Prior to modern medical advances, canine and equine pets and athletes did not have many options when injuries occurred. Sadly, euthanasia was a common option if injuries were serious and impaired movement. In this day and age, animal owners do not need to worry. By using knowledge of human physical therapy, professionals have been able to utilize these successful forms of rehabilitation and apply them to the animal field. Some of these new advances such as cryotherapy, electrical stimulation, and hydrotherapy, have shown significant improvement in the recovery and healing process in dogs and horses.
The first mode of rehabilitation is cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is defined as the use of very cold temperatures to assist the healing process of a given injury. This is generally applied after an injury has occurred. Professionals in the field claim they are used “to reduce blood flow, inflammation, swelling, and pain.” (Millis & Ciuperca) Cryotherapy can be as simple as applying an ice pack to the location of injury and as complex and innovative as a full body cryotherapy machine. The temperatures associated with cryotherapy machines can be as low as -110 C and the time in the chamber can range anywhere from 10-30 minutes. The muscle recovery time post-therapy, which is the amount of time the muscles need to return to normal body temperature, will vary depending on the time the therapy is carried out. A long list of injuries is said to benefit from this route of physical therapy. From a fractured bone to torn muscles and ligaments, cryotherapy has shown to provide decreased healing time as well as pain relief that is of upmost importance in physical therapy of both canine, equine, and even humans.
Another form of rehabilitation in canine and equine is electrical stimulation. The use of this therapy involves the tetanic stimulation of nerves. To explain this in a simpler manner, it is using an electric impulse to stimulate nerves to contract at very intense rates. When you bring your dog or horse in to do this therapy, the professionals will apply several electrodes, or pads, that will emit the electric impulse on various locations on and around the injured area. This form of rehabilitation is centered mostly around muscle injuries and are used for, “…increasing muscle strength, muscle reeducation, increasing range of motion, pain control, accelerating wound healing, edema reduction, muscle spasm reduction, and enhancing transdermal administration of medication (iontophoresis).” (Millis & Ciuperca) Others, such as bone fractures, tend to not benefit by this therapy and have been very minimally studied.
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The last form of animal rehabilitation to be covered is hydrotherapy. There are other names for this type of rehabilitation such as aqua therapy and water therapy which are interchangeable and important to recognize. Hydrotherapy is beginning to be more common in dogs, but a development of use on horses has yet to be implemented due to their size. The overall goal is to use the concept of decreased gravity in water to, “optimize healing and facilitate the restoration of land-based function and movement.” (Houlding) This type of physical rehabilitation is carried out using warm water pools, underwater treadmills, and a specialized program on a dog-to-dog basis. Programs can involve walking on the treadmill, swimming in pools, and specialized movements of injured limbs that would otherwise be difficult and painful on land. Hydrotherapy can target and benefit many injuries and parts of the body but is most commonly used in patients dealing with osteoarthritis and obesity.
When it comes to qualifications to be in the field of canine and equine rehabilitation, not much has been officially implemented. This is because many of these therapies are quite new to the animal field and have yet to develop official protocols. Obtaining a DVM is recommended in all these therapies, but not necessary. In a study done in the United Kingdom on canine hydrotherapy, only 38 of the 89 facilities had staff with degrees in veterinary science, veterinary nursing or physiotherapy. One successful hydrotherapy center is Five Elements Veterinary Alternatives in Omaha, NE. Two of their employees are Dr. Jennifer Hebel and Dr. Grant Hebel. They are both DVM’s and have studied Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medication. In addition to this, Dr. Jennifer Hebel is also certified in canine rehabilitation and has 15 years of experience training and treating working dogs. Through this information it is easy to see that intense training is beneficial to be successful at this job. In contrast, some certificates are available for completion as well as on-the-job training at some facilities.
