Active Pet

04/11/2026

🐾 Acupuncture is clearly exhausting work! 😴❤️

Meet lovely Lacey, who came to see us again today for her regular treatment.

Lacey has degenerative joint disease (DJD), also known as osteoarthritis, affecting multiple joints, so keeping her comfortable and mobile is particularly important.

We use acupuncture as part of her ongoing pain management, helping to support her comfort and quality of life.

And as you can see from this little video, Lacey finds her acupuncture sessions rather relaxing! 🥰

In fact, she was so comfortable that she drifted off to sleep during her treatment. 💤

It’s something we see quite often — many dogs become wonderfully relaxed during acupuncture, and some even have a little snooze!

Acupuncture can be a useful part of a multimodal approach to managing chronic pain, alongside appropriate medication, physiotherapy, exercise modification and other treatments tailored to the individual patient.

And while arthritis can’t be cured, there is often plenty we can do to help our pets stay comfortable and enjoy life.

❤️ Does your dog have arthritis? Have you ever considered acupuncture as part of their pain management?

We’d love to hear your experiences!

22/10/2026

Pet Classics is back for 2026!

Through the whizzes and bangs of fireworks season, we’re creating the ultimate audio sanctuary for pets across the nation with three nights of specially-selected classical music, designed to keep your furry, scaled, and feathered friends calm.

Classic FM presenters Dan Walker, Aled Jones, and Dawn O’Porter will each host a night of the programme, playing calming music and giving personalised dedications to the nation’s pets, with top tips and advice from the RSPCA along the way.

Listen on Global Player, DAB+ and 100-102 FM, on your smart TV, or ask your smart speaker to “Play Classic FM”.

📻 Classic FM’s Pet Classics | Thursday 5, Friday 6, and Saturday 7 November, 5-10pm

14/10/2026

Royal Canin Canine Mobility 12kg – available at Active Pet

Due to a cancelled order, we have two bags of Royal Canin Canine Mobility 12kg available for £50 each.

These are usually £115.80 each, so a great chance to grab a bargain if your dog is on this food.

Only two bags available, so please message us or call the clinic if you would like one or both.

13/10/2026

🐾 **Meet Ronnie — building muscle AND confidence!** ❤️

This handsome boy has had two TPLO surgeries (operations to stabilise his knees following cruciate ligament injuries).

Although Ronnie has recovered from his surgeries, he's still a little stiff and has some muscle loss, particularly in his left hindlimb, which never quite regained its previous strength.

After a couple of weeks of pain relief, we're now ready to start working on rebuilding that muscle and improving his strength and mobility.

But there's something else we need to consider with Ronnie — **he can be a bit of a worrier!** ❤️

And that's absolutely fine. Rehabilitation isn't just about what we want to achieve physically; it's also about making sure our patients feel happy and confident with their treatment.

At his initial assessment, we simply walked Ronnie through the underwater treadmill so he could start getting used to it.

Today, we took things a little further...

🐾 First, we practised walking through the treadmill again, including letting Ronnie go in by himself.

🐾 Next, we closed the door and practised walking on the treadmill without any water.

🐾 Once he'd worked out what was happening (with plenty of encouragement and treats!), he started to relax.

🐾 We then introduced a little water and began a gentle hydrotherapy session, gradually increasing the treadmill speed only when he was comfortable and confident.

And he did brilliantly! 🌟

I was so pleased with his progress, particularly as he'd been a little anxious initially. We finished on a really positive note, with Ronnie having taken some lovely first steps towards rebuilding his strength.

**Sometimes the biggest achievement in a rehabilitation session isn't how far or how fast a dog walks — it's how much confidence they've gained.**

Well done, Ronnie! 🥰

10/10/2026

🐾 Is it a behaviour problem — or could your dog be in pain?

Following our post yesterday about Daphne, whose behavioural changes were one of the most noticeable signs of her discomfort, this research shared by Professor Daniel Mills is particularly interesting.

Two findings caught my attention:

🔹 In a study involving over 2,000 dogs, those showing early fears unrelated to social interactions were more likely to subsequently be diagnosed with musculoskeletal pain.

🔹 In another study, 19 dogs displaying conflict-related aggression showed reductions in both the frequency and severity of biting following the introduction of pain relief alongside other behavioural interventions.

These findings reinforce something we see regularly in veterinary rehabilitation — pain doesn’t always present as an obvious limp or stiffness.

Sometimes the changes are behavioural. A dog may become anxious, withdrawn, irritable, reluctant to interact or less tolerant of handling.

And because dogs cannot tell us where something hurts, these changes can sometimes be mistaken for purely behavioural problems.

This is why I believe a thorough veterinary assessment, including consideration of musculoskeletal pain, is so important when investigating changes in behaviour.

Of course, not every behavioural problem is caused by pain, but we should always consider whether discomfort might be contributing.

🐾 Has your dog ever shown a change in behaviour that you later discovered was related to pain?

I’d be really interested to hear your experiences.

10/10/2026

Get Well Soon Larry 🐱❤️‍🩹🐱

Our Chief Mouser Larry is back at Downing Street following a minor operation, and is recovering well.

He is feline much better but taking things one paw at a time.

We are grateful to the vets for their outstanding care.

09/10/2026

🐾 Could your dog’s behaviour be telling you they’re in pain?

Meet lovely Daphne, who comes to see us for laser therapy to help manage pain affecting her stifles (knees) and back. ❤️

Interestingly, one of the most noticeable signs of Daphne’s discomfort was a change in her behaviour — something that has improved considerably since starting treatment.

We often associate pain with limping or stiffness, but dogs can show discomfort in lots of other ways. They may become quieter, less sociable, restless, reluctant to be touched or simply seem a little different from their usual selves.

🔴 So, what is laser therapy and how does it work?

At Active Pet, we use therapeutic laser as part of our veterinary-led rehabilitation and pain management service.

Laser therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, uses specific wavelengths of light to influence cellular activity. Depending on the condition, it may help to:

🐾 Reduce pain and inflammation
🐾 Support tissue repair and healing
🐾 Improve comfort and mobility
🐾 Help manage chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis

It’s non-invasive, doesn’t require sedation and is generally well tolerated by our patients. It can be used alongside other treatments, including medication, physiotherapy and home exercise programmes.

And here’s Daphne demonstrating just how relaxed a laser appointment can be! 🥰

For Daphne, one of the loveliest changes has been seeing her behaviour improve as she has become more comfortable.

Have you ever noticed a change in your dog’s behaviour that turned out to be related to pain?

We’d love to hear your experiences. 🐾

30/09/2026

Meet lovely Rio ❤️

Rio visited us this week for a rehabilitation assessment following the amputation of his right front leg earlier this year.
He was an incredibly active boy before his surgery, so our aim now is to help keep him as comfortable, strong and mobile as possible while looking after the three legs he relies on.

As part of his visit, Rio had acupuncture and laser therapy and was introduced to our underwater treadmill. He wasn't quite convinced that he actually needed to walk in it on his first attempt 😂 — but he was very brave and happily stood in there while he worked out what this strange new contraption was all about!

We'll take things gently and at Rio's pace, gradually working on his strength, stamina and confidence.

Such a lovely boy — and rather handsome in the treadmill too. 🐾❤️

28/09/2026

So true!

24/09/2026

🐱 **Did you know arthritis is extremely common in cats?**

Meet lovely Gracie, who came to see Philippa yesterday for a veterinary rehabilitation assessment and her first acupuncture and laser treatment. 🐾

Osteoarthritis and chronic joint pain in cats can be surprisingly easy to miss. Cats rarely make it obvious that something hurts — instead, the signs can be much more subtle.

You might notice that your cat is:
🐾 jumping up or down less often, or using intermediate surfaces
🐾 becoming less active or sleeping more
🐾 stiff or slower after resting
🐾 reluctant to use stairs
🐾 grooming themselves less, particularly around their back or hindquarters
🐾 becoming less tolerant of being handled
🐾 having difficulty getting into or positioning themselves in the litter tray

And because these changes often develop gradually, it can be very easy to put them down to **“just getting older.”**

But getting older itself shouldn't hurt.

There are lots of ways we can support cats with arthritis and chronic pain. Depending on the individual cat, this can include medication, changes around the home, weight management, appropriate exercise and rehabilitation, laser therapy and acupuncture.

And yes — **cats can have acupuncture too!** ❤️

Gracie was an absolute star for her first session (you can just see the red needles through her lovely fur in the second picture). We always adapt treatment to the individual patient and, particularly with cats, keeping things calm and allowing them to choose a comfortable position is really important.

We'd love more cat owners to know that changes in mobility aren't necessarily an inevitable part of ageing — and that there may be much more we can do to help keep our older cats comfortable and enjoying life.

**Have you noticed any of these little changes in your cat?**