Recharge Veterinary Physiotherapy

Recharge Veterinary Physiotherapy Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Recharge Veterinary Physiotherapy, Physical therapist, Braintree.
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Lana Charge
MVetPhys, CCBW, Cat Friendly Professional
Essex📍
RAMP accredited✅
Specialising in small animal post operative /injury rehabilitation🐕🐈‍⬛
Meeting both physical and mental needs for happy pets❀
Veterinary experienceđŸ©șđŸ¶
Lecturer at ARUđŸ‘©â€đŸŽ“ Accredited by the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP) and the Register of Musculoskeletal Animal Practitioners (RAMP), assuring the highest standards of physiotherapy.

Give paw - often one of the first things we teach our dogs when we train them. It’s cute, and they love doing it! But ha...
14/11/2025

Give paw - often one of the first things we teach our dogs when we train them. It’s cute, and they love doing it!

But have you ever considered the biomechanics behind this simple action? Giving paw requires your dog to recruit a number of muscles around the forelimb as well as their trunk and hindlimb stabilisers to prevent them falling over if they are standing.

In the diagram you can see several muscle groups working together to lift the leg up and forwards through the joints, ending the movement by resting the paw in your hand. It’s easy to forget how much is going on beneath the surface!

Give paw - cute party trick, but also complex movement requiring coordination, balance and muscle control!

Interested to learn more? Join our fun functional fitness class starting on Sunday 23rd November: https://www.k9kare.co.uk/make-a-booking

Thank you Lauren for this lovely review! I have had the pleasure of treating Lauren’s animals (including her horses, dog...
12/11/2025

Thank you Lauren for this lovely review!

I have had the pleasure of treating Lauren’s animals (including her horses, dogs and cats) for 5 years now. From ensuring Bobby gets a clear round showjumping to helping Kyra maintain her hindlimb strength following her diagnosis of hip dysplasia, it is fantastic to work with such brilliant owners and their lovely pets.

See you soon Lauren!đŸŸ

10/11/2025

ANSWER VIDEO! Which of the girls has hip dysplasia? Find out if you were right and what gives it away!

If you want to learn more about anatomy and movement, including keeping your dog strong for all your adventures together check out our Functional Fitness Classes starting soon on 23rd November at 11am.

https://www.k9kare.co.uk/make-a-booking

09/11/2025

Shaping can take many forms in the canine world, but what we mean here is seeing what behaviour your dog offers and shaping that into the behaviour we desire from them. This can give you a super interesting insight into how their brain works too!

Choose an item they don’t often interact with, I’ve chosen an empty candle upside down. Holly instinctively puts her paw on top of it, if I want that behaviour, I can reward. If I want something else eg. for her to push it with her nose, I wait, and offer no reward, until she nudges it with her nose instead of her foot.

This is about your dog taking the time to figure out what you’d like from them, and how they can get that reward and praise from you!

This concludes our series of activities for your exercise restricted dog - that aren’t food games - how many have you tried, and how did you get on? Do share with us in the comments or send us a DM, we love hearing from you!

08/11/2025

Train your dog to tidy up their toys! This is not only very helpful for you but most dogs really enjoy having a task to do.

Have a large basket ready and one of your dog’s favourite toys. Using your target training from earlier this week, pop the target into the basket and reward. Encourage them to pick up their toy (you may need to engage in some play), and move that towards the target within the basket. This does take some practice and dogs who enjoy holding things will pick this up more quickly. Once the toy goes into the basket, reward enthusiastically so they know that is exactly what you want! Be patient and try different toys, as some are heavier and less comfortable to hold.

Once they have it, add as many toys as you like!

07/11/2025

Scentwork is great for all dogs but particularly those who love to use their nose, like labradors and spaniels. You can use any scent for this, a simple scent to use is perfume on a test strip.

Start with the scent in your hand and ask them to find it, when they touch with their nose or sniff it, reward. Progress onto an obvious hiding place, eg. on an exposed shelf or coffee table before going on to hide it in more tricky places. Your dog will indicate that the scent is there but this is often very subtle so keep your eyes peeled! They may pause, tap with their nose/foot or wag even faster!

06/11/2025

Teaching this handy behaviour prepares your dog for confidently placing their nose in a muzzle if they need to, and is great fun. Again, they only need to move their head and neck so this is perfect for those on crate rest.

Take a large pot like a plant pot and pop a treat in the bottom. When they go to eat it, reward them with your reward cue (say ‘yes’ or ‘good’, or use a clicker). Quickly, you will find you no longer need to put a treat in the pot and they will put their nose in to get rewarded. Add a cue, I use ‘nose’. Change up the pot and location for variety, I can use a mug on the floor with Holly!

05/11/2025

Next to try - hide and seek! Ask your dog to wait or pop them in an adjacent room while you hide one of their favourite toys. Release them and ask them to find it. Start with easier hiding spots, and progress onto more difficult ones eg. wrap in a blanket they have to unravel.

This is also a great rainy day activity - lots of fun and gentle movement as they use their nose to search.

04/11/2025

First up - target training!🎯

Target training is fantastic as you can train this even if your dog is on crate rest - they only need to move their nose!

Hold your hand out and wait for them to boop it with their nose, then reward using their breakfast kibble or just praise. Add a cue like ‘touch’. You can hold a treat or toy in between your fingers to encourage them if needed. Once they have got it, add duration by not rewarding straight away. To progress, you can change from your hand to a target (I am using a flat lid here) or a post it note and ask them to target it when it is stuck to a door, for example, closing the door!

Videos filmed at home (in slippers!) using everyday objects to demonstrate you really don’t need fancy equipment or toys to keep your dog’s brain engagedđŸ’đŸŒâ€â™€ïž

Things to do with your dog who is on restricted exercise - that aren’t food games!As physiotherapists we see a lot of do...
03/11/2025

Things to do with your dog who is on restricted exercise - that aren’t food games!

As physiotherapists we see a lot of dogs who are on a period of rest and recovery, or are in their senior years and unable to exercise as much as they used to. Now lots of these dogs are also on restricted food due to their restricted exercise, which can make keeping their brains stimulated tricky.

So, each day this week we will be posting a new activity to try with your exercise restricted dog, that doesn’t involve food! Do let us know if you give them a go and how you got on, we love to hear from our communityđŸŸ

It was our beautiful girlie Charlie’s time to pass over the rainbow bridge last week🌈 It never gets any easier losing a ...
03/11/2025

It was our beautiful girlie Charlie’s time to pass over the rainbow bridge last week🌈 It never gets any easier losing a pet we have got to know, little Charlie was an absolute sass queen and had lots of opinions she liked to let everyone know about! She was a real trooper and managed her cruciate rupture conservatively for over a year thanks to her dedicated owners. I will truly miss seeing this beautiful girl for her physiotherapy sessions but am grateful for the time I got to spend with her and her family💛

31/10/2025

It’s spooky season!đŸ‘»đŸŽƒ

But there are some things that scare me more than ghosts and ghouls


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Braintree

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+447511806412

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