We are pleased to be able to offer Veterinary Rehabilitation Services at Cypress View Veterinary Clinic. If your pet is experiencing slow, painful or decreased mobility, or needs help with recovery from a surgery, rehabilitation can help restore function and increase comfort to allow for a more pain free quality of life. As a veterinary center, we are also able to offer additional diagnostics such as radiographs, ultrasound and other diagnostics to get a complete picture of your pet’s health as well as prescribe additional pain relief medications as needed.
We start with an initial assessment to examine the pet and devise a treatment plan that is acceptable for both you and your pet, and meets the goals you have. This is a 1 hour and 20-minute examination dedicated to give us a complete mobility picture of your pet and may include:
- Goniometry measurements of each joint
- Pain scale assessment with joints not typically evaluated in general medical exams
- Muscle and body condition scores
- Range of motion assessment with gait analysis
- Functional movement assessments such as standing, sitting, lay to stand, sit to stand etc.
- Strength assessment on each limb and core strength evaluation
- Soft tissue evaluations such as muscle, fascia, tendons, and ligaments to check for pain, laxity, loss of flexibility, trigger points or muscle knots, or other impairments
- Neurological assessment
Following the assessment, we will develop a custom treatment plan that will focus on your goals for your pet. Modalities that we provide at our clinic:
MLS (Patent # 0001329365) Laser Therapy effectively treats the following:
- Arthritis
- Tendonitis
- Post-Surgical Swelling
- Neurological conditions
- Disc Disease
- …and much more!
When a physical condition or injury affects your pet’s mobility or quality of life, there is one goal: A rapid return to every-day activities. Our Clinic is proud to be on the medical technological forefront by offering MLS Laser Therapy. We have invested in the very best technology as a key component of our continuing quest to offer you the finest in health care for your pet!
Laser therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free alternative for managing pain. MLS Laser therapy has been cleared by the FDA for use in both the Veterinary and Medical fields. It is proven safe and effective for treating many debilitating, painful conditions.
Wavelengths of laser therapy are important in influencing how deep the penetration into the tissue is and the power (Watts) is the number of photons delivered in a specific amount of time. MLS Laser Therapy uses specific dual equally penetrating wavelengths (808, 905) of light that have a strong anti-inflammatory, anti-edema effect on tissues that are exposed to the laser. With an average power of 1.2 watts, painful conditions accompanied by swelling or inflammation can quickly benefit from this technology. The Photobiomodulation affects chromophores of the cells which causes photochemical reactions and accelerates cellular reproduction and growth. As a result of exposure to the MLS Laser, the cells of tendons, ligaments and muscles repair themselves faster. As inflammation is reduced pain subsides very quickly. In simple terms, laser energy kick-starts the healing process, thereby speeding recovery.
Magnetism is a fundamental force that is essential for life on Earth. PEMF uses pulsing electromagnetic fields to jumpstart and accelerate normal biological cellular reactions.
Very simply, cells contain electrically charged particles called ions that govern all cellular processes. When the body is stressed by illness, competition, environmental factors or age, the cellular membrane that conducts the essential ions in to and out of the cell becomes comprised and is unable to efficiently do its job of managing the transport of these ions. When the PEMF generated by the Respond Systems bed penetrates the body, a magnetic field in motion is created that immediately and positively directly impacts these ions and membrane potential to stimulate them into action. The result is an increase in cellular communication and circulation, a decrease in inflammation and pain and a resulting acceleration of healing.
At Cypress View, we are pleased to offer the Respond PEMF bed therapy for your pet’s health and wellbeing. These beds are also available for short term rentals to help your pet at home.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a treatment using an electrical current to stimulate sensory nerves and elicit a pain relief treatment.
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) also uses an electrical current but it is used to elicit a muscular contraction and “kick-start” muscle fibers after injury or surgery to aid in recovery of voluntary muscle movements.
This involves hands-on therapies that will treat soft tissue, such as muscles, to relieve any restrictions causing poor movement or causing pain. Muscle knots or trigger points in the muscle fibers can be a significant source of discomfort for the animal. Our therapy will help to relieve this tension and pain, which allows for an improved ability to move around. We will also target tight muscles and aim to improve flexibility which will help an animal in its normal everyday functions.
Simple joint movements performed by our therapists will help to improve the range of motion of the joints in your pet. We use a variety of techniques to decrease pain and stiffness in joints which allows for an ease of movement, and better overall mobility.
As a part of a rehabilitation program, we can design customized programs for patients to help increase strength, muscle mass, and function. A wide variety of fitness equipment is used to accommodate any size of patient for a custom exercise program. Imagination is key when developing exercise programs as it often involves some training and you must always consider what the animal is willing to do with the least amount of stress.
Cypress View has the only underwater treadmill for dogs and cats in south eastern Alberta. It is one of our favourite tools and it has so many benefits!
- Used for basic exercise for all ages of dogs AND cats
- Used for weight loss programs
- Used for water buoyancy to decrease concussive forces on joints during rehabilitation after an injury or surgery
- Used for water resistance to increase muscle strength
- Used with an animal’s natural instinct to encourage movement in limbs after a spinal or nerve injury
- Used in geriatrics to increase ease of movement and increase quality of life for both the animals and the owners