 |
|
 |
| |
| Departments |
Home
Columns, Special
Topics & Features:
The Columns:
Angels, Guides, &
Loving Spirits:
Angel Blessings:
with Dr. Doreen Virtue
Ask Valerie Morrison,
Internationally
Acclaimed Psychic
Astrologer's Notes:
Ask Carrin Martin,
Astrologer
Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
Diana Stone,
Astrologer &
Huna Shaman
Jeff Jawer
Astrologer
Martin Lass,
Astrologer
Glenn Perry,
Astrologer
Ray Merriman,
Financial Astrology:
MMA Market Week
Erin Sullivan,
Astrologer
Noel Tyl,
Astrologer
Daily Aspect Calendar
by Care
Monthly Horoscope:
Stellar Scopes
by Daija De Mornay
Creating Bridges:
The Spiritual &
Philosophical
Act of Power
Discovering the Key to Living Your Sacred Dream
by Lynn Andrews
The BUT Doctor
Healing America's Real Crack Problem One Person at a Time
by Eddie Conner
Awakening to the
Miracle of Ordinary Life by Dennis Lewis
Avant-Gardening:
Insights by Frank &
Vicky Giannangelo
Bodymind Integration: A Psychology of Potential
by Kevin Roberts
Breaking Free:
Anne Brewer
Choices: The Art of Conscious Creation:
by Teri Harris Saa
From The Heart:
Alan Cohen
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions: The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia
"Letters from Heaven:" Spiritual Guidance from
the Hebrew Alphabet
by Avigayil Landsman
Memos From The
First Tabugian
Art Rosengarten, Ph.D.
The Path of Wisdom and Love
Dr. John Demartini,
Spirituality in Daily Life: by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
The Conscious Column
by David Ault
Spiritual Mastery
for the 21st Century
Dr. Gwen MacGregor
Pearls of Wisdom:
with Care
Feng Shui:
Wind & Water:
Carole J. Hyder
In Practice:
How to Create a Successful Holistic Practice- from Start to Success
by Shaun Brown,
CMT, BA BeWell Publications
The Business of Tarot
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Pet Care:
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care
by Dr. Kathleen Carson, D.V.M.
Tarot:
Soulforest:
Tarot and Spirituality
Rachel Pollack,
Tarot Grand Master
Gateway to Tarot:
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Reviews:
Tarot, Cartomancy,
Oracle Decks,
Books, & Software.
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Bonnie Cehovet's
Tarot Interviews
Humor:
Wake Up Laughing.Com:
Swami Beyondananda
Features:
Blessings & Messages
Crystals, Gemstones & Minerals by Kristi of MoonCave
Event Calendar
Historical Notes & Data
The MetaPersonals
Symbols, Seals,
Amulets & Talismans
The What in the
World Department
Trivia & Other
Novel Moments
Your Views
Interviews:
Erin Sullivan,
Astrologer
Healing & Alternative
Health:
"The Ancient Way of Chinese Medicine"
by Kevin O'Neil
Flower Essences
by Donna Cunningham
Herbology:
Ron Norwood
Living in Harmony-Astrology, Yoga & Ayurveda:
Venkat & Christine Machiraju
"Spirit and Practice
of the Wise Woman
Tradition"
By Susun Weed
Tai Chi & Qigong
by Bill Douglas
The Holistic Mystic,
by Lonny Brown
Medical Intuition: Tune
in to Your Body and Improve Your Health
by Caroline Sutherland, Sutherland Communications
Tools for Heartful Living
by Jackie Woods,
Healer & Spiritual Teacher,
Adawehi Institute
The Directory
The Book Nook
Archives:
Past Issues
General Information:
Synopsis of Contents
Editorial Submission
Information:
Articles
Columns
Editorial Opinions
"Your Views"
General Content
Event Calendars
Graphics & Photos
Editorial Deadlines
Advertising
Information &
Opportunities
About
The Meta Arts
Magazine
Department
Contacts:
Publishers
Editorial
Advertising Sales
Graphic Design
Promotion Dept.
Employment
Contact Us
Legal Notices
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Healing & Alternative Health
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care:
Canine Rehabilitation
& Physical Therapy
by Kathleen M. Carson, D.V.M |
|
|
|
|
|
There is an exciting new field which is in the process of being born in veterinary medicine: rehabilitation and physical therapy. I have a strong feeling that in another five or ten years we’ll look back and wonder why it didn’t come into existence sooner. In fact, I’ll wager that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll probably be appalled it took so long, in the way many are now feeling about pain awareness, prevention, and treatment in our animal patients.
In the past I’ve heard that race horses were swum or exercised on treadmills to help them recover from various injuries. I’ve also known for quite some time that professional human athletes used various rehabilitative methods to recover from injuries and to maintain themselves in the best possible shape. I also was aware that human orthopedic surgeons utilized the knowledge and skills of physical therapists to ensure that their surgical patients recovered full use of their limbs after surgery. None of this really impacted me directly as a small animal veterinarian, however.
Then, eight years ago, I was approached by people who were interested in opening a canine rehabilitation/fitness center in West Los Angeles. I decided to become part of this new venture, and the resulting experience changed my life. I was astounded at how much this type of therapy could help post-surgical patients, geriatric dogs, dogs sustaining soft tissue injuries, and dogs with various bone, joint, and neuromuscular diseases.
The treatment modalities included under the umbrella of this new field are numerous: cryo(cold)therapy, heat therapy, ultrasound, massage, neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), passive range-of-motion (ROM) exercises, and more active types of exercises, including swimming and underwater treadmills.
I see this new field especially benefitting five categories of dogs: 1.) post-surgical orthopedic patients, 2.) working and agility dogs, 3.) geriatric dogs, 4.) dogs recovering from traumatic injuries, and 5.) dogs suffering from various skeletal, joint, and neuromuscular diseases.
Veterinary orthopedic surgery is developing increasingly sophisticated procedures in its efforts to help a dog suffering from various skeletal, joint, and neuromuscular diseases as well as those with traumatic injuries. However, I believe we veterinarians have been lulled by the fact that our post-surgical furry patients heal so much more quickly and with fewer complications than our fellow humans do. We’ve relied on these facts to get our animal patients all the way back to full functioning. It took working at that canine rehabilitation center for me to see what we’ve been missing. We can achieve even greater results if we combine our sophisticated orthopedic surgery with post-surgical rehabilitation and physical therapy. Our patients will have an enhanced chance of reaching a state of full functioning, and they definitely will recover more quickly than those dogs not receiving this kind of care.
Many dogs these days are either working dogs or competitors in various agility trials, frisbee competitions, and sled dog races. Working dogs include police dogs, drug and bomb-detecting dogs, rescue dogs, herding dogs, sporting dogs, and companion dogs for the blind and physically challenged. The longer these working and competitor dogs can be kept fit and/or helped to recover from injuries, the longer their useful life will be. (And the happier they and their human companions will be!)
Because of various factors, including strong bonding between animals and humans, increasingly sophisticated veterinary medicine, and strictly enforced leash laws, more and more of our canine companions are reaching ages unheard of a generation ago. Increased years means more precious time with our beloved friends, but age brings problems of its own, especially various degenerative skeletal, joint, and neuromuscular conditions. What fun are the extra years if they’re spent in increasing pain and decreasing mobility? Rehabilitation and physical therapy can increase mobility and decrease pain for our geriatric canines, making their sunset years happier for them and their human family members.
Some traumatic injuries that dogs suffer, such as a mild sprains or strains, heal fairly well without intervention. Others, such as more severe sprains or strains, repeated injuries, partial CCL tears, and the very severe injuries that can come about from major trauma can be very debilitating, sometimes leading to lifetime lameness or even crippling. Physical therapy and rehabilitation, especially if instituted immediately following the injury, can reduce pain, enhance healing, and increase the chances of a full recovery.
Physical therapy and other rehabilitative methods can round out the pharmacological and surgical methods we already have available to help dogs with intervertebral disc disease, hip dysplasia, spondylosis, cauda equina, CCL tears, Wobblers Syndrome, radial and other nerve damage, degenerative myelopathies and other spinal conditions, panosteitis, Legg-Perthes disease, medial patellar luxation, other luxations and fractures, sprains, strains, tendinitis, and other soft tissue injuries.
Since dogs can’t be instructed to go home and “do 25 so-and-so exercises”, one of the challenges of this new field is to devise ways to get the patient to do what’s needed to reach the therapy goals. Also, since we can’t ask our patients how they’re feeling, progress in rehabilitation is evaluated by such things as measuring leg circumferences, goniometers which measure joint range-of-motion, and various weight-bearing analysis devices.
At this stage in the development of this new field, veterinarians and human physical therapists are learning to work together to achieve a mutual goal. We veterinarians are learning the methods which physical therapists employ in helping their two-legged patients, and physical therapists are learning the differences between their bi-pedal, upright patients and our quadripedal patients. We each have much to learn from the other.
Another aspect of this new field is the legal one. In the United States, various states have different ways of defining and regulating physical therapy for human patients. To the best of my knowledge, at this point in time, there are no specific laws regarding physical therapy for animals. I believe as time goes by, laws will be passed regarding physical therapy and rehabilitation in animals. In the meantime, I believe it’s best for those interested in this area to check with their state veterinary or physical therapy boards. I also believe that human physical therapists should work under the close supervision of a veterinarian. As mentioned above, each has much to learn from the other, and our patients will benefit from the collaboration!
As this new field of veterinary rehabilitation and physical therapy is developing in America, we have models we can look to in other countries, especially those in the United Kingdom. They are further along the path than we are. Thus, we don’t have to re-invent the wheel!
I foresee the day in the not too distant future when orthopedic surgeons won’t consider doing surgery without follow-up rehabilitation/physical therapy and in which these methods are used to hasten recovery and ensure as full a functioning as possible following trauma, or to prolong a useful life after the onset of debilitating conditions such as osteoarthritis or degenerative myelopathy. I can hardly wait!
Where to go to get more information, educational opportunities, etc:
1.) David Levine, Ph.D., P.T. of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has a great website packed with good information!
URL = http://www.utc.edu/~dlevine/
2.) The University of Tennessee and Northeast Seminars of New Hampshire have put together a Certificate Program in Canine Rehabilitation. You can get information on this program by contacting Northeast Seminars at 1-800-272-2044 or from the Northeast website: http://www.neseminars.com/NES3/home.nsf?Open&UTK
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Kathleen Carson, DVM
Veterinarian & Author
|
 |
Dr. Carson received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California at Davis in 1968. She's been a small animal practitioner (dogs and cats ) for all the years since, except for a short stint at the San Diego Zoo when she first graduated.
She belongs to the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Since 1974 she's lived and practiced in the South Bay Area near Los Angeles. She started the area's first house call practice in 1976 and the first pet crisis/loss group in 1989. The human-animal bond is of special interest to her.
She started exploring complementary veterinary medicine in 1987. Her practice became 100% holistic in 1996. She utilizes acupuncture, herbs, supplements, Bach Flower Remedies, homeopathic remedies, nutrition and medications for her patients in her practice.
She's currently taking a leave of absence from her house call practice due to health reasons but continues to do phone consultations and to write.
E-mail:
Critterhlr@aol.com
website:
http://www.holistic
vetconsult.com
|
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory!
|
|
|
|
|
