• Vetiranary Medicine
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Reap the rewards of canine rehabilitation

December 1, 2009

Adding a rehabilitation facility yielded unexpected benefits for this veterinarian.

When opportunity knocked a few years ago for Dr. Ron Hooley, medical director at VCA Woodland South Animal Hospital, he unwittingly answered. He hadn't intended to open an extensive canine physical rehabilitation facility at his practice in Tulsa, Okla., but when a diagnostic lab that occupied a third of the hospital moved to another location, the space flashed with possibilities.

A technician showed interest in creating a rehabilitation facility, and Dr. Hooley agreed. "We have a lot of animals with problems after surgery," he says. "So we do a blend of postsurgical rehabilitation, lameness evaluation, and treatment for muscle strain, soft tissue injuries, and chronic non-use problems."

Advertisement

The rehabilitation center sees Woodland South patients as well as referrals from other hospitals. Now in operation for almost two years, it practically markets itself. "From our lobby, you can look into our rehab area and see the water treadmill and watch the dogs," Dr. Hooley says. "So it puts it in clients' minds that rehab is normal. Then if we have a dog that's going to have an orthopedic procedure, it becomes the logical next step."

The endeavor to build the 300-square-foot facility was not as simple as Dr. Hooley initially imagined. "I thought, 'We'll get a water treadmill, we've got this space, we'll be good to go,'" he says. But in reality it took 120 hours of certification in rehab medicine at the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in Aspen, Colo., and his technician spent more than 100 hours in training to become certified.

Besides adding another dimension to the treatment options Woodland South offers, rehabilitation has also come to serve as an important diagnostic tool. The doctors are finding that those dogs that seem to be doing well—for example, after surgery to repair an ACL injury—may actually be experiencing problems. "When we measure leg diameter, we find that it's much smaller and they're not using the leg in a normal way, which causes stress on the other leg," Dr. Hooley says. "These soft tissue injuries are subtle, and it's hard to know what's really going on. Rehab helps us chase down the diagnosis."

As advice to other veterinarians thinking about adding rehabilitation services, Dr. Hooley stresses the importance of enlisting help to pioneer the project. "It really requires a whole team," he says. "It's going to take a veterinarian, a trained assistant, and occasionally ancillary staff to go with them." (To answer common client questions about rehab, use the client handout in Related Links below.)

One part of the gig that Dr. Hooley says he didn't expect is the rewards—specifically, the bonding that takes place. "With physical rehabilitation, you develop a closer relationship with the patient and the client," he says. "Lots of times when we finish a case, the client is disappointed because the dog liked it so much."

Related Content:

BusinessPractice Finances
The Vets expands to Raleigh, NC
The Vets expands to Raleigh, NC
The 5 Ws of veterinary diagnostics contracts
The 5 Ws of veterinary diagnostics contracts
3 Must-sees from the Fetch Charlotte conference
3 Must-sees from the Fetch Charlotte conference

Advertisement

Latest News

Managing wounds in pet patients

Spectrum of care: protocols to support pet owners’ budgets

How to support women while still running a successful business

The Vets expands to Raleigh, NC

View More Latest News
Advertisement