Enhancing Quality of Life Though Cat Rehabilitation Therapy
With each passing year, veterinary medicine becomes more and more advanced. Many of our clients at Curem Veterinary Care are familiar with (or have utilized) rehabilitation therapy for their dogs, but far fewer realize that our cat patients can benefit as well. Read on to learn how feline rehabilitation techniques are improving the lives of cats everywhere.
What Is Feline Rehabilitation Therapy?
When we talk about canine or feline rehabilitation therapy, we are referring to techniques that use knowledge about anatomy and physiology of the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and tendons, and nerves of the body to provide benefits to the patient.
Most akin to dog or cat physical therapy, trained veterinary rehabilitation therapists are able to use their in-depth knowledge of these body systems to help improve the patient’s comfort and well-being.
These techniques help to achieve goals including:
- Optimization of function
- Prevention of injury
- Decreased pain
- Improved healing
Many of the impediments we blame on old age, increased body weight, and old injuries can be overcome, which helps our pet patients have a better quality of life overall.
Cat Rehabilitation Techniques and Benefits
Animal rehabilitation therapy utilizes a variety of techniques, often used in combination, to achieve its end goals. After careful assessment of the patient’s needs, a treatment plan is put into place.
Examples of techniques in a cat physical therapy treatment plan might include:
- Therapeutic massage
- Range of motion exercises
- Therapeutic exercises
- Treatments with therapeutic laser
- Therapeutic ultrasound treatments
- Underwater treadmill sessions
- Acupuncture techniques
- Chiropractic techniques
- TENS therapy
With the educated use of these treatment options, a wide variety of goals can be accomplished. Healthy weight loss, pain reduction, mobility improvement, and feline pain management are often benefits of rehabilitation therapy.
Perhaps most often rehabilitation is used during recovery after an injury or as part of post-operative care for cats after a surgery. Just like you would likely go to physical therapy after a bad accident or a knee replacement, our pet patients benefit from this after-care as well.
Many pets, dogs and cats alike, can benefit from rehabilitation therapy as part of their care plan. Please reach out to us if you have questions about whether it is right for your furry family member. There are several pet rehabilitation facilities in the area to which we can refer your pet if necessary.