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Physiotherapy

Exercising with your dog is highly beneficial for both of you. It strengthens the bond between you and your best friend, as well as helping you both to stay fit and healthy.

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SASH Physiotherapy highlights:

  • Improve mobility, speed of recovery from surgery, and quality of life
  • Offered by Sports Medicine & Rehab Vets, of which there are only a small handful in NSW
  • Offering massage, mobilisation, hydrotherapy, laser therapy, acupuncture, and more

Physiotherapy is a medicine discipline that focuses on diagnosing and treating a number of conditions relating to the muscular and skeletal systems. Just like with humans, this treatment is now also popular for dogs and cats.

Physiotherapy is offered through our Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation department.

Benefits of Veterinary Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is beneficial to dogs and cats for a number of conditions including:

Veterinary Physiotherapy at SASH

At SASH, we are proud to have two experienced Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Veterinarians who are well trained to provide physiotherapy to your beloved pet.

Most patients undergoing surgery at SASH for orthopaedic or neurological conditions will receive physiotherapy as part of their recovery while in hospital. Our rehab therapists and veterinary nurses are on-site 24 hours a day to ensure your pet receives regular rehabilitation throughout their hospital stay.

We are delighted to take part in your pet’s physio, as we believe it is highly important for you to give your dog the exercise they need, as well as staying fit and active yourself so you can both enjoy a healthy life together.

SASH Physiotherapy service

SASH Veterinary Physiotherapy Treatments

Through our highly trained and experienced physiotherapy team, we can offer a number of treatment options including:

  • Strengthening and conditioning exercises
  • Massage and joint mobilisation
  • Therapeutic laser therapy
  • Hydrotherapy with an on-site underwater treadmill
  • Acupuncture
SASH Therapeutic Laser

We are Here to Help

We welcome patients from referring veterinary clinics and will maintain communication with them regarding progress.

Rehabilitation is an important final step to your pet’s recovery, to ensure the best possible long-term outcome and is an investment in preventing future issues or re-injury.

There is no ‘standard’ physio program because every animal is unique – breed, size, age, injury status, and medical requirements. However, our rehabilitation team will happily discuss all aspects regarding your pet so they can give a more realistic time frame for the pet’s recovery.

SASH is here to help with all your pet’s healthcare and physiotherapy needs, so please get in touch if you’d like more information.

Common Physiotherapy Treatments & Recommendations

Wading in water is a great activity for both you and your dog. It improves cardiovascular fitness for both of you and enables your dog to build muscle strength and balance. It’s suitable for all dogs, even those who are older or have suffered an injury. However, in the colder months or during bad weather, beaches and lakes can be very cold, so you may want to consider an indoor alternative such as hydrotherapy or an underwater treadmill.

Therapeutic laser is used to treat a variety of injuries, wounds, fractures, neurological conditions and pain and studies have repeatedly confirmed its positive effects.

Whether your pet is rehabilitating from trauma or injury, healing from wounds, or simply dealing with the aches and pains of aging, therapeutic laser has been shown to provide relief and speed healing.

Click here for more information on Therapeutic Laser

Dog sports such as agility, tracking and rally obedience are also great fun and are perfect for building your dog’s strength and fitness. The other main benefit is that you and your dog get to meet plenty of like-minded people and pups! Exercise should be enjoyable and mentally stimulating for your dog if they’re going to get the most out of it.

Our Physiotherapy Team

Specialist in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
Specialist in Surgery and Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation

Johanna Higgs 

Physiotherapist