Services

We are proud to offer Hydrotherapy to our patients based in the beautiful surroundings at our Northop practice, we have a brand new 3m x 1.5m x 1.2m deep, heated (28 – 30 degrees Celsius) hydrotherapy pool. The pool operates on a Referral basis only.

Meet our Hydrotherapists - Lyndsey and Nicola

Benefits of Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is derived from the Greek word meaning 'water healing'. It is controlled aquatic exercise in heated sanitized water. Any treatment in water. It’s particular importance comes about because of the effects of the warmth and pressure of the water and particularly the buoyancy provided.

Some of the main benefits are:

• Non weight bearing exercise
• Relief from pain, swelling and stiffness
• Promotion of relaxation
• Joint mobilisation
• Cardiovascular fitness (heart and lungs)
• Muscle strengthening, maintenance & restoration
• Increase in range of motion of affected joints
• Improved circulation

Buoyancy decreases the loading onto weight bearing joints removes the impact associated with walking on dry land and provided assistance with balance. This helps to reduce pain and can allow easier movement with minimal exercise. The buoyancy of the water will help move the stiff joint with further range of movement with minimal exercise. The warmth of the water will relax muscles by initiating an expansion of surface blood vessels and increasing the skin temperature which can bring about a decrease in pain and muscle spasm. A decreased range of motion can often be due to pain, swelling or stiffness. Stiffness can be eased as the warmth of the water causes blood vessels to expand. Hydrostatic pressure applied by the water can assist in reducing swelling by causing a bodily fluid movement away from the affected area instead of to it. This is increased with exercising the limb to enhance the circulation. 

Hydrotherapy has a whole variety of uses including, but not limited to:

• Pre-operative conditioning such as muscle building and toning, prior to surgery can be effective without further damage to affected joints etc., In certain cases the building up of muscle before surgery can reduce to dog’s rehabilitation time post surgery as well as make the process easier.
• Post-operative rehabilitation for many conditions can be based around or greatly assisted by hydrotherapy. Common examples include cruciate repair, OCD, hip and elbow dysplasia, hip replacement, and general fixation.
• Treatment can also be beneficial in cases of CDRM, arthritis, spondylosis, nerve damage, muscle, tendon and ligament injuries.
• Obesity can be tackled in conjunction with your vest’s recommended diet. The non-weight bearing, non-impact nature of the work in the pool is more gentle to joints and muscles than land based exercise.
• Performance and stamina that are suffering from little more than old age, and perhaps arthritis, can greatly benefit from hydrotherapy treatment. Many dogs in this category start to lose general fitness and muscle tone, as well as put on weight, due to the decreased level of exercise that they can cope with. The non-weight bearing work in the pool, allows the dog to exercise it’s joints more easily, with less pain and through greater movement, therefore building general fitness and muscle tone.

Referral Process

To give your pet the best service we can provide, they must be referred by your Vet. This enables us to look at the clinical history of your pet and begin a programme with achievable goals as discussedwith your vet. Your pet is also deemed fit/able to receive hydrotherapy session. Once we have received the referral information we can then contact you to arrange an initial appointment.

Appointment Procedure

The initial assessment will be about an 1hour, during this hour we will assess your pet as an individual by going through a series of questions and having a chat about your pet in general, taking measurements, physical examination and an introduction to the pool. Please be aware your pet may only enter the water for a very short time on the first appointment the main aim is to familiarise you pet with the pool environment.

Muscle measurement are taken at the first, fifth & tenth session.

A comprehensive report is returned to your vet after the tenth session.

You will also be asked to read the terms & conditions and sign in agreement with them.

Hydrotherapy Sessions

Each session is 30 mins, this will consist of a physical health exam to start, a warm shower to clean the coat and warm the muscles up, fitting of swimming aids, a swim programme tailored to the patient needs and then a warm shower and a dry to finish.

We will usually suggest a 10 block of appointments but we will swim as little or as often as necessary to help your pet return to health or fitness.

Laser therapy or ‘photobiomodulation’ is the use of specific wavelengths of light (red and near infa red) which promotes increased circulation by drawing oxygen and nutrients to an affected area.

This helps to create an optimal healing environment which can help improve healing time, pain reduction, nerve end stimulation, increased circulation and decreased swelling.

Meet Jo, our K-Laser Technician.

What conditions can K-LASER be used to treat?

The therapy can be used for a wide range of condition but is particularly useful in helping to treat osteoarthritis and joint pain. Does it hurt? What can I expect from a treatment session? There is little or no sensation felt during treatment so there is no need for your pet to be sedated or restrained in anyway. Occasionally pets feel a mild, soothing warm or tingling but previous treatments have shown that pets often find the experience pleasant and comforting. It can be used for Arthritis, Joint disease, Wounds, Disc disease, post op incisions, Dysplasia, lick granulomas, reducing inflammation, speeding up healing times and so much more.

Are there any side effects?

This type of treatment has been used for several decades by healthcare providers all over the world and very few side effects have been reported in this time. On occasion, some old injuries or pain syndromes may feel aggravated for a few days as the healing response is more active after treatment. How frequently will my pet need laser therapy and what does it cost? The frequency of treatment depends on your pet’s individual condition and current level of pain. Acute conditions may only require 1 or 2 treatments whilst chronic cases may require many more. Your pet may feel an improvement in their condition after the first treatment whilst others will start to feel the benefit after a few sessions. Your vet will be able to assess your pet’s condition and will discuss their individual treatment plan with you. As KLASER therapy is recognised as a vet prescribed treatment sessions are therefore fully redeemable under most standard animal insurance policies.

Cellular Effect:

Infrared laser photons penetrate deeply into the body and are absorbed at a cellular level. ATP production is enhanced and cell membrane permeability is improved, which increases metabolic activity in the cell. Localised release of nitric oxide causes vasodilation of circulatory vessels, leading to a cascade of beneficial effects for cellular and tissue health.

Therapeutic Effects:

During each painless treatment, laser energy increases circulation, drawing water, oxygen, and nutrients to the damaged area. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduced inflammation, swelling, muscle spasm, stiffness and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, function is restored, and pain is relieved.

Referral to Jo Williams

By email: laser@villagevetcentre.co.uk (please send case history and any radiograph or scan reports)

Or telephone the practice directly on: 01352 840880

Our goal is to provide a quality, efficient and friendly service with emphasis on good communication to the client and referring veterinary surgeon. We have excellent facilities and have recently undergone a complete refurbishment of our theatres, consultation rooms and kennel areas to offer the best possible care.

The surgical service is run by Tom Roberts who is able to offer a number of procedures to investigate and manage most orthopaedic problems in-house. These include, but are not limited to, the list below.

Digital radiography, joint sampling and soon to be supported by a visiting CT scanner.

Fracture Repair

• 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.4mm, 2.7mm and 3.5mm cortical bone plate kits
• 2.4mm, 2.7mm and 3.5mm monoaxial and polyaxial locking bone plate kits
• External skeletal fixation and intramedullary implants

Surgical management of cranial cruciate ligament disease

• Forkless tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA)
• Modified maquet procedure (MMP)
• Tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA Fusion)
• Cranial closing wedge osteotomy (CCWO)
• Tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO)
• Extracapsular techniques (lateral suture)

Surgical management of patella luxations

• Groove deepening and tibial tuberosity transpositions (TTT)

Management of Osteoarthritis

• Autologous Platlet Therapy
• K laser therapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Stem cell therapy

Our soft tissue referrals service is based at our Buckley Hospital (Liverpool Road) with a full range support features. All procedures are performed in one of our state of the art theatres performed by our highly qualified surgical team and supported by a nursing team who are expected in all aspects of surgical care.

Meet Catherine, our specialist Soft Tissue Surgeon

Conditions regularly seen by our soft tissue specialist include:

• Chronic ear infections - Otitis externa/ media
• Salivary gland rupture - Salivary Mucocoele
• Excessive soft tissue in throat - Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome
• Cancer in the oral cavity necessitating mandibulectomy or maxillectomy surgery
• Thyroid cancer

Should a patient require advanced imaging such as CT or MRI as part of the planning stage, this can be discussed and arrangements made accordingly.

Eyes

Periocular surgeries performed by our soft tissue specialist includes:

• Correction of a nictitating gland ‘cherry eye’
• Inward and outward turning eyelids - Entropion and Ectropion
• Eyelid growths
• Facelift surgery
• Reversal of dry eye - Parotid duct transposition

Thoracic surgery

• Removal of a bone stuck in an oesophagus
• Removal of a lung tumour or a twisted lung lobe
• Removal of a lung abscess
• A pebble lodged in an airway
• Correction congenital heart defects
• Management of pericardial effusion
• Correction of vascular ring anomalies.

Abdominal surgery

• Rupture of the spleen or liver
• Diaphragm rupture
• Portosystemic shunt surgery
• Gall bladder/ bile duct obstruction
• Foreign body removal in gastrointestinal tract
• Removal of a diseased kidney, liver lobe or malfunctioning adrenal gland.
• Urinary tract surgery
• Management of peritonitis.
• Tumour removal and reconstructive surgery

Cancers managed by our Soft Tissue Specialists include:

• Mass cell tumours
• Soft tissue sarcomas
• Oral tumours
• Thyroid tumours
• Rib chondrosarcomas
• Abdominal tumours
• Anal gland tumours