If a person gets hurt playing there are numerous health-care professionals here to help. But alongside most of those runners, hikers and snowshoers are pets keeping up with owners who sometimes get hurt too.
Veterinarian Shawna McCall and physical therapist Pat Werner teamed up to open Utah Pet Rehab & Acupuncture Center almost a year ago in an office in Bear Hollow.
They were both subleasing space at the Summit Center and noticed they shared many of the same clients. teaming up, the two have created a one-stop shop for treating pets in post-surgical or post-injury recovery, as well as those with arthritis, weight management problems, orthopedic injuries, neurologic disorders, muscle weakness and more.
“There are a lot of pets and a lot of great owners here,” Werner said.
Both are Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioners. They have years of experience working with animals and people solving health problems; now they’re focusing their efforts on pet rehab.
“It’s a new field in veterinary medicine,” McCall explained. “Owners are very involved in the process. They’re sent home with exercise programs to make sure the dog is healing safely.”
The office is equipped with several stations to help animals relearn basic movements and allow them to return to normal life. Some help a pet adjust to supporting their own wait again, others retrain them how to climb stairs.
The most sophisticated service the duo offers is an underwater treadmill for hydrotherapy.
A dog or cat only has to support 40 percent of their own weight while on the treadmill because of buoyancy. That allows their bodies to remember or relearn how to walk and move their legs or hips after surgery or injury. Animals with arthritis love it because they walk pain-free again. The exercise keeps them healthy regardless of their condition and reverses or slows age-related joint problems.
Sadie, a four-year-old poodle, was on the treadmill Wednesday after surgery on a spinal disc possibly caused by too much jumping, said owner Karen Skinner.
She had no feeling in her back legs and couldn’t stand, added co-owner Cathy Cornell.
“They helped us know what not to do as well as what to do,” Cornell said.
That was crucial because there are many movements that would have been damaging after the surgery that Skinner and Cornell were not aware would be harmful.
For example, because front legs may work but not the rear, cats and dogs want to drag themselves around, which is unhealthy for them, Werner explained. They also want to begin climbing stairs and jumping onto furniture before their wounds completely heal.
These are reasons ownership involvement is so important, McCall explained. Even with their state-of-the-art techniques, what happens at home can be vital to recovery. Part of their job is coordinating that, she said.
Animals that go to rehab tend to heal faster, experience less pain, improved flexibility and mobility, and are better protected against re-injury.
“We started this place to help the large number of active pets and their families in town,” McCall said. “We enjoy the work and the clients.”
There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a person’s joy when a pet takes their first steps again in months.
McCall also offers pet acupuncture and light laser therapies. The animals don’t mind it and feel the benefits right away.
Utah Pet Rehab & Acupuncture Center
5532 Lillehammer Lane Suite 107
435-640-5451
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