From a first puppy check-up into old-age, your general-practice veterinary oversees your dog’s health. Vets prevent disease through immunizations, manage nutrition and diet, and treat illness and injury. Vets advise on pet behaviors, house training and all the little questions about living with our furry friends.
But today’s dog owners not only have a companion in their homes, they have an athlete, a prized breeding animal and a partner in modern dog events like:
- Hunting
- Field Trials
- Lure Coursing
- Agility
- Dock Diving
- Frisbee Tournaments
- Obedience and Rally
- Conformation
- Herding Trials
- And more…
These activities introduce a new set of stress on a dog’s joints, bones and muscles that may change its health in more subtle ways than usually seen in a veterinary office. This is where VIPs comes in to provide complementary health care. We work in conjunction with your vet to improve the overall health of your dog, rehabilitate injuries and help prevent future injury.
VIPs offers a range of physical rehabilitation and performance conditioning services that include:
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic
- Magna Wave pulsed electromagnetic field therapy
- Passive exercises like stretching, trigger point release and range of motion exercises
- Assisted exercises like balance ball exercise, weight shifting and assisted side and cervical flexion and extension exercise
- Active exercises like sit-to-stand strengthening, dancing and wheelbarrowing, cavaletti rails and treadmills
- Heat and cold therapies
- Massage
- And more…
These therapies can be part of an overall conditioning program for healthy dogs or a method of speeding recovery for injured or ill dogs.
The results can be surprising.
- For a lame or injured dog, VIPs may be able to restore normal movement without the long-term use of drugs which often cause side effects over time
- For a performance athlete, VIPs can improve flexibility, biomechanics and strength. As the quality of their movement improves, the dog can become even more graceful and successful.
- For arthritic and overweight dogs, VIPs can coordinate with your vet for a well-rounded approach that includes pain relief, chrondroprotectants, assisted and active therapies. Because VIPs uses therapies that are non-invasive, that are not painful and that have minimal complications.
And most surprising of all…your bond with your dog will grow. VIPs will teach you techniques to enhance your dog’s strength and flexibility at home. These exercises will help you prevent further or future injuries and educate you in what to look for in your dog’s movements and activities. The positive psychological effects for the owner are often as great as the physiological effects on the dogs.
How do you get started? Call VIPs today at (319) 241-0530. We will start with an evaluation and treatment recommendation.
