California Animal Rehabilitation (Santa Monica, California 90404) is southern California’s first physical rehabilitation center for pets as rehabilitation becomes an emerging field in veterinary medicine.
Founded by doctors of veterinary medicine and physical therapy, both certified in canine rehabilitation, CARE offers state-of-the-art therapy targeting pets with chronic, debilitating conditions, recovering from surgery, requiring weight management, or needing sports conditioning.
“Until now, pet owners were left to their own devices to manage a pet’s chronic or post-operative pain,” said Dr. Jessica Waldman, VMD, CVA, CCRT. “We have seen proper rehabilitation programs result in pets having fully-functional and pain-free lives. At CARE we combine an East-West medical philosophy targeting the whole pet, not just one issue. By weighing their medical history, lameness, exercise and nutrition into the rehabilitation process, we have seen a drastic impact on overall healing.”
Studies show that pet rehabilitation can positively impact arthritis, hip and elbow dysplasia, ruptured disks, post-operative recovery, rear limb weakness, and neurological disorders including paralysis. CARE works collaboratively with veterinarians and surgeons to optimize results.
“Rehabilitation means helping a pet regain function, whether it be mitigating pain, increasing range of motion, or enhancing limb use. Normal function prevents compensatory movements which can lead to other lameness.” said Dr. Amy Kramer, PT, DPT, CCRT. “Combining veterinarian care with a physical therapist’s understanding of exercise biomechanics, joint and soft tissue mobilizations, and proper use of modality equipment has shown positive outcomes.”
CARE’s 2600-square-foot facility uses similar devices and techniques found at human physical therapy centers including an underwater treadmill, therapeutic laser, ultrasound and electrical stimulation for pain management, manual therapy and exercises to increase range-of-motion and flexibility, acupuncture, and nutritional counseling.
