Help make your pet’s senior years their golden years. Just like people, as our pets age they can develop undesirable side effect; such as muscle loss, arthritis, and loss of cognitive function. Let us help your dog with our senior rehabilitation and fitness programs. We can help decrease the pain, build up muscle, restore cognitive function, and improve your pet’s quality of life. Most of our senior patients respond well to our canine massage therapist, stretching and mobility exercises, acupuncture, veterinary orthopedic manipulation (VOM), use of the underwater treadmill, and additional exercises proscribed and completed by our rehabilitation team led by our Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, Dr. Hubert.

For our senior pet quarter we put together a conditioning package including: massage, acupuncture, and underwater treadmill to further relax and build up your senior pet, providing them with both pain relief and mobility.

Canine Massage is the therapeutic application of hands-on techniques to the muscles. It increases circulation, reduces muscle spasms, relieves tension, enhances muscle tone, promotes healing and increases the range of motion in our senior pets.

Veterinary Acupuncture works to stimulate the release of the body’s pain relieving and anti-inflammatory substances. Muscles relax both at the needle insertion site and more distant locations throughout the body. Additionally, acupuncture increases tissue blood flow and oxygenation helping with a variety of symptoms your senior pet might be experiencing including: hip dysplasia, arthritic conditions, muscle, tendon or bone injuries, pre or post-operative pain, spinal cord trauma or weakness, and many others. Unlike prescription or over the counter medications, acupuncture lacks potential adverse side effects for your pet’s internal organs.

Your senior pet will love our underwater treadmill. The treadmill is filled with warm water so your pet’s joints get a nice soak, and can be filled to varying heights and set at different speeds. The buoyancy that your dog will feel in the treadmill relieves stress on their joints allowing them the freedom of movement to actually walk, and the walking with water resistance helps to build up muscle tissue. Additionally walking is very different than swimming in a lake or pool and helps restore mobility. All of our dogs are supervised in the treadmill, most often with someone in with them to ensure their safety and that they are moving their limbs properly ensuring a balanced and equal work out.