The Importance of Pain Assessment in Rehabilitation Patients
A look at the causes and effects of pain, and how to assess your patients before beginning rehab. Veterinary physical rehabilitation is most effective when a multimodal approach is used. Arguably, the most important aspect of multimodal management for these patients is proper pain control. Rehabilitation will be counterproductive if the patient’s pain is not identified and managed appropriately.1 Localizing, assessing, and managing pain are imperative to improve patient comfort...
The Value of Integrative Veterinary Medicine
As most veterinary professionals know, the health of a patient is more than the sum of its various parts and systems. Besides absence of illness or injury, a pet’s well-being encompasses lifestyle, nutrition, behavior and exercise. Nobody understands this like veterinarians who take an integrative approach to patient care. Treatments and services such as acupuncture, phototherapy, nutraceuticals and rehabilitation are becoming less “alternative” and more mainstream all the time, especially...
WHY CANINE REHABILITATION?
An active, pain-free dog is a healthy and happy dog. If physical limitations or movement disorders, due to acute conditions (such as surgery or injury) or chronic conditions (such as diseases, age-related conditions or obesity), hinder your dog’s ability to move without pain, discomfort or physical distress, rehabilitation therapy can help. Common Conditions That Respond Well to Canine Rehabilitation Therapy Rehabilitation therapy can be used to address a variety of...
Electrostimulation Helps Increase Muscle & Decrease Pain
WHAT IS ELECTROSTIMULATION FOR PETS? Electrostimulation is using an electrical impulse to a nerve within a muscle to help decrease pain, increase muscle strength, or both. Hang on a minute…..I’m picturing Frankenstein stuff….. When delivered appropriately and with proper training, electrostimulation should be ONLY a positive experience, particularly in our pets who can’t understand why we would do something painful even if it was helpful. Stimulation devices all have multiple...
VITAL VOICE: Virtual consults give you another way to help your pet without leaving home
Introducing VITAL VOICE, Vital Vet's new video series featuring interviews with leaders and experts in the field of pet rehabilitation.
Virtual Consults for Pets - Rehab, Conditioning, and Mobility Issues
Many of you are becoming familiar with telemedicine so that you can connect with your veterinarian for a virtual appointment. A Vital Vet Pet Video Consultation is different - it's a totally new concept in virtual consultation. Here's how: You do not have to be a client of the Vital Vet Pet Consultants Our Pet consultants are the best of the best - some names you might even recognize since they helped develop the certification...
Mobility Matters: Nutritional Management of Canine Joint Disease
The disruption of normal joint mechanics may lead to or result from injury to the various components of a joint. Frequently, this injury results in osteoarthritis (OA),1which often leads to physical incapacity, pain and reduced quality of life for the affected pet. OA is the most common form of arthritis and is recognized in humans and in all veterinary species. It is often a slowly progressive condition characterized by two...
Trigger Point Therapy: Keeping Dogs Active and Pain Free
My first experience with trigger point therapy was when I was a cross country athlete in college. I was into heavy training, lack of rest, and the desire to push my body to the limits to qualify for nationals. One day, as I was running down a hill during a training run, I heard a pop and felt a burn up the back of my leg like I'd never felt...