FAQ’s

Your kid will more than likely need physiotherapy if they have recently suffered an injury or have undergone surgery. Physiotherapy will help enhance the healing process and help them get back to their normal self sooner. Physiotherapy can also help with more chronic, degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis and degenerative myelopathy. I can also help with weight management and fitness and conditioning for the working and sporting kids.

It is difficult to gauge how many treatments your kid will require as each case is very different. For injuries and post-surgical cases, your kid could need up to more than 10 appointments, but for more chronic conditions, it is often recommended that your kid is seen regularly to ensure they are comfortable and live a long and happy life.

For horses regular treatments (every 4-6 months) is recommended so that any subtle changes to the musculoskeletal system can be detected. Detection of sub-clinical issues can be found before they start being painful, and this will allow prompt treatment and return to full performance. Prevention is always better than cure. 

Yes. Under Sections 19 and 20 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, the consent of a veterinary surgeon is required in order for a veterinary physiotherapist to treat your faithful kid. 

Permission can be obtained by downloading a referral form for your vet to fill in and emailing it to me before the first appointment. 

You can get permission by downloading our referral form and asking your vet to sign it and email it back to me at tara@recvetphysio.co.uk, or  get in touch and I can talk to your vet for you! 

The first appointment is slightly longer than the follow up appointments because during this session a full nose to tail assessment of your horse is carried out. This includes palpation, joint range of motion, and checking for muscle asymmetry and dysfunction. I will also chat to you about your kid’s full history, as well as watch them move. Through this, areas of abnormalities and weakness can be identified. Treatment begins straight away, and a bespoke home treatment plan will be created so that you can continue the therapeutic effects at home between sessions. I will fully demonstrate to you all of the exercises and activities to you. Follow up appointments usually are treatments only, with re-assessments carried out regularly throughout their treatment programme to check that we are on the right track to recovery.

Yes the parent or guardian of your kid is required to be present during the assessment and treatments. This is to ensure that an accurate case history can be taken for your kid, and that any ‘homework’ exercises can be shown and explained properly in order to ensure they do a speedy recovery. 

Yes, most insurance companies will cover the cost of physiotherapy treatments providing it is recommended by your vet. However, please contact your insurance provider to be sure that this is the case for your kid. 

Yes. For sporting kids, it is recommended that they take a few days off so that their muscles and soft tissues are able to fully benefit from any treatments given. Muscles can become softer and less powerful in the first couple of days following treatment due to the great relaxation benefit physiotherapy provides. This greatly increases their risk of injury. This can also be the case for working kids, however this will depend on the type of work that they do. For example, low impact work such as a guide dog, can continue to work under light activity, whereas higher impact work such as gundogs and police dogs may need a few days off work.

The amount of time off will depend on the type and severity of the condition that is being treated.

Please ensure that your kid, be it a dog, horse or any animal, is clean and dry prior to the appointment. A dry and well-lit environment will be needed to carry out the treatment. 

Due to COVID-19, the treatment area also needs to be well ventilated, and I kindly ask all parents to wear a mask, socially distance and to limit the number of family members present as much as possible.

If you realise that you are unable to make the appointment, please let me know as soon as possible either by text, phone or email so that the time slot can be offered to another patient in need. If the appointment is cancelled with less than 24hours notice, the full cost of the appointment will be charged. 

Payment must be made at the time of the appointment. Cash or Card payments are accepted. 

I endeavour to see your kid as soon as possible. As soon as the veterinary referral form is received following the initial call, I will try and see your kid as quickly as possible in order to get their treatment underway. 

In order to book an appointment, please contact me directly either by phone, text, email or fill in the ‘Request an Appointment’ form on my website. A veterinary referral form will need to be signed by your vet before we can start treatment, however, I am happy to get this for you if you prefer.  If you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.