Physical Therapy has been provided to human patients
for over 80 years to successfully aid them in alleviating pain,
recovering from injury/surgery, and restoring function to allow return
to the activities of their lives. Recently, these services have begun
to be provided to animals to accomplish the same goals. To match the
complexity of surgical and medical interventions provided in Veterinary
medicine, GCARF provides treatments in our state-of-the-art facility to
assist pets in maximizing their recovery in a time-efficient manner.
Your veterinarian will help you determine if
rehabilitation is an appropriate adjunct to your pet’s treatment plan.
Upon referral from your primary Veterinarian or surgeon, your pet will be
evaluated by our Physical Therapist to identify the limitations your
animal faces and the goals you have to return your pet to a meaningful
life. The therapist will determine the most appropriate treatments to
accomplish these goals and implement them in our state-of-the-art
facility. Additionally, you will be instructed in how best to reinforce
these treatments at home with your pet to enhance its recovery.
Our Mission
Our foremost goal is to safely return your pet to an optimal level of
function as quickly as possible to minimize “down time” and psychological
distress for your pet. Specific rehabilitation goals include increasing
joint range of motion, improving muscle strength and coordination,
decreasing pain and inflammation, restoring balance and endurance, and
improving body composition (losing fat/gaining muscle).
What to Expect
Your initial visit will include a comprehensive evaluation of your pet’s
neuro-musculoskeletal system by our therapist. Measurements of joint
range of motion, gait, weight bearing, muscle mass, neurological
condition, body composition, and function will be taken to assess your
pet’s status and determine which services will be most beneficial in
aiding your pet’s recovery. We will discuss our findings and proposed
plan of care with you at that time. This visit may last 30-60 minutes,
dependent upon your pet’s needs. Please bring your pet’s medical records
to this visit, including any x-rays and lab work.
Each client will also be provided with instructions for
“homework”, including home exercises and activity guidelines to ensure
carry over of the progress achieved during therapy sessions.
Follow up
therapy sessions will generally last between 20 and 60 minutes. Drop
off services as well as extended overnight stays are available, and may be
encouraged if your pet’s tolerance and condition would best be served by
numerous short sessions with the therapist during the day instead of one
longer one. The duration of therapy services is dependent upon your
pet’s needs and may be as short as a week or as long as a lifetime.
Ongoing reassessments of your pet’s condition at each therapy session will
ensure s/he is receiving optimal care for each stage of recovery.
