This week on the Good Dog Pod, Laura Reeves is accompanied by Dr. Chris Zink, DVM. Dr. Zink is a canine sports medicine and rehabilitation specialist. 

What is a sports medicine and rehabilitation specialist? A veterinary specialist is someone who has done a three year residency specializing in learning about a very specific field. At the end of that three year period, the specialist has to pass a very complicated examination that requires months of studying. There also are many people who have attended rehabilitation training. Rehabilitation training often requires hundreds of hours of classroom and laboratory time, and oftentimes requires an internship. If we are talking about people who have a certification in rehabilitation, there are four main groups that offer these certifications. 

Four main groups that offer the certification:

• Canine Rehabilitation Institute
• Healing Oasis 
• Integrative Veterinary Medical Institute 
• Northeast Seminars

A person who is certified in rehabilitation therapy might be a veterinarian, or they may be a physical therapist, in which case they aren’t trained to do the veterinary component, but rather the rehabilitation component. They may in fact be a veterinary nurse who isn’t trained to make diagnoses either. If you find yourself with a dog who may have an orthopedic injury, first you want to go to your general practitioner veterinarian. They are familiar with your dog and they know you. Should you need a referral, Dr. Zink recommends not to go to a certified rehabilitation professional but rather to an orthopedic surgeon or a sports medicine specialist. Remember: veterinarian first!

How would your dog be treated? Some examples include laser therapy, therapeutic ultrasound, shockwave therapy, massage or other kinds of manipulation. 

For more information on dog rehabilitation, check out this week’s episode!

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