Is a vet referral required for bookings?
A veterinary referral is not mandatory for accessing animal physiotherapy services in Western Australia. As a part of professional courtesy, your vet will be informed of your pet's physiotherapy program. Their contact details will be collected at the time of your appointment.
Physiotherapy Treatment Options for Pets
Laser Therapy
Uses laser light to penetrate deeply into the tissue. The laser energy is absorbed by the cells which results in an increase in cell metabolism, improvement in blood circulation, reduction in inflammation, swelling and pain. Non invasive option in providing physio for dogs, cats and horses.
Soft Tissue Massage
Manipulation of soft tissue to relieve pain and tightness. As a hands on technique, it is a large part of horse physiotherapy and works towards reducing tension in the muscles and fascia.
Muscle Stimulation
NMES is used to stimulate muscles and nerves using electrical impulses. Commonly used in physiotherapy for dogs with paralysis post disc prolapse. Also supports dogs and cats with muscle weakness after injury or surgery.
TENS
TENS uses electrical impulses to block pain signals going to the brain. This is a fantastic tool to assist with your pet's pain management and is commonly used in pet physio.
Joint Mobilisation
This is a manual technique where the animal physio applies passive oscillatory movements to a target joint. This helps to increase range of movement and circulation within the joint. It's very similar to treatments used on human beings and is a gentle approach for all animals.
Harnesses, Slings & Braces
Your pet physio can provide professional advice and guidance to the pet owner if your beloved pets are needing harnesses, support slings, braces and booties. This advice can best be provided once your pet is assessed in person.
Kinesio Taping
Taping method that helps to support weak muscles or relaxes overactive muscle groups. K taping does have limitations and these are often governed by the hair/coat type of your pets eg. short and flat coats.
Exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercises are targeted to help improve strength, flexibility, balance/proprioception, endurance and overall function . This is where the fun stuff happens and home exercise programs can involve the use of funky equipment (eg. wobble discs, ramps, cavalletti poles) and lots of yummy treats to entice your pets to do their physiotherapy.
Consultation Fees
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Initial Consultation $176
This is a thorough examination to find out what issues need to be addressed. A plan is then set up and treatment may commence on the next follow up session. Appointments are 1 hour.
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Follow Up Consultation $115
Physiotherapy treatment commences. Appointments are 1 hour.
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Equine Consultation $176
Appointments are 1.5 hours in duration. Travel Charges apply and are additional to the Equine Consultation Fee.
FAQs
For dogs, please bring super yummy treats, lickimat or kongs, muzzle if required or toys if your dog is not food motivated.
For cats, please bring squeezy treats, cat bed or igloo and towels.
For horses, some carrots or hay would be handy. Shaded areas to work under.
Please knock on the front door to let the animal physio know that you have arrived. Then take a seat on the front bench and the physio will come out to meet you when ready.
Dogs must be kept on lead at all times for the safety of all animals on site.
Cats and rabbits must be kept in a pet carrier.
For dogs that are reactive to other dogs, you have the option to wait in your car and the physio will come out and meet you when its your appointment time.
Alternatively send a text message to Physio for Pets to let them know you have arrived. You can then choose to take your dog for a walk a few houses away or you can wait at the top of the front lawn. Dogs must be kept on lead at all times.
Your pet physio will firstly observe how the animal moves and look for signs of pain. This is followed by palpation of the body to check for muscle bulk, swelling and bony abnormalities. If possible your pet will be positioned on their side to check joint movement and apply special manual tests. Your pet physio will also check their balance and co-ordination.
Low stress handling will always be applied when handling your pets, as this keeps their stress levels at a minimum. We want your pets to be happy about coming to their physio sessions.
This is where we jump straight into treatment which may include options like laser therapy, TENS, massage, exercises, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, k taping and joint mobilisation. Most pets love their follow up sessions as it means lots of yummy snacks.
So bring enough treats as your pets may be required to stay still for up to 20 min for particular treatment techniques.
Please allow 24 hours notice by sending a SMS to Physio for Pets to notify your pet physio that you will be cancelling. This allows time for the appointment to be offered to another client.
Under 24 hours notice will incur a cancellation fee equivalent to the consultation fee.
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