The SPAW, Pet Rehabilitation and Fitness Centre

04/08/2025

Huge thanks to Keira and Hannah, graduating Veterinary Technology students from Douglas College, for their incredible help at The SPAW last week! Your enthusiasm, skill, and compassion made a big difference for our patients (and our team!)

With student rotations now wrapped up, we’re looking forward to continued partnerships with Douglas College—helping future technicians bring rehab knowledge and hands-on experience into their veterinary practices. The future is bright!

04/02/2025

🚨 Now Hiring: Part-Time Rehab & Hydrotherapy Assistants!

Love animals? Enjoy getting splashed (on purpose)? Have a knack for giving out the best belly rubs while keeping things clean and organized? Then we need YOU!

We’re looking for part-time rehab & hydrotherapy assistants to join our team. Job perks include:
🐾 Wagging tails and grateful paws
💦 The occasional unplanned shower (hydrotherapy = splash zone!)
🦴 Helping animals move, heal, and feel their best

If you’re detail-oriented, love working with animals, and don’t mind a little fur in your coffee, apply today!

🐾 Learn more about this opportunity at:
https://www.thespaw.com/pages/join-our-team-at-the-spaw

03/27/2025

Big shoutout to our always-smiling second-year Douglas College Veterinary Technology grads, Sarah and Anna! During their clinical rotation at The SPAW, they tackled the world of animal physical rehab with skill, enthusiasm, and enough positivity to brighten the rainiest days and soggy underwater treadmill sessions. The vet world is lucky to have you both—congrats!

03/18/2025

Shoutout to our hilarious and hardworking second-year Douglas College Veterinary Technology Diploma Program soon to be grads, Brooke and Amy! During their clinical rotation at The SPAW they are diving headfirst into the world of animal physical rehab—mastering underwater treadmill skills, therapeutic exercises, and, of course, keeping us laughing the whole way. The vet world is about to get a whole lot funnier—and a lot more skilled! Congrats, you two!

03/11/2025

Shoutout to our amazing Douglas College Veterinary Technology superstars, Felicia and Maria! 🌟 We’re so lucky to have them at The SPAW this week!

Yesterday, they dove into the world of orthotics, prosthetics, and mobility exams with the incredible Dr. Susan Calverley, and today, they rolled up their sleeves with Jenn, helping treat many of our beloved patients.

Their enthusiasm and dedication are next-level – our patients (and team) are already big fans! 🐾👏 Thank you Maria and Felicia 🩺🐾

01/31/2025

Planning surgery for your pet? 🐶🐱 Help them feel at ease by booking a pre-surgery visit with Jenn! Meet our team, explore the facility (including our underwater treadmill!), and create a personalized post-op rehab and care plan. Let’s set them up for a smooth recovery! We also have options for zoom and FaceTime meetings. You can book online at www.thespaw.com 🩷💦

01/27/2025

🐾🙌 Confession time: At The SPAW, we don’t have one-size-fits-all recipes, rigid protocols, or cookie-cutter programs. Instead, we build recovery plans rooted in biomechanics, exercise science, tissue healing, and simple solutions tailored to your pets unique needs. Every session is a partnership—your feedback from the last session shapes what happens next.

🐶💪 Why? Because we’re the experts in rehabilitation, fitness, and what exercises will help your pet maximize mobility, and you’re the expert on your pet. Together, we’re a dream team making mobility and recovery a reality. Let’s keep them moving forward, one paw at a time!

01/26/2025

👋 Hi, I’m Jenn, and I want to take a moment to share with you that some of the most talented, kind, and thoughtful champions of pet and animal health I know and love work in corporate veterinary medicine 🩺🐾 Please choose kindness and compassion as my friends and colleagues navigate challenging conversations sparked by recent documentaries. We are better together ♥️

01/12/2025

Sunday Funday with Dr. Susan! 🐾🙌

Oliver is here for brace management, adjustments, and some pro tips on using his hind end more effectively. Keeping fit and having fun with his family are top priorities! 💪👏

In The SPAW Gym, correct posture and tailored exercises with Jenn are crucial to support his recovery post achilles tendon injury. The SPAW Team collaborates to optimize mobility, fitness, and quality of life and is where creativity, experience, and science meet to help pets thrive! How’s your Sunday shaping up? 🐾

11/13/2024

🛜🐾 Ever heard Jenn’s ‘the spinal cord is like the internet’ analogy? Your dog starts with high-speed fiber optics – zooming around with lightning fast changes in speed, direction, sudden stops, starts, and jumps. ….but after a type I or II disc herniation, a traumatic event, surgery, disease or degenerative process it’s like they’ve been downgraded to dial-up. That lag? It’s the body working overtime to reload movement signals.

But don’t worry, we’re here to boost those speeds! With a combo of laser therapy, acupuncture, underwater treadmill sessions, and targeted exercises, we’re all about getting that signal back up and running. Think of it as a ‘doggy reboot,’ focusing on muscle retraining, sensory feedback, and body strength to restore movement, and strengthen the body to protect the information highway 🚀 💪

10/24/2024

https://youtu.be/5bIfhbazlJ8

Ready to see your working dog level up like never before? 💪🐾 Caninemetrics is where science meets canine fitness! The Penn Vet Working Dog Center is helping dogs run faster, jump higher, tackle tough terrains, and turn on a dime—all while building the muscles they don’t normally use. Whether your dog is a pro in the field or the ultimate athlete at home, Caninemetrics ensures they’re in peak shape, performing their best, and staying injury-free for the long run! Penn Vet Working Dog Center

Canimetrics is a groundbreaking program designed by the Penn Vet Working Dog Center to enhance the physical fitness of working dogs. This comprehensive asses...

10/20/2024

🐾 Winston the Boxer 🥊 is living his best life with not one but TWO visits to The SPAW this week! Getting the royal treatment with laser therapy in one of our sound dampening acoustic pods and his fave, the underwater treadmill. …..and of course, he’s making sure to get plenty of smooches in with Jenn and Dr. Susan 😘 Look up ‘spoiled’ in the dictionary, and you’ll find this guys picture 📸

10/19/2024

🎃 When Chester the dachshund insists on being a taco for Halloween but we are not sure if he’s more taco or just extra spicy 🌮🌶️ Chester the Hot Dog is officially serving up guac and salsa vibes this year.

09/22/2024

Ready to teach your pup some useful and fun skills? 🐾 Check out this educational tutorial from Penn Vet Working Dog Center and friends all about teaching your dog how to sneeze, remove nasal and ocular debris, and even cool themselves using cooperative care techniques. It's more than just a trick—it's an empowering way to help your dog feel comfortable with their own care! 🐶💨

As summers continue to get warmer year-over-year, new research from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center (PVWDC) reveals the best way to prevent dogs from overheating.

After comparing various cooling methods, researchers found when a dog voluntarily submerged their head in clean, room-temperature water to retrieve a treat or toy, they not only cooled off faster, but also avoided dangerous post-exercise temperature spikes.

“During heat stress, blood flow to the head, nose, tongue, and ears is increased,” said Cynthia M. Otto, VMD, PhD, lead author of the study and executive director of the PVWDC. “Cooling the tissues of the head allows for rapid cooling of the whole body with limited amounts of water.”

🔗 Learn how to correctly teach your dog this game-changing method by visiting: https://bit.ly/4eajKuy

07/15/2024

🎾 **BALL THROWING** 🎾 .....and why Jenn says NO‼️ Food for thought? 🧐🤔💭 Kibble for kindness? 🐾♥️

Grab a snack and think about this: Imagine slamming the brakes on your car over and over again. That’s what your dogs joints, ligaments, and tendons go through with sudden stops and starts. Sharp turns and pivots? They can be just as tough on your pets spine and joints, leading to strains, injuries and contribute to osteoarthritis. Dogs want to please us so much they’ll push past fatigue, upping the risk of getting hurt. Enthusiasm always wins over making good choices in the dog version of rock, paper, scissors. 🪨📄✂️

👉 Alternative exercises? A canine fitness and conditioning program, scent training, trick training, brain games and puzzles, obstacle courses, hiking, swimming, treadmill work come to mind. What exercises do you prefer to do with your favourite canine companion? 🐕‍🦺🏞️🌊

02/15/2024

🐾♥️ Canine cardiovascular health refers to the overall well-being of a dogs heart and circulatory system. It encompasses various aspects such as the heart structure, function, and the health of blood vessels. Maintaining good cardiovascular health is crucial for a dogs overall quality of life and longevity.
👉 Here are some key points:
🎾 Regular Exercise: Dogs need regular exercise to keep their cardiovascular system healthy. Activities like walking, running, and playing help to strengthen the heart and improve circulation.
🐶 Balanced Diet: Providing a balanced diet (including grains) is essential for maintaining a healthy heart in dogs. High-quality dog food that is appropriate for the dogs age, size, and breed can help prevent obesity and other health issues that may strain the heart.
🩺 Regular Veterinary Check-ups: Regular check-ups with a veterinarian are important for monitoring a dogs cardiovascular health. Routine examinations can help detect any potential issues early on, allowing for prompt treatment and management.
🪱 Heartworm Prevention: Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition that can affect dogs. Prevention measures, such as regular administration of heartworm preventatives prescribed by a veterinarian, are crucial for protecting a dogs heart health.
🔎 Monitoring Symptoms: It’s important for dog owners to be aware of potential signs of cardiovascular problems, including coughing, difficulty breathing, fatigue, fainting, and decreased exercise tolerance. If any of these symptoms are observed, prompt veterinary attention is necessary.
🦷 Maintaining Dental Health 🪥
Dental disease can contribute to cardiovascular issues in dogs. Regular dental care, including brushing the dogs teeth and providing dental treats, can help prevent dental problems and reduce the risk of heart-related complications.
🧬 Genetic Factors: Some breeds are predisposed to certain cardiovascular conditions, such as mitral valve disease or dilated cardiomyopathy. Knowing the breeds predispositions can help in early detection and proactive management.
♥️ Overall, proactive care, including a healthy diet, regular exercise, preventive measures, and regular veterinary check-ups, plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal cardiovascular health in dogs.

12/26/2023

👉 So what about the psoas? 👀🧐🤔💭
There is sooooo much to know! …..and now you can see why Jenn lasers where she lasers and read about why she recommends what she recommends. 🐾
Check it all out right here 👇👇👇

Working and competitive dogs are commonly assessed for muscular strains, with a survey showing that 32% of agility dogs suffered from some kind of orthopedic lameness during the course of their training. Of these dogs, 53% of the lameness was caused by muscle or tendon injuries (Cullen, et al 2013). Further research has revealed that 32% of hind limb lameness involves the iliopsoas muscle group (Carmichael, et al 2015).

The psoas minor arises from the ventral surfaces of the last thoracic and first four lumbar vertebrae and inserts on the ilium adjacent to the iliopubic eminence. The psoas major muscle arises laterally to the psoas minor in the last two thoracic vertebrae, ribs, and most of the lumbar vertebrae. It inserts in common with the iliacus muscle as the iliopsoas on the lesser trochanter of the femur. The iliacus muscle arises from the ilium and fuses with the psoas major muscle to insert on the lesser trochanter of the femur. There is a bursa under the tendon of insertion on the lesser trochanter of the femur (Levine, et al 2014).

The femoral nerve innervates this muscle group, originating from L4-6.

The main function of the iliopsoas muscle is the flexion of the hip joint and adduction and external rotation of the femur. It also plays a vital core stabilization role as it aids in flexion and stabilization of the lumbar spine when the hindlimb is weight-bearing and caudal traction on the trunk when the hindlimb is in extension (Levine, et al 2014).

Read more: https://onlinepethealth.com/what-do-we-really-know-about-iliopsoas-strain/

Paw Prosper FitPaws

12/24/2023

🎄❄️🎁 Happy Pawlidays from TheDreamTeam at Aldergrove Animal Hospital 604 856 7707 and The SPAW, Pet Rehabilitation and Fitness Centre. Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Looking forward to continuing to help keep your pets healthy and happy in 2024.

Wishing you all a safe and wonderful holiday season!
- ❤️ Your Veterinary Team at Aldergrove Animal Hospital and The Spaw🎄🐾