Laurie's Blogs.
25
Nov 2023
Nov 2023
Bridging the Gap: The Vital Role of Non-Veterinarian Healthcare Professionals in Diagnosing Ailments in Dogs
A colleague of mine sent a patient back to the referring vet recently. The dog was referred for a partial cruciate, but my colleague had concerns that there might also be a soft tissue sarcoma. My initial reaction what, “Geez, I hope the vet takes this well.&rdq...
18
Nov 2023
Nov 2023
DHA for Epilepsy
A friend sent me a link to an interesting research study. (Because when friends know you’re nerdy… this is the kind of thing that you get sent!) Yonezawa T, Marasigan CNBB, Matsumiya Y, et al. Effects of high-dose docosahexaenoic acid supplementation as an...
11
Nov 2023
Nov 2023
A Therapeutic Protocol for Biceps Tendinopathy
Well, I’m biased about this paper already, as I was asked for my input on the original survey before this went out to the ‘actual’ survey subjects. So, I figured that this would be a good topic that goes along with my Four Leg Rehab Minute this week....
04
Nov 2023
Nov 2023
Immune Mediated Polyarthritis in Dogs
To the best of my knowledge, I have only seen two cases of IMPA (immune-mediated Polyarthritis). The first case, I was the one that detected the abnormalities (switching and multiple joint swellings from treatment to treatment) and referred back to the DVM for further inves...
28
Oct 2023
Oct 2023
Growing a Canine Brain
Another interesting blog crossed my path. This one by Dr. Karen Becker.https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/2023-10-16-growing-dog-brain/ So, instead of rehashing the blog above, I thought I’d 1) look at the original research, and then 2) See what else I c...
21
Oct 2023
Oct 2023
Novel reasons why a set of wheels might be beneficial for your canine patient
Perhaps you’ve seen this blog already. I just came across it recently and figured it was too good not to share! https://www.handicappedpets.com/blog/puppy-mobility-loss/ It lists out a number of cases / conditions where a cart / wheelchair might be ben...
14
Oct 2023
Oct 2023
Canine Flexion Test for Orthopedic Joint Pain
I found an article that I wanted to dive into deeper. So, this week’s blog post takes you along that journey with me. Here’s the article:Front Vet Sci. 2022 Dec 15;9:1064795.HistoryThe flexion test comes from equine veterinary practice as a physical examina...
06
Oct 2023
Oct 2023
The tail of two lumbosacral disc disease dogs
On my first day back to work, I had two different dogs booked that morning – both with lumbosacral disc disease. Their trajectory along the therapy / healing process has been interesting, and really does highlight how care needs to be targeted to the dog in front of y...
30
Sep 2023
Sep 2023
Are Routine Radiographs Necessary for Follow Up of Dog Recovering Postoperatively from Medial Patellar Luxation?
A retrospective research study endeavored to answer this question, “Are routine radiographs necessary for follow up of dog recovering postoperatively from medial patellar luxation (MPL)?” I find the question, the scenario, and the outcome fascinating.  ...
23
Sep 2023
Sep 2023
Checkups, Tune Ups, and Maintenance
In the human world, I was taught, that as a physiotherapist, my goal was to treat a patient with the goal to get them to ‘discharge’. Maintenance was frowned upon. Perhaps it was just because insurance companies didn’t want to pay for maintenan...