ARC - Animal Rehabilitation Centre

01/06/2026

Meet Trueman💙✨

When Trueman first visited us in October 2025, his family had been told that euthanasia may be the only option. After suddenly losing strength in all four limbs, struggling with balance, tripping during walks and collapsing at times, his future looked uncertain.

But from the very beginning, Trueman still had quality of life, determination, and a family willing to fight for him. Our team believed rehabilitation was worth pursuing. Weekly underwater treadmill sessions and regular Physiotherapy became the focus of his treatment plan.

At his initial sessions, Trueman fatigued quickly, struggled with coordination, and often left his hind limbs behind while walking in the treadmill.

Fast forward several months, and the change has been incredible.

By November, his owners were already noticing huge improvement.
By late November he was described as back to his old self, with minimal knuckling and a family so happy with his progress.
By early this year, Trueman has been enjoying beach walks, improving his strength, and consistently tolerating longer underwater treadmill sessions.

Today, Trueman continues to work hard with weekly hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy support. While he still has challenges at times, he is stronger, happier, and continuing to exceed expectations every step of the way.

Stories like Trueman’s are why we do what we do. Rehabilitation cannot always cure neurological disease, but with the right support, many dogs can regain strength, confidence, mobility, and most importantly, quality of life.

Keep kicking goals, Trueman 💙

14/05/2026

🐴🐴 HIND LIMB ACTIVATION EXERCISE 🐴🐴

The three-legged diagonal push is an exercise we prescribe to a number of our equine clients to target hind limb activation. When gentle pressure is applied the front limb, diagonal weight shift occurs at the hind limb muscles including the gluteus medius and bicep femoris. It also encourages:
- Weight shifting without losing posture
- Activate the core to prevent collapsing through the back
- Stabilise the shoulders and pelvis
- Coordination between the front and hind limbs for balance and proprioception

This is one of many exercises we prescribe as a part of the rehabilitation process for many of the horses we see. Do you think your horse could benefit from hind limb strength? Call us on 5976 1069 or email at [email protected] and we can come to you for an assessment! 💪 💪 💪

03/05/2026

01/05/2026

🐾🐾USE HILLS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE 🐾🐾
Do you have a hilly paddock or driveway? You can use inclined and declined surfaces to challenge your dog.

UPHILL walking helps target gluteus medius and latissimus dorsi activation as well as increased hip flexion compared to flat ground. This allows for more drive through the hind limb which can help with strengthening in conditions like cruciate disease or hip dysplasia.

DOWNHILL walking requires more control of the front limbs and range of motion in the elbows. It optimises the dogs ability to use it's 'breaking' muscles that provide stability to the front limbs during activities such as jumping down (out of the car or off the couch)

These are one of the many exercises we prescribe to our clients. Do you think your dog might need Physiotherapy?
Book with Sarah or Jodie at https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/d5721661-7028-4d17-9b99-5d96e198933d

23/04/2026

IN HAND WALKING AND POLES FOR EQUINE REHAB

When we talk about in-hand walking and pole work in rehab, we’re not just “keeping them moving”, we’re targeting very specific muscle groups that are critical for posture, stability, and correct biomechanics.

🐎 In-hand walking primarily activates important muscle groups including the deep abdominals, thoracic sling stabilisers, gluteals and hamstrings.

🐎 In-hand pole work activates the hip flexors, quadriceps for stifle stability, tendon loading for the distal limbs, balance and proprioception. You can make this exercise simple but this exercise can also be easily progressed to further challenge your horse! This can include increasing or reducing the stride distance, increasing the height or having a mix of the two!

The key takeaway is that although these may look simple, we as Physiotherapists prescribe these exercises in a deliberate way tailored to your horse's needs based on their clinical assessment.

Does your horse need Physiotherapy or maybe benefit from these kind of exercises? Call us to book an assessment on 5976 1069 or email us at [email protected]

16/04/2026

IVDD is something we commonly see here at ARC, particularly with the Dachshund breed. Read more to see what IVVD is and what we can do to help!!
Does your dog have IVDD or need some help managing back pain?
Book a Physiotherapy assessment at: https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/d5721661-7028-4d17-9b99-5d96e198933

09/04/2026

BENEFITS OF MASSAGE IN CANINE PHYSIOTHERAPY

Did you know massage therapy isn’t just a luxury for humans? Massage is one of our treatment tools we use here at ARC on our beautiful canine clients.

✨ Key Benefits of Massage for Dogs:
• Improves circulation and promotes faster healing
• Reduces muscle tension and stiffness
• Allows for positive relationship between dog and practitioner
• Enhances flexibility and range of motion
• Helps manage pain and discomfort

Whether your dog is an athlete, recovering from injury, or simply getting older, massage can make a real difference in their comfort and quality of life. 💙

Healthy muscles = happy, active dogs!

18/03/2026

EQUISSAGE THERAPY
🐎✨ Supporting Comfort & Mobility in Horses with Neck Osteoarthritis ✨🐎

Neck osteoarthritis can be a challenging condition for horses—impacting flexibility, performance, and overall wellbeing. As horse owners and caregivers, finding gentle, non-invasive ways to support their comfort is key.

One emerging approach is cycloid vibrational therapy—a technology designed to deliver targeted, low-frequency vibrations that may help:
✔️ Improve circulation
✔️ Reduce muscle tension
✔️ Support joint mobility
✔️ Encourage relaxation and recovery

Our Equissage system is a form of cycloid vibrational therapy and is a therapeutic tool we use here at ARC on horses regularly. For horses dealing with stiffness or restricted movement in the neck, this therapy can be a valuable addition to a comprehensive care plan.

Does your horse struggle with this? Call and book a Physiotherapy session on 0407 512 154

18/02/2026

CAVELETTIS FOR CANINE REHAB

Introducing the use of cavaletti poles is something we use for our canine rehab for a variety of conditions such as post operative TPLO, hip dysplasia and IVDD. Using cavaletti poles can help target core stability, proprioception of all four limbs and active range of motion of the stifle, carpus and elbow joints.

These can be progressed easily by changing the height and distance of the poles - let's watch Bryony nail her cavaletti exercises!

If you think your dog might benefit from rehabilitation like this, come and see us!
Book online at: https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/d5721661-7028-4d17-9b99-5d96e198933d

06/02/2026

It’s always fantastic to see Dublin💚