FlexiVet Physiotherapy

15/05/2026

Thank you, Angelique, for your lovely review!

11/05/2026

Layla had a TPLO on both of her knees after rupturing her cruciate ligaments.
Thanks to Layla's incredible surgeon, and her owners' dedication, Layla is more comfortable and playful than ever before!

08/05/2026

Arthritis can have a big impact on an animal’s comfort, mobility, and day-to-day quality of life, but there are ways to help support them.

Veterinary physiotherapy may assist by:
• Improving mobility
• Supporting joint health
• Reducing discomfort
• Building strength
• Improving overall comfort and quality of life

Some common signs may include stiffness, difficulty getting up, slowing down on walks, reluctance to exercise, or changes in normal movement.

Early support and appropriate management can make a real difference in helping animals stay more comfortable for longer

06/05/2026

Loki came to me with suspected cervical IVDD (disc herniation in the neck). He was painful, very ataxic (walking wobbly), and tripping or falling with almost every step. His wonderful owners were starting to lose hope as his mobility declined.

With targeted veterinary physiotherapy support, Loki is now moving comfortably, no longer tripping, and is back to functioning almost like the happy, capable dog he should be.

A big thank you to for the stunning photos

30/03/2026

Thank you Linda, for your wonderful review!

Veterinary physiotherapy and appropriate rehab is vital to to the success and optimisation of various orthopaedic surgeries

17/03/2026

12/01/2026

This sweet boy has been so rewarding to work with ❤️

12/01/2026

Thank you for your lovely review, Kristin!

Sweet Willow is such a pleasure to work with!

01/01/2026

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫!
Happy new year, wishing you a wonderful 2025.

I am available for bookings from Mon, 5 Jan. I hope you all had a lovely festive season

20/12/2025

20/12/2025

When we look at this illustration, it becomes clear how dramatically a forelimb amputee must reorganise their body through each moment of the gait cycle just to move forward.

This is not a small adaptation - it is a full-body strategy.

As the dog attempts to “walk,” the head drops and the centre of mass shifts forward and down, placing an enormous load onto the remaining thoracic limb. The thoracic sling collapses, the sternum travels toward the ground. At the same time, the hindquarters elevate to counterbalance the loss of stability in the front.

To lift the forelimb, the dog throws the head up and back, barely generating enough lift for the forepaw to clear the ground and to protract.

Across these two frames, we see a loss of spinal alignment. This dog is unable to maintain a neutral horizontal balance.
The neck, thoracic spine, shoulder, elbow, and carpus take the brunt of this compensation, and over time, this repetitive overload commonly progresses into carpal hyperextension, thoracic sling fatigue, and secondary musculoskeletal pain.

This illustration highlights a key point: These compensatory patterns are not occasional - they occur with every step.

Why this matters for hydrotherapy

This pronounced forward collapse and head-dip strategy is precisely why the underwater treadmill is often inappropriate for forelimb amputees.
To move on a treadmill, the dog must continue to:
👉 Overload the remaining forelimb
👉 Drop the forequarter to stabilise
👉 Rock back and forth to generate forward motion
👉 Reinforce the same dysfunctional pattern we are trying to correct

Because the UWT still requires weight bearing, it forces the amputee to rely on the very compensations that are causing harm. In many cases, it will worsen the asymmetry and accelerate overload injuries.

For these patients, we need an environment where we can:
👉 Fully remove weight bearing
👉 Allow the spine to lengthen into neutral alignment
👉 Encourage true thoracic sling engagement
👉 Support controlled, pain-free joint motion through full ROM
👉 Build strength without reinforcing pathological movement

This is why swimming becomes the most appropriate hydrotherapy choice for many amputees: buoyancy enables us to retrain movement rather than perpetuate compensation.

❓ What gait compensations do you see most commonly in your forelimb amputee patients when they attempt to walk forward?

Onlinepethealth Hydro members can now watch our full webinar “Hydrotherapy for Amputee Patients: Goals, Ethics, and Practical Approaches” with Angela Griffiths in the members library.

Not a member yet? Comment HYD and we’ll send you the registration info.

To learn more, explore our blogs: The Three Strands of Rehabilitation in the Canine Amputee Why Your Amputee Needs a Hydrotherapist. Comment AMPUTEE and we will send you those links :-)