Animal Physiotherapy (VetPhysioLife)

In this episode we catch up on some of the cases Kim has seen since Episode 15. We discuss a young German shepherd dog with hip dysplasia, an elderly Labrador retriever recovering after a slip, and why joints click!

Kim mentions Previcox (firocoxib) in this episode; this is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain killer. It is only available with veterinary prescription and should only be used under veterinary guidance.

Get in touch with us: email [email protected] or via the contact form on the website.

Yesterday Kim saw an older Golden retriever who is being treated for a partial tear of one of her cruciate ligaments (main ligament in the knee). During our discussion Kim spends some time talking about the importance of trying to maintain general fitness in dogs with injuries and those being rested after surgery.

We also discuss why cruciate ligament injury is so common in dogs. And Kim gives us an update on the Labradoodle who was hit by a car and spent two months in a rehabilitation centre. We previously discussed this dog in Episode 9.

Please get in touch: email [email protected] or use the contact form on the website.

In Episode 13 we heard about the canine chiropractic course that Kim went on last weekend. In this episode Kim tells us about some early positive results with using what she learned. This includes a Greyhound who fell asleep after an adjustment, not something she normally does during her physio sessions!

Kim also goes into some detail about muscle tone and the relationship between muscles and joints. Please get in touch if you have any questions about this. Email [email protected] or via the website.

Kim attended a canine chiropractic course this weekend. She really enjoyed it and found it very interesting. In this episode we find out more about the course and why Kim was so impressed.

• Why some little dogs may be more likely to get back (spinal disc) problems than others.
• How barking can be a breathing exercise in dogs
• The burden of arthritis
• How chiropractic and physiotherapy differ; Kim is going on a canine chiropractic course this weekend.

"You get really big wedges and lots of pillows and you build stuff"!

In this episode we discuss one of Kim's favourite subjects – the use of physiotherapy in patients with breathing or heart problems.

Kim also fills us in on her background in human healthcare. You can read more about this here.

There are a number of medical words mentioned. Here are most of them – please feel free to ask if you don't understand any of it!

• Respiratory: refers to the breathing system
• Cardiac = heart
• Pulmonary = lung
• Pneumonia = inflammation of the lungs, typically due to infection
• COPD = Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. A group of long-term lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties.
• Bronchitis = inflammation of some of the airways
• Trachea = windpipe
• Megaoesophagus: the oesophagus ('food tube') is the tube that leads from the back of the mouth to the stomach. Food passes down the oesophagus after being swallowed. Megaoesophagus refers to an abnormal big distended oesophagus.

• Haemothorax: this is blood in the chest cavity that should not be there. Among other problems, it can stop the lungs from expanding.
• Femoral head and neck excision: the hip joint is like a 'ball in a socket'. In this operation the 'ball' (the top of the thigh bone) is removed.
• FCE: this is a fibrocartilaginous embolism. There is a blockage of the blood supply to part of the spinal cord. The result is loss of function of that part of the spinal cord. It is a problem from which dogs can recover.

In this episode we catch up on Kim's cases from the last couple of days. She describes how she is fitting Yala (deerhound) with a bespoke boot. Yala had a front toe amputated some years ago and has developed arthritis in that foot. The shoe is designed to take some stress off and to help him be more comfortable.

Kim also mentions syringomyelia when talking about one of her Pug patients. You can find out more about this condition here. And read our blog post on intervertebral disc disease in reference to one of her Dachshund patients.