VetRehab

17/11/2025

You’d be barking mad not to!

There are LOADS of supplements for dogs on the market. Some are good, some are not so good. It can be really hard to know which ones are the best.

One way you can save money is to read the ingredients list on your dog’s supplements. Some products will add vitamins and minerals, and sell these as being great for your dog’s energy, vitality etc.

Well, vits and mins ARE necessary – but they’re most likely already in your dog’s diet. Check the label of their food and see what you’re inadvertently doubling up on. If your dog’s food meets AAFCO standards (it’ll be written somewhere on the bag) they’ll be getting the vitamins and minerals they need already. You don’t usually need to add more, and in some cases too much is bad for them.

When dogs need support for their joints, I look for products that have only the ingredients in them that my dogs actually need. Omega fatty acids (from fish or green-lipped mussels) have the best research behind them at the moment.

Have a go at reading the fine print. Let me know what you find out!

13/11/2025

I lost my last dog, Polly, when she was 13. She was my bestest good girl.

In the last few years of her life, she used to get shaky legs. At first I thought she had some trigger points – like little knots in her muscles. But then I realized it was actually a sign of joint pain.

I mostly used acupuncture and supplements to help her. That was ok – she went from walking slowly along behind me to trotting out in front again when we went walking.

But when I look back now, I wish I’d known more then. There were lots of other things I could have done, and things I’d have done differently right from when she was young. There’s a very good reason I don’t recommend ball chasing for dogs!

I think every animal we care for teaches us, and we become better, wiser guardians each time. We look more carefully, know the more subtle signs, and start acting sooner.

Plus, scientific knowledge improves, and things evolve. That’s as true in vet med as it is in human healthcare. All vets have to do ongoing education, and I do mine in rehab topics every year.

If you think your dog should get to take advantage of all the things I know now (years of study and experience later!) send me a message and we’ll get started.

10/11/2025

We’ve all grown up knowing that we yawn when we’re tired or bored.

Did you know that yawning in dogs can also be a sign of stress? They might be anxious, worried or uncomfortable, and they might also be in pain.

If I want to understand what it means when my dogs yawn, I have to think about the situation. When they’re at home and it’s around their normal nap time (yep, that’s a lot of the time!), I know they’re probably just tired. If we’ve gone somewhere new and there’s something they might not like, it tells me they might be upset. If they’re chilled at home and it’s not nap time but there’s yawning, I’d be wondering why.

What was your dog doing last time you saw them yawning?

06/11/2025

Love treating sheepies! We'd rather not have sore backs and wonky pelvises. They were very good girls!

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06/11/2025

03/11/2025

Here’s an easy way to check your dog’s joints.

One of the things I do when examining a dog is to bend and straighten every joint. There are several things I’m looking for when I do it, and I’ve developed a very good sense of feel over the years. But one thing you can try doing at home is gently bending each of your dog’s legs up, snug against their body.

You should be able to bend most of the joints all in one go – wrist, elbow and shoulder for each of the front legs, and hock, knee and hip in each of the back legs. It’s easiest to try it when they’re lying on their side (probably asleep!).

If your dog won’t let you do this, it might be because it squeezes a sore joint that’s uncomfortable. Can you get their leg completely bent up gently against their body without them resisting or showing any signs of discomfort?

Don’t try and force it – if they don’t like it, they could use a vet check.

How did it go? Post a video or comment if you’re not sure and I’ll help you out.

30/10/2025

Is your best buddy starting to get a bit wobbly?

As we get older, our body systems don’t work as well as they used to. (Ask me how my knees feel when I get up off the floor these days!).

One thing that often happens in our older dogs is that their nervous system doesn’t function as well. This usually affects the nerves in their hind legs first. They can look a bit wobbly, especially when turning a tight corner or walking on slippery floors. They can also drag their toes or knuckle a foot over.

What can we do about it?

While we can’t always get the affected nerves to start working perfectly again, we CAN do a few other things:

1. Stimulate the nerves to help keep the rest of the nervous system functioning as best we can, and slow further deterioration.

2. Do gentle, appropriate exercises to promote strength and balance.

3. Help the rest of the body to cope with the compensations of wobbliness (they usually get pretty tight in the front end).

If your dog is getting the wobbles, or is tripping over their toes, give me a shout so we can help them.

27/10/2025

Here are three reasons why I take my arthritic dog for a short walk every day instead of one big weekend warrior workout.

1. Pain and inflammation go DOWN with gentle activity.

2. A wee bit of exercise creates healthier joints and keeps muscles stronger.

3. Keeping up his muscle strength will help him to get into the car when we go out.

And there's a bonus, he thinks I’m the bestest hooman on the planet every time I take him out!

Who else rearranges their life around their dog?

23/10/2025

If your dog could book their own appointment, where would they choose to go?

Easy - they’d come to rehab!

I have it on good authority that this is what dogs think of rehab:

It’s fun - dogs that love attention get loads of it. They get excited turning down my road on the way here.

It’s tasty - dogs that love treats get to choose the yummiest ones.

It’s relaxing - does your dog like to channel day spa? Rehab visits are the ones for them.

It’s relieving - those tight, achy joints and muscles are soothed and softened at rehab.

It’s reassuring - rehab is much less scary than your average vet visit. We have more time to chill, and keep the stress levels low.

If that sounds like the choice your dog would make, book them in with me!

20/10/2025

Mythbuster!

"The vet said the xrays are fine, so my dog isn’t in pain."

I've heard a few people say that.

Xrays are a useful tool. They mostly show bony changes and help us look for things like fractures, dislocations, bone spurs, arthritis and cancers, to name just a few.

They’re not the best at showing problems in tissues like cartilage, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

So, you could have a dog with pretty good xrays, who still has pain from other tissues in their body.

But wait, there’s more! We know that what we see on an xray DOESN’T equal the pain your dog is in, even if there ARE bony changes.

So, one dog could have a teeny tiny bone spur that’s giving him gyp, while another could have lots of wear and tear but not seem at all bothered by it. That’s true for people and other animals, too.

We treat the animal, not the xray – but the xray is an important tool to help us understand what’s going on, and to rule out nasties.

Have you heard of anything else that you think might be a myth?

16/10/2025

You know how they say it takes a village to raise a child?

There are times when we also need a village to care for our dog’s health.

Your general practice (GP) vet is usually your first port of call. They’ll do your annual health checks and vaccinations, dental care, and see you through most illnesses and accidents.

If something a bit more serious or tricky has happened, you might need to see a specialist. In the vet world we can only be called specialists if we have quite specific extra qualifications. They’re pretty hard-earned, and we all worship the specialists!

In between your GP vet and specialists are vets like me. We’re vets who have a particular interest in our chosen aspect of veterinary medicine, and have done extra study in that area. Some of us don’t do GP practice any more, but only see pets who need the kind of help we’re focused on. That’s me, in my VetRehab practice.

I’ve been rehabbing animals for about 18 years, and have qualifications that range from animal chiropractic and osteopathy, to veterinary acupuncture and canine rehabilitation. On top of my vet degree, that gives me a very comprehensive knowledge base and skillset that I can use to help your dog.

So which pets do I see? Mostly ones who need help with muscle, bone, joint, spine and nerve issues. If you had the same issues as your dog (or cat, or rabbit, or horse, or sheep, or any pet!), would you have gone to a physio, osteopath or chiropractor? If that’s a yes, then bringing your dog to see me would be a great idea!

Your dog’s best healthcare village is a team of people who’ll work together to help and support your dog to have the best life they can have. If you’d like to add me to your team, just send me a message and we’ll make it happen.

13/10/2025

Just gimme the pills (said not many dogs, ever!)

Pain medications are a really important part of managing arthritis and other conditions that older dogs get. But they’re not the only option, and ideally they’re part of a broader management plan.

Here’s 5 reasons why pain meds are ideally used WITH other rehab options:

1. All medications have potential side effects. Some dogs are more affected than others.

2. Our bodies have to break down medications, often in our liver or kidneys, and we might not want to give them extra work to do if those organs are already compromised – common in older animals.

3. Pain meds make our dogs feel better, but don’t make the body heal. They can help with inflammation, but cutting down the pain doesn’t mean that the problem CAUSING the pain has been fixed.

4. Adding in rehab options like physical therapies, targeted exercises, weight/nutrition/supplement management, and things like laser or acupuncture, can allow us to keep pain meds for when they’re really needed.

5. Rehab supports the body to stay stronger, have better balance, and can reduce pain, too!

What things are you already doing to help your dog?