair companies so that you can research each brand and determine which company is the best fit for you economically. After you have decided on the product you like, you will bring your pet so that Dr. McKnight can measure them for their wheelchair. There are multiple precise measurements (and sometimes photos) that need to be attained, depending on the wheelchair brand you choose to purchase, that we submit via a prescription to the company to build your pet’s chair.&nbsp;Depending on the brand and the level of customization, wheelchairs are usually shipped and in the clinic within 7-14 days.&nbsp;Custom wheelchairs may take longer to fit.

Wheelchair / Cart Fitting

Our wheelchair/cart work sessions are therapy sessions in which a pet that uses a wheelchair/cart receives therapeutic exercise while in the wheelchair/cart or for training to walk and maneuver in the cart properly. This session involves various activities and exercises designed to improve the pet's mobility, strength, and overall well-being. During a pet wheelchair therapy session, the therapist may work with the pet to improve mobility skills such as turning, stopping, and starting, and may also use various techniques to help the pet build strength and endurance. The therapist may also work with the pet's owner to teach them how to care for and use the wheelchair/cart properly and may provide recommendations for exercises and activities that can be done at home to support the pet's therapy. Wheelchairs can be essential in rehabilitating a pet with severe mobility issues.&nbsp;We often use wheelchairs temporarily as “training wheels” to help support a pet’s weight while they are recovering from an injury or surgery.&nbsp;Most pets are disabled and require a wheelchair/cart to walk, live full, happy, and active lives, and enjoy the freedom of mobility that the wheelchair/cart provides them.&nbsp;Our team at Sound is here to help you navigate that change and challenge in their (and your) lives so that the entire family can live their best lives!

Wheelchair / Cart Work Sessions

When your pet has a painful limb, it will almost certainly shift its weight abnormally to a limb(s) that does not hurt when weight-bearing.&nbsp;This is called “offloading” a limb and can result in compensatory injuries due to over-compensation. During your pet’s first initial evaluation and at each subsequent recheck evaluation, our team will place your pet on the Companion Animal Stance Analyzer.&nbsp;This cutting-edge technology uses multiple objective measurements of weight, the center of gravity, and the shifting of your pet’s weight to determine if there is abnormal weight distribution on the limbs.&nbsp;This analysis can help our team detect a subtle lameness (if there is no overt lameness that can be visualized during the exam of your pet's gait) and can help guide our diagnostic testing and treatment plan for your pet. The Stance Analyzer can also help us detect any early signs of pain/lameness in our patients.&nbsp;We use the Stance Analyzer at every recheck exam to compare the results to the initial evaluation of your pet to track improvement or worsening of normal weight bearing.

Stance Analysis

Our philosophy at Sound Animal Rehab &amp; Fitness is that age is just a number, and there are many things we can do to keep our silver-pawed family members fit, active, and living their best life! Geriatric fitness and mobility training is an exercise program designed specifically for your pet to help them maintain or improve their overall physical condition and mobility as they age. Our goal is to maintain or improve the range of motion of arthritic joints, maintain and improve muscle strength, manage acute or chronic pain and provide mental stimulation to keep their minds alert. This program can benefit pets experiencing age-related declines in mobility or fitness or pets with health conditions that impact their mobility, like chronic orthopedic or neurologic conditions, endocrine disease, or heart disease.&nbsp; At Sound, we will create an exercise program specifically designed for your senior pet that will include a combination of the following:<ul><li>- Underwater treadmill or land treadmill sessions</li><li>- Laser therapy for pain and stiffness</li><li>- Therapeutic massage for pain and stiffness</li><li>- Heat or cryotherapy before and after exercise</li><li>- Stretching and targeted muscle strengthening</li><li>- Obstacle courses of various types to work on body awareness and paw-eye coordination</li><li>- Senior mental and sensory enrichment activities to stimulate and help keep them sharp and alert</li><li>- An at-home exercise program with videos and instructions specifically created for your pet</li></ul> &nbsp;Dr. McKnight is passionate about our geriatric pets and finds it rewarding to help you keep your sassy silvers living their best lives!

Geriatric Fitness and Mobility

Our team will measure and fit your pet with a standard or custom support brace or orthotic. We will be taking accurate measurements and other data about your pet’s body and limbs to determine exactly what device will best suit your pets’ needs. Orthotic devices and braces can be custom-made devices, used to support, align, or stabilize various parts of your pet’s body. They are often used to help pets with injuries, disabilities, or conditions that affect their mobility or function. Once the evaluation is complete, the information collected will be used to determine, prescribe and order the device that fits your pets’ specific needs and abilities. Once the device is received, it will be fitted to your pet and adjusted to ensure a proper fit and optimal function. Proper measuring is essential in fitting your pet with support devices, as it helps ensure that the devices are designed and fitted correctly to meet the needs of the pet and help them achieve the best possible outcomes.

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