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Kim is Chair of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT). They recently had their annual conference and general meeting. In this episode, we start by discussing what was covered. This leads Kim on to telling us about kinematics, kinetics and force plate analysis. We then discuss a couple of Kim's patients. The Golden retriever who has problems with both her knees that we have discussed previously. Last week Kim did swimming hydrotherapy with her. And the 14-15 kg (!) Maine Coon that Kim has been treating for a few years now after he injured his back at a young age jumping from his tall cat tree. Kim now checks on him every 6 months and he is happy to see her! Please get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

In this episode, we catch up on some of Kim's regular patients including the Coton de Tulear who needs bribing to go down the stairs, the Pug who is a bit wobblier than usual, and the Tibetan Spaniel who needs to spend time on a wobble cushion. We also talk about how good most pet carers are at getting stuck in with their pet's physiotherapy treatments and exercises. And how Kim approaches this to maximise the chances of success. Sorry for the variable sound quality in this episode but Kim was in transit to a conference so we had to make do. To get in touch: please email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

In this episode, we talk about Elbow Dysplasia including: What is it? Which dogs and cats does it tend to affect? What are the consequences and what signs might they show? How is it diagnosed? How is it managed? Click here to read the accompanying blog post. To get in touch with us: please email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet, or use the contact form on the website.

"I've had a good..busy week"! Kim updates us on the progress of her Weimaraner patient with lymphoedema from Episode 31. This week she also revisited a Springer Spaniel with hock osteoarthritis that she had last seen a couple of years ago. And we also hear about a black Labrador who has forelimb lameness. One of the things we touch on is how the behaviour of some dogs can vary depending on whether their carers are in the room or not! To get in touch: email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

This week was a busy week for Kim. In this episode, we catch up on some of her regular patients that she visited for the first time in the New Year. They include the Coton de Tulear who is back to full health now after the pancreatitis scare late last year; the ex-racing Greyhound who had neospora; and, the Whippet who had a fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) some years ago. Kim also updates us on the recovery of a Tibetan Spaniel who had surgery for a spinal (intervertebral) disc problem in December. And the Weimaraner with lymphoedema from the last episode. We also hear about a new patient. A 6-year old Golden retriever who bunny hops on walks after having ruptured the cruciate ligament in both knees over the last couple of years. Kim is hopeful that strengthening exercises will help her. We round the episode off with some general discussions. Thanks as always for listening and look out for the next episode which will be on elbow dysplasia. To get in touch: comment below, email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet, or use the contact form on the website.

Happy New Year! This is our first episode back after the break and we start by discussing what Kim has found as she revisits some of her regular patients. There will be many more updates next week which is going to be a hectic one for Kim! Kim also tells us about a new patient. A 12-year-old Weimaraner who has a very slow-growing mass behind one of his knees. This is preventing proper drainage of blood from below the knee causing swelling (lymphoedema). Kim tells us about her assessment and treatment plan. This is an unusual condition in veterinary patients but apparently, there are physiotherapists who specialise in the treatment of lymphoedema in people! We end by talking about how physiotherapy is a discipline that is very focused on tailoring treatment to individual patients through the use of clinical reasoning. Please do get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website. Thanks as always for listening!

This episode is dedicated to Lumbosacral Disease. We discuss: What it is; Which animals are most affected; What the consequences are and what signs a dog or cat may show; How it is diagnosed; How it is managed; And, what it means for your pet's lifespan; There is an accompanying blog post here. Please get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

In this episode, we get an update on one of Kim's patients who we discussed in the last episode. He was unwell and had been admitted for treatment at his practice. He ended up being referred to a specialist centre but thankfully is on the mend and back home now. Kim tells about a new patient, an older Yorkshire Terrier. He has had 'slipped' kneecaps (luxating patellae) for a long time. This seems to have caused problems in his back which Kim has started to treat. This dog gets very anxious, especially when parted from his carer. We discuss how the presence of strangers and environment (e.g. vet practice vs. home) can affect patient behaviour - and even findings such as blood pressure. We end the episode by discussing the role of physiotherapy in treating patients with luxating patellae. Physiotherapy has a place in dogs being managed without surgery, in preparing dogs for surgery, and in rehabilitating dogs after surgery. Look out for the next episode which is dedicated to lumbosacral disease. Please get in touch with us. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

In this episode, we start off talking about Kim's regular patients. Firstly about how their care plan may change in colder weather. And then about the bond that Kim forms with her patients and the worry when they are not well. We then go on to talk about a couple of the new patients Kim has seen recently. An older chocolate Labrador with arthritis in his front legs. He fell asleep during Kim's treatment - and protested whenever Kim stopped to sip her tea! And a Collie who previously had one of his 'wrists' (carpus) fused after an injury. He developed an infection in the site after the procedure. We end by agreeing that in many things in medicine, a slow and steady gradual approach is best! **Apologies for the sometimes poor sound quality in this episode.** Please get in touch: email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the website contact form.

In this episode, we catch up on some of Kim's regular patients. They all seem to be doing well at the moment. Not least the Labradoodle who was run over by a car that we discussed in earlier episodes. He is doing so well now that Kim has discharged him from her care for the time being. We also ponder why quite a few of Kim's patients seem to fall asleep during their treatments! And talk about modern methods of communicating with clients. Look out for a future episode on Lumbosacral Disease as well. Later this week or for sure soon. Apologies for the less than great sound quality in this episode. Please get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

In this episode we discuss CANINE HIP DYSPLASIA: What it is Why it develops Which dogs are more likely to get it What the potential consequences are What signs an affected dog may show How it is diagnosed How it is managed There is an accompanying blog post here. Please do get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

This episode starts with an update on the Weimaraner we have discussed in the most recent episodes. Unfortunately, he was euthanised this week due to suspected cancer. We go on to discuss considerations around making the difficult decision to euthanise a pet. And how much is it appropriate to put them through. Kim also fills us in on a 9-10-year-old Labrador that she last saw 6-9 months ago and again this week at the request of his carer. He previously had a fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE, see here) and has started limping more at the end of his walks. Please note: there is some noise interference during this part of the call from 11 minutes in. But it does not last for long so bear with us. We finish with an update on some of Kim's regular patients. Please get in touch with us. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

We start by catching up on the elderly Weimaraner we discussed in Episode 23. He is making progress but not without some ups and downs. These relate to his age, other mobility issues and discomfort. Kim will be seeing him again on Monday and we will keep you updated on his progress. During the discussion, Kim mentions the LASER treatment she has been doing with him. You can read more about this therapy here. We go on to discuss the importance of keeping moving during recovery from injury. This is especially true in older patients but applies to everyone. It needs to be balanced with not overdoing it. But leaving an animal immobile is not good for their recovery. While it may seem kinder, especially if they are uncomfortable or reluctant to move, it is not. We then discuss the need to reassess patients and to have a dynamic approach to their management. Every patient is an individual with different environmental factors and pet carers. We round off with a quick update on Kim's regular patients. Please get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

We spend most of this episode talking about an elderly Weimaraner. Kim has been treating him for some time for problems with his back legs. Over the weekend his mobility acutely worsened and he seemed more painful. There was concern that this might be due to a deterioration in his long-term back leg problems. Euthanasia was being considered if his quality of life was going to be affected going forward. On examination, Kim identified a front leg problem as the probable cause of his current deterioration. Kim cannot be sure but suspects a stumble/fall in the garden. So far he has responded well to Kim's treatments and the antiinflammatory pain-killers prescribed by his vet. The hope is that he will recover from this front end problem and return to his baseline quality of life with ongoing back leg management. Kim will be seeing him again in a few days and we will update you in the next episode. At the end of today's episode, we also discuss the importance of the language we use when speaking to non-medical pet carers. How to explain things simply, accurately and realistically. The importance of avoiding both sugar-coating and unnecessary scaremongering! Please get in touch with us. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

In this episode, Kim tells us about a new patient she saw this week. A young Labrador with a history of elbow dysplasia and a current shoulder problem. This leads us on to talking about the use of language in explaining medical conditions. It is actually more informative to keep things simple and use words people will immediately understand. For example, Kim often describes muscles as 'grumpy'! We end with a discussion of the role of physiotherapists in quality of life assessments. Mobility and comfort are two key aspects of assessing quality of life. And physiotherapists are experts in these areas. Please do get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

Sorry, it has been a while since the last episode - last week was hectic!   In this episode, we chat about Kim's patients from last week. In particular, Kim saw a new patient, a lovely Staffie, who had suffered a fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) some years back.   We spend a lot of the episode talking about FCE. You can read the accompanying blog post on FCE here.   Please do get in touch. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or via the website.

This week Kim went back to a home where one of her patients was euthanised last week. We spend some of this episode talking about grief in pets left behind when one of their companions has gone*.   We catch up on some of Kim's regulars and a Weimaraner who fell asleep during his treatment. Kim always takes this to be a good sign!   And Kim lets us know a bit about an upcoming CPD course she is taking near Reading. More on this in due course.   To get in touch: email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or via the website.   (* Shailen is the founder of The Ralph Site, a non-profit pet loss support website and Facebook community:   Website Public Facebook page Private Facebook group)

We did not do any episodes last week. Two of Kim's long-term patients were euthanised and we did not think it was appropriate. But we're back!   In this episode we catch up on some of Kim's regulars. Dogs that have featured several times before and will be familiar to regular listeners.   During the conversation we also touch on:   Fear/insecurity behaviour in some patients Importance of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach Evolving management plans Possible anti-inflammatory effects of tumeric Do get in touch: email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or via the website.

    In this episode Kim lets us know that two of her patients are due to be euthanised next week. Both are patients that she has treated regularly for a long time. This is clearly very difficult not just for their carers but for Kim too. We go on to talk about euthanasia and how often it is due to arthritis and other similar problems.   In this episode we also discuss pet insurance as it relates to physiotherapy. And Kim updates us on a couple of her other regular patients.   Get in touch with us: email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the contact form on the website.

At the start of this episode Kim mentions an elderly Labrador that she is treating. He has skin problems besides his physiotherapy-related condition. He is on steroid treatment for his skin and we discuss steroids at some length later in the episode.   Kim also updates us on a Pug she has been treating for a while after surgery for a 'slipped disc'. Her tail is starting to curl again - listen to find out more!   Kim also tells us about a Dachshund with spinal disc problems. We spend some time discussing why this breed seems to be commonly affected.   Please do get in touch with us. Email vetphysiolife@theralph.vet or use the website contact form.