Physiotherapy

At the “Kavet” Veterinary Clinic, we offer physiotherapy services. Veterinarian and physiotherapist Sintija Pakalne provides rehabilitation services by combining veterinary and physiotherapeutic education and expertise. She will help your pet alleviate pain, improve mobility, and guide you on how to best assist your pet.

Visits to the physiotherapist are by appointment only.

Therapeutic Services:

  • Manual Therapy
  • Therapeutic Point Laser Therapy
  • Electrostimulation – TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) and NMES (Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation)
  • Therapeutic Exercises, Balance, and Muscle Strength
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine – Acupuncture
  • Creation of Home Exercise Programs, Personal Instructions

Your pet needs rehabilitation if it has:

  • Arthritis or joint diseases
  • Spinal or intervertebral disc injuries, pain
  • Post-surgical conditions (orthopedic or neurological)
  • Lameness
  • Tendon, ligament, or muscle weakness, diseases

Electrotherapy

Physical therapy and rehabilitation are used for the treatment of various orthopedic and neurological diseases, especially when they cause acute or chronic pain. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) at high frequencies activates the nervous system’s mechanism that suppresses pain by blocking pain signals, preventing them from reaching the brain, thus reducing pain perception. At low frequencies, it stimulates the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers). NMES (Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation) promotes muscle contraction or tremor. Normal muscle activity is controlled by the central and peripheral nervous systems, which send signals to the muscles. It is used for muscle atrophy, low muscle tone, and to reduce muscle fibrosis. This device is suitable for animals, and it is not necessary to shave the fur in the treatment area. This is sometimes very important!!!

Hydrotherapy for dogs. Treatment and rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal system in dogs.

At the “KAVET” Veterinary Clinic, we have an underwater treadmill for hydrotherapy for dogs. This dynamic equipment system helps train animals to swim and gradually get used to the water. In this article, hydrotherapy is described in more detail as one of the treatment methods, as well as the rehabilitation of dogs with musculoskeletal diseases and other functional disorders.

 

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy for dogs is suitable for treating chronic musculoskeletal diseases, during the postoperative period, and also for maintaining the dog’s muscle tone.
In cases of paresis and paralysis, neuropathy and neuralgia, arthritis and osteoarthritis, and many other diseases that directly or indirectly affect the dog’s musculoskeletal system, not only medication treatment is required, but also a course of physiotherapy. Methods of medication treatment in veterinary medicine are quite detailed, but they often do not provide the desired effect, are not comprehensive in their therapeutic action, and most importantly, they cannot be used for a long time due to harmful effects on other organ systems. In other words, the effects of medications do not fully or significantly restore the functionality of the dog’s musculoskeletal system. In such cases, physiotherapy can be very useful. Of all physiotherapy procedures, hydrotherapy is the most suitable for dogs.

The effects of hydrotherapy for dogs are achieved by immersing the animal in water, followed by running along the moving treadmill. These effects can be conditionally divided into physiological, mechanical, and thermal, which complement and enhance each other. The mechanisms of the hydrotherapy effect are determined by a complex of reflexes. These effects can be divided into the following:

 
  1. Effects on the musculoskeletal system.
  2. Effects on the cardiovascular system.
  3. Respiratory effects.
  4. Effects on kidney function.
  5. Psychophysiological effects.
  6. Adaptation to temperature and its effects on all organs and systems.

 

The expected beneficial physiological result of hydrotherapy for dogs is very important and significant.
Water provides buoyancy and can relieve parts of the body that are subjected to excessive weight load, allowing animals with weak and sensitive joints to perform running exercises with less pain and trauma. Such water exposure through hydrotherapy accelerates rehabilitation and increases mobility in dogs with cartilage injuries, arthritis and osteoarthritis, injuries to periarticular tissues and supporting joints, as well as unstable tendon syndrome. Studies show that if 60% of the animal’s body is submerged in water, the load on the limbs is reduced by the same 60%. The pressure created by body weight disappears, and dogs with normal gait can perform various intensities of load exercises.

Hydrotherapy for Overweight Dogs

For overweight dogs, movement on hard surfaces creates a particularly dangerous strain on the supporting joints, making hydrotherapy beneficial and even recommended for them. Hydrotherapy is advised for overweight dogs when there is a need to improve physical performance and the condition of the joints. To strengthen the muscles of the front and hind legs and increase their strength, water resistance can be used by increasing the treadmill speed and changing its incline.

The Impact of Hydrotherapy on the Cardiovascular System

When a dog is submerged in water up to its neck, blood flow in relaxed muscles increases by 100-200% due to the hydrostatic pressure of the water. With such an increase in blood flow to the muscles, muscle function improves as the oxygen supply to them doubles, and the elimination of metabolic products occurs more intensively. The impact of hydrotherapy on the cardiovascular system is mainly related to the effect of hydrostatic pressure. The mechanism is illustrated in diagram 1.

Oxygen Therapy for Dogs, Cats, and Rodents

The oxygen chamber is a special medical device designed for oxygen therapy, used for both medical and preventive purposes. This chamber has a connected oxygen source or concentrator that delivers humidified air enriched with oxygen.

The effectiveness of oxygen chambers lies in their construction, which ensures the proper temperature, humidity, and good gas circulation. Carbon dioxide (carbonic acid) is removed through a perforated floor, while water vapor and heated air rise and are expelled. Therefore, the patient must be in an optimal microclimate zone with appropriate oxygen levels to achieve therapeutic effects. The parameters are monitored and adjusted by a specialist during the oxygen therapy.

Mechanism of Action

Oxygen therapy is used to treat and prevent hypoxia or oxygen deficiency, which leads to hypoxemia. The term hypoxemia (from Latin “hypo” – less, below normal; “oxygenium” – oxygen; Greek “haima” – blood) refers to a reduction in the oxygen level in the blood. In this condition, vital organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver cannot function normally. The therapy’s mechanism is based on the impact on the primary components of metabolism – tissue respiration. During oxygen therapy, oxygen supply to the cells increases, which improves tissue respiration, ensures energy production, and thus restores other vital processes. Additionally, oxygen therapy stimulates leukocytes and phagocytosis, thereby destroying pathogenic microbes, activates fibroblast replication, increases collagen synthesis, and initiates neovascularization in tissues where ischemia (reduction of blood volume and supply) occurs. In this way, inflammation, shock, swelling, and pain syndrome are significantly reduced, the healing rate of wounds and postoperative stitches increases, and immunity is strengthened. During prolonged oxygen therapy, the general health condition of the animals improves, the effectiveness of medication treatment increases, the number of visits to the veterinarian decreases, and hospital stay times are shortened.

Indications for Use of Oxygen Therapy

Oxygen concentrators and oxygen chambers have a wide range of applications. This equipment is an indispensable part of intensive care when emergency help is needed for animals. It is especially important in cases of respiratory disorders (emphysema, pulmonary edema, laryngeal and soft palate pathology in brachycephalic dog breeds, carbon monoxide poisoning, etc.), cardiovascular disorders (heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy, ischemia, thromboembolism, etc.), hematological changes, anaphylaxis, trauma, shock, isoniazid poisoning, acute renal failure, etc. Oxygen therapy is also often used in the rehabilitation period after surgeries to improve therapy for patients with oncological diseases and during the convalescence period. For preventive purposes and as an aid in physiotherapy, it is used after injuries and physical exertion, to strengthen the immune system, in elderly animals, for chronic musculoskeletal system diseases, after childbirth, etc. The number and duration of sessions are calculated individually for each patient. Larger animals use oxygen masks and special nasal cannulas.

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