Therapeutic Exercise

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. 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:

• - Underwater treadmill or land treadmill sessions
• - Laser therapy for pain and stiffness
• - Therapeutic massage for pain and stiffness
• - Heat or cryotherapy before and after exercise
• - Stretching and targeted muscle strengthening
• - Obstacle courses of various types to work on body awareness and paw-eye coordination
• - An at-home exercise program with videos and instructions specifically created for your pet