Animal Rehabilitation Centre

Water palaver!

Rhona — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:16:18 +0000

Water. We’ve got a lot of that at ARC- in fact, at any time, there’s approximately 1600 litres in the underwater treadmill system and 9000 litres (yes, 9 tonnes!) in the swimming pool. The two systems are separate and are managed quite differently- the swimming pool is quite a large body of water with a steady constant filtering system which means sudden changes in the water balance are less common and easier to control with daily monitoring. The underwater treadmill system is more like a spa or jacuzzi because of the warm temperature (both operate at 26-28C) and the constant mass turbulent motion of the water pumping in and out of the treadmill chamber, and it demands very close attention with water sampling and adjustment between every few patients and a total change one or two times per week.

Water balance is a fine art. Our systems employ both coarse and fine net filters, sand filters and ultra-violet to clean the water of hair, debris and microorganisms. We use a photometer to accurately test the pH and total alkalinity of the water to check the acidity balance and buffering capacity so that it lies in the correct range to avoid irritating skin and eyes and to ensure the sanitisers can work efficiently. We also test the level of the bromine sanitiser we use to keep the water safe from pathogens very carefully and make micro-adjustments throughout the day. We also regularly send water samples and swabs to a specialist lab to check for unwelcome bacteria.

One of the bigger challenges with a system used by our furry friends is the oil that coats their hair and makes it waterproof- this sheds into the water making a fine milky emulsion. Long haired dogs can shed a surprising amount in a few minutes, making a little ’tidemark’ on the chamber. To ensure the filters can effectively deal with natural coat oils, we need to use clarifier- which affects the pH- which affects the sanitiser…… so behind the scenes, we’re constantly beavering away to keep our water perfectly clean, warm and safe for pets and for people.

Conference time

Rhona — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:58:20 +0000

Last week Amy and Emma attended the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA, FECAVA and BSAVA) Congress at the ICC in Birmingham. There was a wide ranging lecture programme for both vets and nurses, and Amy and Emma attended all the nursing stream lectures in veterinary physiotherapy and rehabilitation, covering topics including post-operative rehab and pain management, home exercise programmes and rehab nursing goals.

Vets and Vet Nurses are expected to complete a certain amount of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) every year to keep up to date, and staying at the head of the field is important to all of us at ARC, so an event like WSAVA is a great place to discuss new techniques and equipment and current thinking.

It’s also an ideal opportunity to check out new products and supplies at the trade exhibition, and Emma and Amy were both very impressed with a new range of wet-to-dry towel coats in particular which they think our swimmers will love, so watch this space as new stock should be arriving soon!

An unusual thank you…

Rhona — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:26:43 +0000

We love hearing from patients after they are discharged from treatment and are always delighted to receive a message or even a photo (especially a back-in-action shot!). We like to keep them all in our ‘Hall of Fame’ at the Centre to help make others aware of the assistance that can be given to ill or injured pets in regaining their mobility, independence and athletic performance, and to inspire us all. We’ve had notes, cards and emails in lots of different forms and we value them all, but last week was a first- waiting for us was a beautiful photograph of recently signed-off Bracken the labrador complete with a poem written by her owners! We love it so much that we’d like to share it with you, so here it is…..

How can you not fully adore

The happy aspect of a Labrador?

The otter tail, the silly grin

The open heart to take you in.

Sweet true love from earnest eyes,

Emotional truth, a friend so wise.

At play, at work, at rest, at ease-

The Labrador was born to please.

Rolling with Sasha

Rhona — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:29:43 +0000

Meet Sasha……
Sasha is an older dog who has a problem called CDRM. The nerves in her spine are degenerating, making her lose control of her back legs gradually. She can’t be entirely sure where her feet are, which makes walking difficult, and her legs aren’t strong like they used to be.
Sasha needs help to walk; but if you watch her, we reckon you’ll agree she most certainly wants to go walks. For the last three months though, she’s only managed short distances, until her front legs too began to get weaker and her fitness really suffered. She’s neither a lap dog nor a lightweight (she’s not fat, but you can’t just tuck her under your arm…) so what to do?
Solution: a dog wheelchair/ mobility cart/ assistive device- call it what you like, we just know it as Sasha’s wheels. In her wheels, it’s a different story for Sasha. The lead’s not for show- Sasha can move faster than her owner now, and she is determined to get to the park. She’s building her fitness back up and heading back on her old walks. No one’s making her though; it’s more a question of getting her to pace herself (dog owners out there, you know this is not a common canine skill!)
Sasha won’t be with us for ever. Her problem is progressive, and it will eventually affect more than just her legs. At that stage, we will be bidding her a sad farewell. The thing is, that without her wheels, that would have already happened. Yes, we are extending Sasha’s life. The important thing is this: we are giving her not just time, but time when we’re sure she is happy. Dog carts don’t suit every individual for sure. However, we reckon Sasha’s wheels suit her just fine.
Did you make a judgement when you first saw her photo? A lot of people do. Sasha’s problem is non-painful. We think the best way to decide whether Sasha is happy or not is to meet her. If you see her out on a walk, please say hello and chat to her owner about how she’s doing, because a lot of people stare, but hardly anyone stops and asks.

New Year’s Resolutions?

Rhona — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:16:58 +0000

It’s that time of the year again….. gyms, swimming pools and cycle paths all over the country are full of people determined that 2012 will be the year they get fit, lose weight and make new friends through exercising regularly.
Rather depressingly though, it’s not always just the humans who need some tuning up and slimming down after a spot of seasonal excess- many of our canine and feline companions could do with joining in. Long dark nights, wind and rain (and increasingly these days Christmas goodies) are the annual recipe for unfit and overweight pets, as well as making those arthritic joints seem to creak louder and longer….
Does your best friend need a little help in finding fitness, losing weight or easing stiff joints? We can help. Fun, fitness and rehab programmes are available for all, and we’ve extended the available times for our popular Splash & Dash sessions- just give us a ring on 01484 450022!

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!

Rhona — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:29:21 +0000

New Year is traditionally a time of fresh starts and well intentioned resolutions…. so everyone at ARC would like to wish all of our friends and followers the very best for their 2012 plans. Canine, human, equine, feline and everyone else furred, feathered or scaly, we hope the New Year sees you out and about, active and enjoying your favourite pursuits. We’ll be swimming, walking, running and exercising our way to tip-top fitness, and you’re welcome to join us!

Learning about pain

Rhona — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:02:18 +0000

One of the best things about being involved in a new and rapidly expanding area of veterinary medicine is the opportunity to get involved in discoveries at the forefront of the field and try to answer some of the new questions that our expanding knowledge creates. I recently had the privilege of attending a course on neuroscience discoveries in the field of persistent pain and their implications for its management. Most of the other delegates work with human patients, and as ever many were initially surprised to find vets in their midst- even our human medical counterparts are not always aware of the current developments in veterinary rehabilitation. However, events like this are a great way to open discussion and foster co-operation between professions with different areas of expertise and definitely encourage wider thought around the subject. While there are some relatively straightforward ways in which experience in the human field can help shape our approach to animal patients in persistent pain, such as understanding previously misunderstood physiological responses elsewhere in the body, explaining strange phenomena such as phantom pains in missing limbs, and appreciating the importance of the animal’s environment- including its owners- on the patient, other aspects will as ever prove harder to apply. Some current techniques in human pain management are heavily reliant on teaching the patient to understand their brain’s responses to what it perceives as threats to the body, identifying trigger factors specific to themselves, and learning to manage them in a graded and controlled way. How will we transfer this knowledge to our animal patients without presuming a lot that we cannot prove, and how will we measure if our efforts are succeeding? How far is it reasonable to go in order to gain evidence that might improve future treatment of our patients? We can’t answer all of these questions straight away- but I think it’s important that we’re trying to.

It’s ‘unofficial’ ultrasound week at ARC…

Rhona — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:24:49 +0000

You know what they say about buses- wait a little while and then three arrive all at once? We’ve had a week a little bit like that at ARC, and our therapeutic ultrasound machine has been very busy.
First of all we had a new equine patient. Tendon injuries are relatively common in horses, and it’s not unusual for our ultrasound unit to be ‘on the road’ visiting equine patients in their yards or stables. However, we don’t see cases like Lola as often… it’s true that Lola is fairly large, being a Dobermann dog, but it seems nobody has explained to her that she is in fact NOT a racehorse. Having partly ruptured the digital flexor tendon (which helps her bend her toes) in her paw, she too needs ultrasound to help micromassage the injured tendon with sound waves and make the healing scar smaller, more stretchy and more functional as a result. Ultrasound treatment doesn’t hurt at all, but it does take a little while. Fortunately, she’s a very patient patient!
And as if that wasn’t enough, even the humans are at it- one of the other uses of ultrasound is to heat up older scar tissue and help it to stretch a bit, so after a busy day wielding the probe, Rhona’s knee is next in line for treatment. It is, as they say, a funny old world…….

It’s Athletics season!

Rhona — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:59:23 +0000

For those of you who’ve been glued to the World Athletics Championships for humans in Daegu, here’s your chance to meet one of our canine competitors. Farley is an agility star with an unusual story to tell…..
To save his life from a horrible cancer, Farley had massive surgery to remove the tumour and the flesh all around it. A few months later, he was back in action. His owners tell us all about it on the ARC Hall of Fame page.

Another happy patient!

Rhona — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:39:06 +0000

Everyone likes getting a real letter, especially since they’re practically an endangered species these days! We were delighted to receive a letter from the owner of one of our recently signed-off patients Emmy just the other day, and we’ve posted it on our testimonials page for everyone to read. We couldn’t resist sharing this picture of her either!