The Vet Physio - SBVP

23/02/2026

We have changes happening. This captures where some of our changes are coming from. We hope you will join us in our forth coming chapter. We will update you all soon

To my self-employed friends — I see you. I am you.

And for those who are not self-employed, this is educational.

When you see a service fee, understand that roughly 30% becomes take-home income.

The other 70% sustains the infrastructure required to operate legally, ethically, and professionally.

* Secure booking systems
* Website hosting
* Licensing and mandatory continuing education
* Liability and commercial insurance
* Facility costs and maintenance
* Vehicle, travel, and farm expenses
* Technology platforms and software
* Sanitation standards
* Payment processing fees on every transaction

In my case, fixed annual overhead exceeds six figures before I pay myself. That does not include corporate and personal tax, CPP (both portions as self-employed), accounting, legal fees, marketing, or equipment replacement.

It also does not include the educational investment behind the work.

To date, that investment is approximately a quarter of a million dollars:

✅ BSc in Kinesiology (UBC)
✅ Human Kinetics diploma (Langara College)
✅ Regulated healthcare license (RMT from WCCMT)
✅ Human Osteopathy diploma in progress (CSO)
✅ Multiple equine certification(s)

**And over 25 years of clinical experience

Maintaining credentials is ongoing.

Initial education is a capital investment.
Continuing education is a recurring operational cost.

And then there is time......

👉 A one-hour human appointment requires nearly another hour behind the scenes for charting, sanitation, billing, and communication.

👉 An equine session includes travel, vehicle costs, assistant support, video review, report writing, and follow-up.

👉 One educational webinar can take 150 hours from research to delivery.

Fees reflect the entire structure — not just hands-on time or one-one time.

Self-employment means carrying the whole system: compliance, risk management, infrastructure, sustainability.

Revenue only exists when work is performed.
Expenses exist regardless.

Pricing is not about what an hour feels worth. It is about sustaining a system built on depth of training, experience, and responsibility.

That is the cost of doing business.

04/02/2026

Canine bodies, like ours, store tension. After busy walks, sports, agility, slips, twists, or simply everyday play, muscles can become tight, sore, or overworked. Left unchecked, this can lead to altered movement patterns, reduced range of motion, stiffness, and eventually injury.

Veterinary physiotherapy helps to:
✔️ Reduce pain and muscle tension
✔️ Improve flexibility and strength
✔️ Restore balanced movement
✔️ Support recovery from injury or surgery
✔️ Enhance performance and comfort in active dogs

Every assessment starts with hands-on palpation like this it’s the foundation of understanding how your dog is truly feeling in their body.

If your dog is slowing down, struggling after exercise, showing stiffness, or just isn’t quite themselves, a physio check could make all the difference.

01/02/2026

There is so much to love about this picture ✨ 📸 ☀️

Sunlight on the sand, rhythm in the walk, and a horse and rider quietly working in harmony in a relaxed frame, it captures exactly what these sessions are about: thoughtful progression, improved movement, and that rewarding sense of accomplishment you feel when everything starts to click into place.

Pro Poles aren’t just about ‘stepping over poles’ they encourage better balance, symmetry, confidence and body awareness for both horse and rider, all within a calm, supportive environment.

Our next Pro Poles session with The Vet Physio SBVP is coming up on 14th March, with limited spaces available. Keep an eye out over the next few days for booking details or keep an eye on , you won’t want to miss this one 👀 🐴

01/02/2026

🐾 🐶 Why “levelling up” the sit matters for canine movement and longevity 💫 🐕

The humble sit is far more than a resting posture, it is a fundamental building block of postural control, functional transitions, and long-term musculoskeletal health.

In the image, we see two versions of a sit: on the left, a free, habitual sit that the dog naturally chooses; on the right, a sit shaped by gentle sensory input within a channelled margin. This supported position is not about creating a “perfect” aesthetic sit, but about short-term motor re-education to help the nervous system and musculoskeletal system find more efficient alignment.

When we refine a dog’s sit in this way, we are encouraging:
• More symmetrical weight distribution through the pelvis
• Improved trunk and pelvic stability
• Better hip/stifle joint loading patterns
• Enhanced engagement of deep postural muscles
• Clearer communication between proprioceptive feedback and motor output

This matters because the sit is a transition posture. Dogs move in and out of it constantly from sit-to-stand, sit-to-down, sit-to-walk, and sit-to-play. If the foundation is uneven or inefficient, those inefficiencies are carried into every movement that follows.

By temporarily guiding the dog into a more balanced sit with appropriate sensory input, we help “re-set” their postural strategy. Over time, this supports more resilient movement mechanics, reduces compensatory strain, and promotes longevity of function.

A well-organised sit is not the end goal, it is the starting point for better whole-body biomechanics.

31/01/2026

Proprioceptive perfection 🤩 in action today with Pro Poles ✨

Absolutely loved seeing this clever pony and rider combo show such beautiful proprioceptive perfection over the poles light, accurate feet, brilliant body awareness and real quality of movement through the back.

These exercises are fantastic for strengthening, coordination and confidence, and it’s always a joy to see horses really think their way through the work.

31/01/2026

What a lovely morning at today’s Pro Pole session 💛 the sunshine even came out for the last day of January ☀️ Starting 2026 with fitness and suppleness 💪

Pro Poles has become a really special branch of my work and one I look forward to every single month. I always come away feeling so fulfilled, both professionally and personally, after spending time with such committed riders and wonderful horses.

A heartfelt thank you to all my regular attendees who show up, put the work in, and make these sessions such a positive, supportive space and to those who recommend me to others, your trust means more than you know. Word of mouth truly helps my little business thrive.

If there’s anything you’d like to see included in future sessions different exercises, themes, or formats please do let me know. I always welcome your ideas! 🐴✨

02/12/2025

A quick biomechanics reality check 🦴 💪

Dogs rely on tiny ligaments, tendons and joint stabilisers to stay upright when things move underneath them.

The above environmental stimuli provides constant instability at a pace dictated by themselves with wobble, slip, scramble, twist, repeat. If this is occurring for 20 min, 1 hour at a time think of the accumulative stressor on that musculoskeletal system.

Those tissues are strong… but not indestructible.
Microstrain becomes pain. Pain becomes injury.
And injury becomes… a visit to a vet and / or me sooner than you think.

To sign off let me assure you the injury occurs in less time than the lengthy rehabilitation period. Is it worth the trade off ⚖️ 🤔

01/12/2025

Let’s talk niche businesses 🗣️

The indoor activity of unstable surfaces, ball pits, slides and alike 🫣 for dogs is clever marketing; I get it. It fills a gap. Generally a human perception gap. I’m on my soap box still … and will be for a little while longer yet.

I’ve already been asked why, when essentially the result for some will feed into businesses such as mine, I have a problem with the activity.

It’s simple. Ethically. I just can not get my head around it! I have no doubt owners would not want to set their pets up to fail. But the hard to stomach truth is by entertaining your dog in this environment and encouraging them to bounce and slide you are.

Our “fun” doesn’t equal their “safe,” and being a niche doesn’t make it right or ethical for the intricate biomechanics of your dog.

Sprains, hyperextensions, ligament micro tears, they don’t care about business trends and are not indiscriminate.

Think with your head, not the hashtag 👑

01/12/2025

Let’s not beat around the bush … soft play looks cute… until it isn’t! 🐕

Are the picture ‘perfect’ social snaps worth it? 📸

Those wavy plastic slides and unstable foam blocks are designed for children’s bottoms, not canine musculoskeletal systems 🦴 💪

Dogs land, twist, brake and scramble in speed and under forces their joints aren’t designed to absorb n surfaces without any form of traction 🐾

From a vet physio perspective?

➡️ Non-traction surfaces + unpredictable movement = sky-high strain on stifles, hips, toes, and spinal stabilisers. Yes SPINE! That’s a big scary word, that’s got your attention 👀 So I hope at the minimum you continue to amuse me and stay with these posts or open up your own up a discussion below 🗣️

It’s cute and funny… until you’re booking a vet assessment 🤔

If we are educating owners of young, old, dysplastic, arthritic (to name a few examples) to cover slip a laminate floors the we should absolutely consider the environment we encourage ‘play’ in!