Initial Evaluations & Custom Therapy Plans
Integrative Pet Care veterinarians assess each new patient to create a customized plan for rehabilitative therapy that may include the following services. This evaluation process involves collaborating with referring veterinarians and the pet owners to ensure that optimum physical function is reached quickly and safely.
Veterinary Acupuncture
Acupuncture is quickly gaining notoriety in veterinary medicine as an alternative way to manage pain. Success has also been seen in reducing inflammation and treating arthritis, skin conditions, organ dysfunction, immune disorders and stress-related behavior. Integrative Pet Care veterinarians are certified in veterinary acupuncture and have significant experience in this modality.
Veterinary Chiropractic
By restoring alignment of spinal column, pelvic area and limbs through chiropractic adjustments, animals can experience a reduction in pain and inflammation and increased performance of joints and tissues. Certified in veterinary chiropractic, Integrative Pet Care founder Julie Mayer, DVM, has used chiropractic methods to successfully treat pets with a variety of sports injuries and conditions like stenosis, spondylosis and wobblers.
Swim & Hydro Therapy
Swimming offers an early and efficient start in rehabilitation for fast muscle redevelopment, reestablishing neuromuscular coordination, improved joint health and cardiovascular fitness. Muscle atrophy begins quickly in an immobilized pet so rebuilding muscle mass and strength safely, while in a buoyant state, is critical to a speedy recovery. Integrative Pet Care's hydrotherapy center features a resistance swimming pool – complete with massage jets – and underwater treadmills. All pets are fitted with life vests and an animal rehab specialist will work one on one with the patient at all times.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy can increase muscle and joint mobility and flexibility, improve circulation, enhance healing, reduce stress, and just like a human massage, it just feels good. Massage therapy really benefits injured and post-surgical pets. Integrative Pet Care animal rehab specialists sometimes combine massage with hot and cold therapy; heat improves muscle flexibility and circulation and cold alleviates pain and decreases inflammation and swelling.
Therapeutic Exercise
Land treadmills, physio balls, balance boards, therabands, trampolines and ramps are just a few items in Integrative Pet Care's therapeutic exercise cache to increase muscle strength and joint mobility and improve cardiovascular health in a controlled environment. Since each rehabilitation case is unique and every animal is unique, Integrative Pet Care animal rehab specialists work one on one with each pet to facilitate physical rehabilitation progress.
Low Level Laser (Cold) Therapy
For more than 20 years lasers have been used for a number of therapeutic purposes with humans. Recently the technology has been made available and proven effective for pets for pain management in relation to scar tissue, edema and wound healing with no reported adverse side effects. In some cases laser therapy can be used as a primary treatment. In others it should be used as an adjunct to therapeutic exercise and or hydrotherapy.
Ultrasound Therapy
Ultrasound therapy provides deep heating with sound waves. This can help decreases scar tissue formation, increase strength of new tissue and improves healing time and is often combined with other modalities to maximize the rehab experience.
Electrical Stimulation
Often used by professional athletes to recover from injury, electrical stimulation through strategically placed microcurrents can be used on pets for preventing muscle atrophy, increasing circulation, relieving muscle spasms and decreasing pain. |
