Oak Vets Hydrotherapy & Rehabilitation Centre

26/08/2026

26/08/2026

🐾 Happy International Dog Day!!! 💚

Today we’re celebrating the wonderful dogs who bring us all so much joy, love and laughter🐶

As a vet rehab team, we love helping your (and our own) dogs move better, feel better and enjoy doing the things they love — whether that’s chasing a ball, going for a walk, exploring new places, or simply getting up comfortably for a cuddle..

Today, give your four-legged friend an extra cuddle, an extra treat (if appropriate😉), and maybe their favourite walk!

Here’s to all the amazing dogs who make our world a better place 🥰🐕

24/08/2026

🐾💚 "Early Intervention" - Don’t wait for a problem to become a problem!

When it comes to your dog’s physical health and mobility, early intervention can make a huge difference 🐶

Rehabilitation and conditioning aren’t just for dogs recovering from surgery or injury. They are incredibly valuable before a problem develops🏃‍♂️🐕‍🦺

🐶 Have a growing puppy? Guided strength and conditioning can help develop strength, coordination, body awareness and confidence as they mature...

🏅 Have a sports or working dog? A tailored conditioning programme can help build strength, improve performance and support the demands placed on their body...

🧓 Have a dog full stop? Arthritis isn't exclusively an old dog disease!! Starting young to maintain muscle strength, mobility and balance can help support independence and quality of life as they age...

🩹Preparing for your dog's surgery? Starting rehabilitation early, under appropriate veterinary guidance, can help build a foundation of muscle growth/strength, and establish a safe pathway back to normal activity...

You don’t need to wait until your dog is in pain or has a significant injury before seeking advice and intervention🚨❌

A veterinary physiotherapist can assess your dog’s movement, identify areas that may need attention, and create an individualised rehabilitation or conditioning plan suited to their age, lifestyle and goals🩺🏋️🐾

Early action can mean better preparation, better support and potentially fewer setbacks later🌟

If you’ve noticed a change in your dog—or simply want to help them stay strong, mobile and active—why not think about getting them assessed 🐾💚

23/08/2026

Some lovely news to end the week! Beautiful girl Trixie has completed her initial block of rehabilitation at The Oak🐾🌳

Following a spinal injury and subsequent neurosurgery, Trixie was referred for rehabilitation with our team. When Trixie started with us at the beginning of June, she wasn't able to stand without a lot of support from her owner🥺

With the total dedication of her family, who have been regularly completing her exercise plan at home and bringing her in for gait retraining in the underwater treadmill, Trixie has made amazing progress! 💪🏼🐶💦

She is now doing most things as she was prior to her surgery — a huge achievement 🎉

It has been a pleasure watching this lovely girl grow in strength and confidence throughout her rehab, and with the dedication of her family we can't wait to see how much stronger she'll get🥰👏🏼🌟🐾

The Oak Veterinary Group 💚

21/08/2026

20/08/2026

Cavaletti poles are a fantastic rehabilitation tool that can help improve proprioception, coordination, balance, limb awareness and controlled movement...🐾

❗But just like any rehabilitation exercise, they aren’t one size fits all. Every patient is different, and cavaletti poles can be adapted in lots of ways — from the height and spacing of the poles to the number of repetitions and the speed of movement, all altering the biomechanical demands of the movement 🐶🐱

That’s where your pet's physiotherapist comes in!💚 They can assess your pet and decide if cavaletti poles are appropriate, how they should be set up, and how to progress the exercise as your pet gets stronger and more confident... When prescribed at the right stage and tailored to the individual, they can be a fun and rewarding way to challenge both the body and brain 🧠💪

The goal isn’t just getting over the poles — it’s helping your pet through supported and controlled movement 🐾

👉 shoutout to lovely girl Eira for demo-ing 🥰

The Oak Veterinary Group

17/08/2026

❌ MYTH: "My dog is just slowing down because of old age-they don't need prescription pain relief."

✅ FACT: "Old age" is an age bracket, not a medical condition. When a senior dog sleeps more, hesitates at the stairs, takes longer to get out of bed, or lags behind on walks, they are showing behavioural adaptations to joint discomfort, not simply "getting old."

Dismissing these mobility and mood shifts as inevitable ageing allows chronic joint inflammation to progress unmanaged.

When dog guardians work with their veterinary team to introduce targeted pain management, they are often amazed to see their dog regain playfulness, curiosity, and zest for life. Pain relief isn't just about extending longevity; it's about protecting daily quality of life.

12/08/2026

🐾 Gorgeous Abbey started with us this week for rehab following her total hip replacement 🦴

🌊 We’re planning to introduce sessions in the water treadmill to support her gait as she continues to heal, while also helping build soft tissue strength and muscle to better support her joints 💪🏼

See you next week lovely girl 🌟🐾

10/08/2026

🐾 What’s under your dog’s feet matters! 🐶

When we think about canine rehabilitation, we often focus on the exercises 💪 — but the surface our dogs move on can also change how their body moves and compensates🦴

🌱 Grass
🛣️ Tarmac & concrete
🪨 Gravel
🏖️ Sand
🌧️ Mud & slippery surfaces

All provide different levels of grip, stability and cushioning.

For a healthy dog, adapting to these surfaces is usually no problem. But for a dog recovering from surgery, managing arthritis, dealing with pain or rebuilding strength, some surfaces can be much more challenging... 🐕‍🦺

🏖️ A walk on firm pavement isn’t the same as a walk through firm sand

🌿 Wet grass isn’t the same as dry grass

🪨 Loose gravel can require much more stability than a predictable surface

So when we’re assessing a dog in rehab, it’s worth looking beyond the exercise itself 👀👇

🐾 What surface are they on?
🦴 How might it affect loading and joint stability?
⚖️ Are they confident, slipping or compensating?

Rehabilitation doesn’t just happen in the clinic, it happens on the floors at home 🏠, in the garden 🌳 and out on walks 🚶‍♀️🐕

10/08/2026

❌ MYTH: "My dog only needs pain medication on the days they seem stiff or limping."

FACT:
Osteoarthritis is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease, not just a bad day here and there. Giving pain relief on an "as-needed" basis leaves pain unmanaged on the days between doses, allowing inflammation to flare up and joint stiffness to build back up.

In addition, intermittent treatment makes it harder to prevent wind-up pain (central sensitisation), where the central nervous system gets stuck in a hyper-sensitive pain loop. Consistent, long-term pain management, under the guidance of a vet, keeps baseline inflammation under control so your dog maintains steady mobility and comfort every single day.