Frontier Vet Physio

27/07/2023

It is summer, which unfortunately for our four-legged friends means intolerable heat and discomfort.

The condition where someone's body temperature reaches above 40 degrees Celcius is called heat stroke. This can be fatal for our pets! Heat stroke is best prevented by keeping your pets out of the sunshine during the hottest parts of the day, preventing intense exercise in high temperatures, and ensuring your pet has plenty to drink. However, if the worst does happen, its important to know what to do!

The RVC has published new information on heat-stroke treatment in dogs, with evidence showing that the old advice of slowly cooling your pet with wet towels is not adequate. Instead, pets with heat stroke should be rapidly cooled with immersion in water or by evaporation cooling, which is where the animal is cooled by wetting their coat and then using a fan to create air flow. The animal should be cooled before transport to your local vet hospital!

Remember - cool first, transport second.

This lovely infographic by the Kennel Club shows the signs to look for in your dogs during hot temperatures that may indicate heat stroke. Remember, if in doubt, call your vet!

21/03/2023

Massage Therapy with Frontier!

As part of her physio qualification, Emma is able to provide massage therapies to pets!
Massage is a relaxing, hands-on physical tool that is used to relieve tension in the muscles. Massage works by using friction, pressure and movement to release tension in the muscle, which can feel like knots or sore areas. It is excellent for helping to correct muscle overuse, to stimulate underused muscles, to relieve 'trigger points' (which are areas where the muscle fibres have contracted) and to improve blood flow in the area.
Some techniques that are used in massage include:
-Effleurage - stroking patterns across the skin or fur that increase the blood flow and stimulate the area for warm-ups
- Petrissage - movement of the area with increased pressure, using movements such as kneading or rolling the skin
- Percussive - gentle striking actions with cupped hands or the sides of hands to stimulate an area, or to break down fluid
- Compression - high pressure, stationary technique that allows blood flow to an area

Massage therapy is offered as part of our physiotherapy sessions! Why not inquire if you want to know more?
Contact Emma on +44 7507 440783 for more information on Frontier's services!

20/03/2023

This is a great video from Linda Ryan talking about playing with cats!

Playing with your cat can not only build a bond with your pet, but you can also help your cat to develop their muscles with play?

Or, if your cat is older, did you know that watching a toy is still mentally rewarding for your cat? This can be great for your senior cats who might not be so enthusiastic about pouncing, climbing or jumping about so often!

Why not try playing with your cat today?

20/03/2023

Scentwork is an excellent way to give your pup a workout without a long walk!

Not only is scentwork a brain workout for your dog, it is also an important part of their behaviour and letting them sniff leaves your dog feeling great! Scentwork can be as simple as hiding some treats for your dog around the house, or using things tea towels for them to dig under.

If you are trying to cut down your dog's walking time, or if your dog is on limited activity, scentwork can be a good way to tire them out without exerting themselves. Whilst you are on your walk, why not shorten your route and allow your dog the time to smell their surroundings instead?

Credit to Mighty Dog Graphics for the infographic.

With such beautiful weather at the moment why not make the most of it with a 'sniffari' walk- although our walks are limited in distance that doesn't mean they need to be limited in fun!

06/03/2023

Snow and ice is on the way, which means that our arthritic friends are likely to be more sore and stiff than usual.

Arthritis tends to worsen in cold weather, as its thought that cold weather heighens pain perception. This means our friends with arthritis hurt more when its cold. Therefore its important that our furry friends are kept warm in the snow and ice!

Here are some tips to help alleviate some of that extra stiffness in the cold:
- Get your dog a well fitting coat. Coats are good ways to keep the cold and wet away from your pet, and add an extra layer of insulation to the body.
- Use a heat pack to warm up the affected areas. Heat packs should be wrapped in a towel to protect the skin, and only applied for 10-15 minutes. This should warm up the area and reduce the pain.
- Massage sore or stiff areas before your walk or exercise to prepare the area before you go out.
- Restrict tiled areas. Many arthritic animals like to lie on tiled surfaces because its cold - but this can worsen the stiffness they feel in cold weather! A nice comfy bed is much better for them.
- Try some mental stimulation indoors! Trick training, rehabilitative exercise, or even sniff-mats with treats are all excellent ways to keep your pet stimulated and active even without a long walk, which may be more manageable for your pet.

Arthritis can feel like a big thing, but it can be managed effectively. For more information on how physiotherapy can help your pawly pet, contact Emma on messenger or visit our website: www.frontiervetphysio.co.uk

22/02/2023

Worming Reminder!

I have had a report from a local vet that there has been an increase in lungworm cases in the area recently. Lungworm is a parasite that is passed on to your pet when they eat slugs or snails and their slime trails. Lungworm cases can sadly be fatal, so it is really important to stay on top of their flea and worming treatments especially as the warmer months near.

Additionally, check that your wormer covers lungworm as some over-the-counter brands do not kill lungworm. For more information ask your vet about wormers!!

Don't forget to worm your pet!!

14/02/2023

With Valentine's Day and Easter comes chocolate, and with chocolate comes chocolate poisoning. Unfortunately for our furry friends, chocolate is poisonous, and can leave our best friends very poorly indeed. It is important to keep any chocolate far out of reach of any curious noses and always contact a vet if you suspect your beloved pet might have gotten into your Valentine's stash!

In the picture are signs of chocolate poisoning kindly created by the Kennel Club. For more information please see their post or go to thekennelclub.org.uk/chocolate

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. It's usually a day full of love... and chocolate. Chocolate is poisonous to our four-legged friends and can give them a worryingly fast heart rate. On and around Valentine’s Day, make sure to keep all boxes of chocolates out of paw's reach of any dogs.

Find out more about chocolate poisoning: thekennelclub.org.uk/chocolate.

14/02/2023

Happy Valentine's Day to all our pet parents and lovely clients!

How will you be sharing your special day with your beautiful pets?

27/01/2023

This is an excellent post from Canine Conditioning Coach on the East-West angular limb deformity and how conditioning and rehabilitative exercise can be beneficial for these animals.

Canine conditioning should only be done through a custom program with a qualified canine conditioning coach, such as physiotherapists and canine conditioning coaches.

What exactly is "East West"? Does your dog have it? And which conditioning exercises can help?

In dogs, East West is an umbrella term that refers to any external rotation of the thoracic limb that results in the toes facing outward. Nebulous… My favorite🙄🤦‍♀️. Given that there are several distinct postural deviations that cause the toes to face outward, I wanted to cover each, and discuss…

1. Where in the canine anatomy the East West / lateral rotation is stemming from.
2. Help you identify which one your pup might have.
3. Discuss what might be done to improve this postural deviation.

⭐️(Link to the full post, including more descriptive images, and links to exercise tutorials at the bottom go the post)⭐️

1️⃣TYPE 1: TRUE East West / External Shoulder Rotation

In dogs, this East West deviation is sometimes referred to as ‘elbows turned in’ or ‘loose elbows’. But this postural deviation is not technically related to the elbow at all. The elbow is a hinge joint. It does not rotate. Instead, this East West deviation comes from a lateral or outward rotation of the humerus at the level of the shoulder joint. As the proximal humerus rotates laterally, the distal humerus and antebrachium rotate medially. As a result, this postural deviation can be easily identified by a narrowness between the elbows and antebrachium.

2️⃣TYPE 2: Carpal Valgus

Carpal valgus is a lateral deviation of the paw, from the line of the radius / ulna at the level of the wrist (carpal abduction). Dogs with carpal valgus do not display the external shoulder rotation and resulting narrowness as described above, or the dwarf mutation / angular limb deformity covered below. Instead this East West deviation is localized to the level of the dog’s carpus or wrist joint. There are several progressive degrees of this deviation ranging from mild to severe.

3️⃣TYPE 3: Angular Limb Deformity

All chondrodystrophic or dwarf breeds are all affected by some degree of angular limb deformity. This is the result of intentionally breeding the genetic mutation that produces short limbs… which create the breeds’ unique look and function. These genetics cause a premature closure of the distal ulnar growth plate, and a length discrepancy between the radius and ulna, resulting in the East West appearance through the forelimbs of dwarf breeds. As with any genetic trait, this postural deviation can be seen with more mild or more severe characteristics.

❓So what can we do to help dogs with East West Deviation?

The first step is identifying which specific deviation your pup is displaying, and getting checked out by a rehab professional or sports medicine vet to ensure the postural deviation is not the result of a past or current injury. True East West / External Shoulder Rotation and Carpal Valgus deviations are likely to be improved by targeted strengthening exercises.

💪Exercises for East West: External Shoulder Rotation

The following exercises help to address the strength and mobility discrepancy between the muscles in the rotator cuff. In all of these exercises, we are looking for the upper and lower forelimb to demonstrate less external rotation over time. These exercises may have prerequisites, all of which are listed at the bottom of each video tutorial.

📌Fold Back Down
📌Ipsilateral Foot Target
📌Manual Leg Lift
📌Bow

🤌Exercises for East West: Carpal Valgus

The following exercises help to strengthen the musculature on the medial aspect of the carpus. These exercises may have prerequisites, all of which are listed at the bottom of each video tutorial.

📌The Dig Dig exercise activates the caudal thoracic chain which runs along the back portion of the thoracic limb. These muscles have a primary action of carpal flexion, but also support the medial aspect of the carpus and assist in carpal adduction.

In the following exercise, we will leverage the shape of the PawPod to create a carpal bias, which re-aligns the paw, allowing the medial carpal stabilizers to work and strengthen.

📌PawPod Carpal Bias
📌Manual leg lift on Paw Pods

🛑Running in sand or gravel, or feeding from an elevated feeder are often suggested activities to help ‘fix” carpal valgus. And while there may be some mild positive changes attributed to these methods, this is not the best approach. We know from human physical therapy and fitness modalities, that implementing targeted exercise that produces neuromuscular re-education is far superior, faster and more effective long term. Teaching the dog to properly engage the deep and superficial digital flexors is the actual solution to the problem, and carries much less risk than running a dog repeatedly on gravel. For more on this topic, check out my blog post on neuromuscular re-education.

‼️Exercises for East West: Angular Limb Deformity

Dogs with Angular Limb Deformity will also benefit from targeted conditioning exercises, but require a more customized approach, and will see best results by working with a credentialed fitness professional (CPCFT, CCFT, CSCC) or a credentialed rehab professional (CCRP, CCRT) to build a Custom Program.

https://canineconditioningcoach.com/what-is-east-west-in-dogs-and-does-my-dog-have-that/

27/01/2023

Happy Friday everyone!

Its the last Friday of January already! Hasn't it just flown by! On the 5th of February Frontier will be celebrating 2 months of trading. Hasn't that gone quick?

What have you and your pets achieved throughout the month of January? Did you try a new walk? Did you master that tricky obstacle at Agility? Did you gain a new time at flyball? Why not let Frontier know in the comments!

23/01/2023

Core Exercise and the Bow-and-String Theory
You probably know that strengthening your dog's core muscles as part of your exercise regime is super important - but do you know why?
Its called the bow-and-string theory.
Think of a wooden longbow. You have the wooden handle and the string. The wooden handle can be likened to the spine of your dog. The wooden handle is where the power of the bow comes from. Its strong, flexible and doesn't break when pressure is applied. However, the bow does not form the classic shape if pressure is not applied.
The string is likened to the stomach muscles. When pressure is applied to the string of the bow, the wooden handle flexes and forms the power it needs to fire the arrow. This is exactly what happens when the core muscles are activated. The muscles flex the spine, giving it the power it needs to lift the weight of the body and support itself. It prevents the spine from bending towards the ground and becoming weak and painful.

The core muscles are also super important for balance! If your dog is struggling with walking on unstable or thin surfaces, core conditioning might be the best thing to look at.

For more information on core muscle strengthening, why not book a fitness session with Emma? Find out more at www.frontiervetphysio.co.uk

16/01/2023

Personal Time Off

This is just a reminder that Emma will be on annual leave from the 1st February and is returning for bookings on the 6th. Any messages will be responded to after this time. If you have an urgent message please leave her a message on Whatsapp and she will respond as soon as she can.

Thank you!