Appropriate, timely physiotherapy can be beneficial to your pet following a veterinary diagnosis. An individually tailored rehabilitation programme can then be formulated to help recovery and maximise performance.

Dogs have been used by man for many years as a companion animal and more recently for a variety of working and sporting activities which are growing in popularity. The Police, Armed Forces, Prisons, Search and Rescue Units, Hospital and Airports all regularly employ dogs to perform a variety of tasks for the benefit of the general public. Public protection, safety, drugs exposure, rescue and recovery are all tasks which these canines perform on a daily basis. In addition many hospitals and nursing/residential homes use dogs to help promote psychological health and well-being in the human population. Guide Dogs and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf have been a vital part of many people’s lives for many years and dogs are even used by disabled people to help them with tasks in the home they may find difficult, like opening doors.

From a sporting perspective greyhounds and whippets have provided public entertainment on racetracks for years. Gundogs including labradors, spaniels, retrievers and pointers help flush and retrieve pheasants and other birds during the English shooting season. Various types of hounds are used to flush rabbits and foxes to guns as methods of pest control. Dog agility is a popular, enjoyable pastime for many dog owners in the UK and abroad. It tests the skill and relationship between the handler and dog requiring speed, accuracy, and plenty of discipline.

The increasing demands we place on the modern day dog can mean that they are even more susceptible to injuries of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Extra stresses and strains are placed on the muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves which can lead to breakdown, pain and disease. Human athletes would not be expected to perform to the best of their ability with a broken body or one performing sub optimally so why should our canine athletes be any different? Our staff at Linhay have successfully treated a variety of agility and working dogs over the years restoring them to the competition/sporting field.