August 6, 2025 • 26 mins
Vanessa’s world revolves around dogs those she’s rescued, rehabilitated, and loved with her whole heart. In this episode of The Pawsome Companion, we sit down with the woman behind one of South Australia’s most heartfelt dog rescue stories. From facing behavioural challenges to celebrating second chances, Vanessa brings a raw and honest perspective to what it truly takes to care for dogs who’ve been through the wringer. Whether you're a long-time pet owner or considering adoption, her insights are bound to stay with you long after the episode ends
Produced by: Wavebreaker Productions
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Pawson Companion, where
pets are part of our family. I'm
your host, Joanna Herrera, the founder of
Coco & Bondai. I'm very excited to
interview experts and pet owners to
share their stories and insights so you
can use them to take care of your babies.
(00:24):
When something is off, you feel it too.
This is Georgia. She loves walksbeach
runs and chasing the neighbour's
sprinkler. But lately, her limb got
worse. Slower mornings, less tail
wagging and no zoomies. Her humans tried
everything. Then they found Rose Hip
Vital Canine, a natural anti-inflammatory
(00:45):
backed by science. Just weeks later,
Georgia was back on her feet. More
comfort, more freedom and more of the dog
they love. Because when your best mate's
in pain, you'll do what it takes. Rose
Hip Vital. For joints, for life, for
love. Visit rosehipvital.com.au to
find out. Hello, Vanessa. How
(01:07):
are you?Hello, Jenna. Yeah, good, thank
you. Welcome to the Bosun Compania. Thank
you very much. It's great to be here.
Great to have you. So
Vanessa is a highly experienced
physiotherapist with over 20 years of
unique practice and now a certified
canning rehabilitation therapist. Vanessa
began her career helping humans recover
(01:29):
from injuries and return to the
activities they love. But after seeing a
gap in the rehab options for our five
companions, she set out to change that.
She recently completed an intensive
certification through the Cannon
Rehabilitation Institute in the USA,
and launched her very own
(01:49):
practice, A Stronger Host. She's here to
share what doctor rehab really looks like,
how it helps, and what every pet parent
should know about supporting their dogs
around strength, movement, and wellbeing.
Welcome, Anissa, to the show. Yeah, thank
you. Thanks so much. How are you today?
I'm good, thank you. Yeah, busy today,
(02:10):
but good to be here and have Buddy. Yeah,
so tell us, who is this beautiful
baby?This beautiful doggy is Buddy. He's
a greyhound, he's a retired racer, he
didn't actually do any race starts, but
many of them died. uh So he came through
the adoption program. I've had him about
seven years now. And he loves to do his
(02:31):
rehab and swimming and running and have a
lot of fun like dogs do. Amazing. Yeah.
So you were a physiotherapist in the
past?Yeah, and still am, yeah. And you
still are. Yeah. And now you're turning
to the physiotherapist for dogs.
Correct, yeah, canine rehab therapy is a
thing. It's fairly small in Australia,
(02:52):
it's a bit bigger in,quite big in America
and some places like UK and Europe.
Um And obviously we have a lot of dogs in
Australia and you know, dogs get
injuries, dogs need surgeries, dogs need
to improve fitness. So um my
understanding really is the veterinary
profession doesn't do a lot of that.
(03:13):
It's kind of a new thing. Yeah. And
you know, there's really a great transfer
ofphysiotherapy, human physiotherapy
skills into doing, you know, the same
types of techniques and exercises with
our four-legged friends. Absolutely.
So you see this gap in the market. Yeah,
correct. Did you have the opportunity to
go to America to experience that or what
(03:36):
brought you to that idea to start?My
idea really is hanging
around with dogs, my dogs, friends' dogs,
you know, and volunteering with the
greyhounds and it's like,We see them get
injured and certainly we know that in the
greyhound racing industry, they get
injured from time to time. Umm How
can I help them because I can do these
(03:57):
things with humans. So it was trying to
match up what I do for a hobby and
practicing my physio and get now
certified. And there's not many courses
around the world to be honest and there's
none in Australia at the moment at at
veterinary and physiotherapy level.
So I found a course thatis run
(04:18):
from the American Institute and they were
doing some practical courses in
Australia. So I've done that over the
last couple of years and online study and
then finished with my internship, which I
chose to do in USA. Um
There's only about six or seven clinics
in Australia that that are qualified
enough to be able to do it in Australia
(04:38):
and none in South Australia. So I
thought, well, I'm travelling anyway if I
can travel and do it over there at one of
the best centres around. So that's how I
completed that last year and, and yeah,
now I've launched my business and looking
to help as many dogs as I can possibly
do. That is amazing. So,
(04:58):
So what, like, is that a big
difference between rehab
for animals and humans?Like, what is
it?Not Not
a big difference. A lot of the
techniques, like the manual techniques
that we do with physio and joint
assessment and spinal assessment,are
quite similar. Pain
(05:20):
management's a bit different. Obviously
they've got four legs and not two legs.
So looking at how they're walking and
running is a little bit different. Yeah.
But muscles are very similar. Many of the
muscles and things and ligaments are
called the same as what they're called in
human. Umm But some of
the conditions, some of the medical
conditions that dogs have are the same as
(05:41):
humans, but then there's quite a lot of
different ones. So some of the veterinary
medicine isis a lot where I have to
upskill 'cause it's different to human
conditions. But the rehab and the
exercise of, you just
wave a treat in front of them and they do
all sorts of fun things. Absolutely.
So in terms of, I know that you
(06:03):
started business, a strong course.
How long ago did you start this business?
Obviously you finish your course. Yeah,
I'm not excited to start, but you are
doing it at the same time for Gillian. So
when do you start?Yeah, I only started
this year, so it's very new. Okay. And
yeah, I'm in a transition of
transitioning from humans to to canine
(06:23):
while I'm, you know, paying the bills,
you know, a little bit, but yeah. And for
our registration as physiotherapists,
there's a requirement to keep some human
physiotherapy per year for our
registration, but that's a small amount,
so I will keep doing private practise. um
And hopefully I'm looking to be able to
(06:43):
spend most of my time treating our dog
friends. Yeah.
I enjoy to see them, absolutely. So
what are the sort of conditions that you
treat as part of rehabilitation, like
most common ones?Yeah, the most common
ones really are things like dogs get
injuries from different things. They run
(07:05):
and collide with each other, they have,
you know, get run by cars and things
happen. They break their legs, you know
sometimes they have spinal fractures,
things like that, or bad cuts and
lacerations. So they have a lot of soft
tissue and musculoskeletal injuries.
Um you know Sometimes they do things,
(07:25):
you know jump and land, they jump out of
the car too quickly or they land wrong or
they jump you know up and down the stairs
and they injure themselves just in their
home environments, so those types of
injuries we see and treat. um
Surgery is another really common one.
Like ACLs in our knees that humans get
(07:45):
quite frequently from sports and things.
Um Some of the breeds of dog are prone to
getting, they call it a CCL ligament.
It's the same ligament essentially. And
there's some genetic factors and the
disease processes are quite a bit
different in the dogs. And the surgery is
a bit different. But the rehab is
essentially the same. We've gotta get
(08:07):
that knee moving to full movement. We've
gotta get rid of the swelling. We've
gotta build up the muscles around the
leg. We've gotta get them walking on all
four, not just limping and lifting that
one leg. And then obviously getting them
back to running and climbing stairs if
they have stairs at home and things like
that, and twisting and turning. So So the
rehab part of that is actually quite
(08:27):
similar, even though the disease
process and the surgery is actually quite
different. UmmBut that's a very
common thing. Other things dogs we see
commonly are hip dysplasia
and problems with their hip when they sit
and they have one leg sitting out. That's
common in different breeds like Labradors
and so on. We see that a lot. The same
(08:49):
with elbows, we have elbow dysplasia and
the joint doesn't function properly.
Yeah. So those have orthopaedic
surgeries um and
commonly until fairly recent
years,Vets would send them home after
surgery to just rest in a cage or a crate
for six weeks and only be on the lead to
go out to toileting. Umm But we can
(09:11):
do better than that as a society now. We
have a lot more understanding of medical
knowledge from humans. We absolutely can
apply it to these guys to do the
right movements and the right exercise,
do some strategies, some different
techniques to help with pain management
as well. And so, you know, there's
(09:32):
quite a bit of crossover there.
And other things we see commonly are, you
know, one thing I'm quite interested in
with with the dogs is is building
fitness. We have, you know, dogs that
are just not getting enough exercise or
just carrying too much weight. And then
they have similar problems to humans.
They have heart problems, they get
(09:52):
diabetes, they get arthritis is quite
common, osteoarthritis. Umm
And a lot of these things can be
prevented and certainly better managed
with weight management and better
exercise and and helping protect those
joints. So do you feel that even if my
dog is not suffering of a condition,
(10:12):
you can send the dog to rehab
to you know get him shaved, keep that
movement, because I know that there are
so many dogs thatthey're overweight
or they are not as active as other dogs.
That's right. So, yeah. Or probably if
there is an older dog that needs to keep
moving because, you knowThat's right.
(10:33):
Things like that. Yeah, the joints
have issues. As I said, they get
osteoarthritis like we do and we
certainly see that in older populations
of humans. So there's a lot we can do to
keep those joints moving and more
flexible. um and things like that as
well. Yeah, okay.
What are the, like, what people or pet
(10:55):
parents should keep in mind?Like in
terms of what are the things like the
kids that they have to see to identify
that something is wrong with the dogs or
that they actually need to take the dogs
to rehab?I do, yeah. So if
people are seeing things,
wondering why, when should they go to
rehab or when should they give me a call?
(11:17):
It seems like if the dog is having
difficulty getting up from lying down, if
the dog may be having difficulty jumping
up onto the couch or off the couch or the
bed at home. Um
Sometimes the dog doesn't sit evenly
anymore and one of the back legs will
sort of sit out and they'll lean to one
(11:38):
side. Things like that can represent the
dog is having problems with its hip
or having back pain. having different
leg problems, if it's having difficulty
jumping up and down. So there's some of
the key things to look at. If
the dog is having difficulty going up and
down the stairs is probably another one
(11:59):
and they don't walk evenly, they'll start
to bunny hop the back legs and scoop the
back legs, things like that. So they
would be some of the key things I think
people should umm be mindful of. And
if they see that, give me an e-mail, give
me a ring and we can talk through it.
So my question for you would be like,
regarding this type of dogs,
(12:20):
is there any particular breeds, for
example, I know that the social
dogs or the dachshunds, they have got
chocolate, and also they, they
when they jump, sometimes they get
injuries, correct?Is there any older
breed or any particular breed that you
are seeing more that needs that?
So. Not particularly that I see more, but
(12:43):
certainly there's there's some things
that are quite specific to different
breeds. So like the dash hounds, as you
mentioned, they're actually prone to
getting some spinal problems.
So they, they
particularly when they're young, like
three or four years of age, they can get
some spinal issues. Um
(13:05):
Other dogs we see have different
problems. Hip and and gait
problems, walking problems we see from
the German Shepherds. Hip and elbow
dysplasia, so when the elbows aren't
fully bending and straightening or the
hips are sitting out when they're
sitting, we commonly see in Labradors. So
there's been quite specific things we see
(13:25):
to certain breeds with
aging and genetic
type developmental conditions.
I know that for humans, when they go
toRehab. You go
to like, you go to see a doctor, you get
the rehab and everything, but you get
some exercises to get them at home. Yes.
(13:47):
Yeah. So you do that with dogs?Yeah. Do
you train humans as well to, you know?
Correct. Yeah. So part of my service is
assessing the dog, making
recommendations on
best practice in terms of what can help
them with pain management. Um We use
some different strategies around that as
physios. And exercise is very much
(14:09):
is a big part of what what I do and
teaching the the owner what they can do
day-to-day with their dog and showing
them how to do that. And sometimes it's
teaching them how to sit evenly every
time you give them some food and things
like that. Sometimes it's walking and
and getting them moving up and down over
(14:29):
the step or over the curb. So things that
they can bring into their normal day with
their dog. um And then providing them
with some resources. There's some
different YouTubes and online resources
that people can look up and see little
snippets of of videos of dogs doing
exercises and things like that. Yeah, so
what are some of the things like,
(14:51):
obviously you mentioned that you can
bring your dog to rehab even if they
don't have any condition, but what are
the things that probably parents
could start doing since they have their
puppies?to grow like what sort of
exercise and what things you require for
people to do it at home.
(15:14):
He's excited. He's
flooring, yeah. Anxious, yeah.
So yeah, things that people can do at
home from a young age, um
you know, a general fitness, keeping your
dog fit and healthy is the key thing that
people can do. So yeah,
taking them for regular walks,um you
(15:35):
know throwing balls and things are good
but sometimes there's some brains we want
to minimise too much jumping up and down
and catching them. So throwing the ball
up and down but throwing along the ground
so they're not jumping and landing so
much and twisting and things like that.
So there's some some ways to exercise
safely with throwing toys and balls.
(15:57):
Ummyou know, and being safe with them
when they're going swimming or the dogs
like watering, going in the sea or the
river or the swimming pools and things,
so. And some of them,
some, I have seen that some people play
with them throwing the ball. I feel like
too far and I'm like, oh my God, this dog
is gonna, you know?Yeah. Yeah
(16:18):
Yeah And you know, different breeds. It's
knowing what breed suits your family and
getting the right breed for the for the
person. I think earlier on is is quite
important 'cause different breeds need
different exercises. There's no doubt
about that. So for example, what's wrong?
There are breeds like a Jack Russell,
like a Jack Russell and he's
(16:40):
jumping all the time. So do you think
that's normal or should I control him and
say to him, Don't jump too much or what
sort of things?Like, you would recommend
me in this case, if I have a dog that is
jumping all the time, that's his
personality, you knowYeah.
Yeah, look, jumping is something dogs
love to do. But not all of them are safe
(17:02):
as all them. Yeah, that's right. And it's
how hard they jump, how high they're
jumping and how hard they're landing and
things like that. If it's like from soft
lounge to the soft floor, this sort of
height is not so bad that if it's a big
jump ora high car or any sort of dog
would be bad. Well, not any sort of dog,
but you know, bigger dogs can obviously
jump a bit higher and land a bit more
(17:24):
safely from a higher car. So
it's, it's you know you
know I would give specific advice to the
person and their dog at the time, 'cause
a one-year-old dog is different to a
10-year-old dog and and their joints and
so on. So it's about really giving a
person and and the owner and their dog
(17:45):
um something that's specific for for
that dog at that time of their life. It's
not a a recipe one statement for for
one dog. It will change as the dog gets
older and or the person changes and gets
a different car that's much higher than
the smaller car and things like that as
well. Well then the house and they didn't
have stairs and now they have stairs or
(18:07):
the stairs are no longer carpeted and now
they're shining. like wooden floors and
they're more slippery or things like
that. So yeah, sometimes they need some
guidance around that. So some of
that sort of guidance and exercise
advice. So Vanessa, we were talking about
what are the things that pet parents
could do for for dogs.
(18:29):
So is there any recommendation you
can give to pet parents
to make a better place for dogs to
to live?But in terms of,
you know, like a boiling, any sort
of problems or things
that may tend to get injured.
(18:50):
Yeah, I think the key things that that
I've learned along the way are
minimising how high they're jumping.
So then sometimes dogs just,
people throw the balls at the frisbee and
make them jump really high. That's more
at risk than throwing at a lower level.
UmmSometimes people encourage their dogs
(19:11):
to run up and down the stairs in the
house but we see some injuries from that,
particularly if the stairs are slippery
and not carpeted. Umm There's
some of the key things and I think really
it's about, I mean some of the other
conditions we see are just dogs don't get
enough regular exercise and I don't know
the current stats on that but I know
(19:33):
Australia generallywe don't take our
dogs for a walk enough. And a lot of
people have a big backyard, but it's not
necessarily enough. And dogs like that
mental stimulation as well. They like to
slip the trees and the grass and things
and play in the parks or walk along the
beachfront and so on, wherever they live.
(19:54):
Um So that mental stimulation really is
quite important as well. It's not just
getting home from work and throwing a
ball in the backyard a few times and
and wearing him out, is
taking him out to the environment and
making that time and effort. Um
So I think that's that's a really key
thing. And yeah, keeping
(20:15):
dogs to the weight that that they should
be, guided by the dog's veterinarian,
what that dog should be for its its
breed, its age, its
genetics and injuries at that time.
Just like humans, we we tend to
overfeed ourselves a little bit in our
society. We We often overfeed our dogs
and then not exercise them enough. So
(20:38):
really a lot of things can be prevented
from yeah keeping them nice and
healthy and and appropriate weight for
for that breed. Yeah So is there any
minimum that which we
walk our dogs or it depends as well on
the breed?It probably depends a little
bit on the breed. and the age of the dog.
(20:59):
But most dogs you know really would
benefit from a daily walk, at least one.
Some of the more active dogs need a
couple of good walks in a day. And how
long is that walk or how far is that walk
depends on the size of the dog. Obviously
a Greyhound, he's got long legs, but we
talked about their little legs, they
obviously can't go as far. UmYou
(21:20):
know, and and it's really, you know,
being guided by the veterinarian as well.
You know, they're the overseeing
physician of the dog um and I make
recommendations underneath that or more
targeted to the the condition at the
time. Yeah, and also there are dogs
that probably they will tell you
(21:40):
or you can tell how they're feeling about
their work. Yes. If it's too much work,
they will probably be like, I don't want
to work more. Right, yeah. They just
stop, right?They just stop. So I think
it's as well trying to see the signs of
the pets and see how they see their
enjoying. Obviously there are dogs that
don't like walking, right?So what do you
(22:01):
recommend for those dogs that don't like
No walks or walking at all. Not a lot of
things you recommend to dogs for parents
to do for them. Yeah, good question. I
think I think having that understanding
and the closer you have that connection
or that bond with your dog, you can
really read the language of what he is
saying or he or she is saying in terms of
(22:22):
their discomfort or their pain or they
don't like it. But things we
know, I mean, dogs do like to walk, it's
a natural and it's a survival thing. that
when they when they're in pain or injured
or sick in some way, or they just
physically can't and they start to lose
the control of their back legs, then
(22:43):
then they won't want to be walking. So
it's understanding if they're getting to
that point, they really need to be
assessed by the veterinarian and and or
a canine rehab therapist. So it's
it's understandingWhy is my
dog changed today?Why is he different
from his normal attitude?So it's being
(23:04):
in tune with your dog and, and like, you
know, some people, you know, are with
each other and their close family, it
it's, it's having the same sort of
understanding of when we know when
they're not quite right. Yeah. And, And
acting on that, doing something about it.
Yeah. Not just saying, oh, he's just
being lazy today. It's thinking, oh,
that's not quite right. I need to get him
(23:24):
checked out. Yeah.
So to finalise, from where
people can find your services. I know
that you have a new website. So
So what is their website?Yeah, the the
website is just launching currently. It's
strongerpause.com.au.
(23:44):
Um So that'll be coming live literally
today. And my email's
on that, vanessa@strongerpause.com.au.
My mobile's on there as well. So yeah,
Facebook and LinkedIn is coming. It's
just not quite there yet. Um So
yeah, definitely look us up. Happy to
have a chat. Happy to talk
(24:06):
through fitness and exercise. Happy to
do assessments for people if they're
worried about their dog's movement and
and strength and so on. Okay, so I've got
one last question that I want you to
leave to go. If that will, if that
will be one recommendation that you want
to leave to pet parents in general, what 589 00:24:25,1000 --> 00:24:28,840 would it be?I think,
(24:28):
you know, treat your dog as your best
friend. You know, if your dog is injured
in some way or gets some sort of medical
condition, get him to your vet, get
him assist. And don't stop there. Give
him the best treatment because like in
society now we have good treatment, even
in the public system, let alone private
health and physio. Um We have
(24:51):
good system and we have good treatment
available for dogs and and getting them
back to full capacity. Don't just say,
oh, he's just old and he can't get up
anymore. Give him the best, look for the
best treatment to get him back to full
activity. That's an amazing answer. Thank
you so much, Vanessa, for being here. Ohh
Thank you so much. Love to have you here
in Buddy. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, Buddy
(25:12):
had a good time. Recommendations and
hopefully everyone see the video that we
are sharing with the training that you
are doing for Buddy and how we can help
so many animals here in in Australia,
in South Australia. Yeah, happy to help
them. I mean, there's so many. We just
want to help them all have fun, happy
lives. And be strong and fit and healthy
dogs. Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank
(25:34):
you, Joanna. Thank you. Thank you so much
for coming into this episode of The
Possum's Companion. If you have any
further questions for our experts, feel
free to leave them in the show notes or
reach out to me directly. And if you are
a pet expert who loves to contribute to
this podcast, we will be thrilled to hear
from you. Don't forget to follow us
(25:56):
and if you enjoyed today's episode, we
will really appreciate a five star
review. Thanks again and we will see you
at the next episode.
Welcome to the Pawson Companion, where
pets are part of our family. I'm
your host, Joanna Herrera, the founder of
Coco & Bondai. I'm very excited to
interview experts and pet owners to
share their stories and insights so you
can use them to take care of your babies.
(00:24):
When something is off, you feel it too.
This is Georgia. She loves walksbeach
runs and chasing the neighbour's
sprinkler. But lately, her limb got
worse. Slower mornings, less tail
wagging and no zoomies. Her humans tried
everything. Then they found Rose Hip
Vital Canine, a natural anti-inflammatory
(00:45):
backed by science. Just weeks later,
Georgia was back on her feet. More
comfort, more freedom and more of the dog
they love. Because when your best mate's
in pain, you'll do what it takes. Rose
Hip Vital. For joints, for life, for
love. Visit rosehipvital.com.au to
find out. Hello, Vanessa. How
(01:07):
are you?Hello, Jenna. Yeah, good, thank
you. Welcome to the Bosun Compania. Thank
you very much. It's great to be here.
Great to have you. So
Vanessa is a highly experienced
physiotherapist with over 20 years of
unique practice and now a certified
canning rehabilitation therapist. Vanessa
began her career helping humans recover
(01:29):
from injuries and return to the
activities they love. But after seeing a
gap in the rehab options for our five
companions, she set out to change that.
She recently completed an intensive
certification through the Cannon
Rehabilitation Institute in the USA,
and launched her very own
(01:49):
practice, A Stronger Host. She's here to
share what doctor rehab really looks like,
how it helps, and what every pet parent
should know about supporting their dogs
around strength, movement, and wellbeing.
Welcome, Anissa, to the show. Yeah, thank
you. Thanks so much. How are you today?
I'm good, thank you. Yeah, busy today,
(02:10):
but good to be here and have Buddy. Yeah,
so tell us, who is this beautiful
baby?This beautiful doggy is Buddy. He's
a greyhound, he's a retired racer, he
didn't actually do any race starts, but
many of them died. uh So he came through
the adoption program. I've had him about
seven years now. And he loves to do his
(02:31):
rehab and swimming and running and have a
lot of fun like dogs do. Amazing. Yeah.
So you were a physiotherapist in the
past?Yeah, and still am, yeah. And you
still are. Yeah. And now you're turning
to the physiotherapist for dogs.
Correct, yeah, canine rehab therapy is a
thing. It's fairly small in Australia,
(02:52):
it's a bit bigger in,quite big in America
and some places like UK and Europe.
Um And obviously we have a lot of dogs in
Australia and you know, dogs get
injuries, dogs need surgeries, dogs need
to improve fitness. So um my
understanding really is the veterinary
profession doesn't do a lot of that.
(03:13):
It's kind of a new thing. Yeah. And
you know, there's really a great transfer
ofphysiotherapy, human physiotherapy
skills into doing, you know, the same
types of techniques and exercises with
our four-legged friends. Absolutely.
So you see this gap in the market. Yeah,
correct. Did you have the opportunity to
go to America to experience that or what
(03:36):
brought you to that idea to start?My
idea really is hanging
around with dogs, my dogs, friends' dogs,
you know, and volunteering with the
greyhounds and it's like,We see them get
injured and certainly we know that in the
greyhound racing industry, they get
injured from time to time. Umm How
can I help them because I can do these
(03:57):
things with humans. So it was trying to
match up what I do for a hobby and
practicing my physio and get now
certified. And there's not many courses
around the world to be honest and there's
none in Australia at the moment at at
veterinary and physiotherapy level.
So I found a course thatis run
(04:18):
from the American Institute and they were
doing some practical courses in
Australia. So I've done that over the
last couple of years and online study and
then finished with my internship, which I
chose to do in USA. Um
There's only about six or seven clinics
in Australia that that are qualified
enough to be able to do it in Australia
(04:38):
and none in South Australia. So I
thought, well, I'm travelling anyway if I
can travel and do it over there at one of
the best centres around. So that's how I
completed that last year and, and yeah,
now I've launched my business and looking
to help as many dogs as I can possibly
do. That is amazing. So,
(04:58):
So what, like, is that a big
difference between rehab
for animals and humans?Like, what is
it?Not Not
a big difference. A lot of the
techniques, like the manual techniques
that we do with physio and joint
assessment and spinal assessment,are
quite similar. Pain
(05:20):
management's a bit different. Obviously
they've got four legs and not two legs.
So looking at how they're walking and
running is a little bit different. Yeah.
But muscles are very similar. Many of the
muscles and things and ligaments are
called the same as what they're called in
human. Umm But some of
the conditions, some of the medical
conditions that dogs have are the same as
(05:41):
humans, but then there's quite a lot of
different ones. So some of the veterinary
medicine isis a lot where I have to
upskill 'cause it's different to human
conditions. But the rehab and the
exercise of, you just
wave a treat in front of them and they do
all sorts of fun things. Absolutely.
So in terms of, I know that you
(06:03):
started business, a strong course.
How long ago did you start this business?
Obviously you finish your course. Yeah,
I'm not excited to start, but you are
doing it at the same time for Gillian. So
when do you start?Yeah, I only started
this year, so it's very new. Okay. And
yeah, I'm in a transition of
transitioning from humans to to canine
(06:23):
while I'm, you know, paying the bills,
you know, a little bit, but yeah. And for
our registration as physiotherapists,
there's a requirement to keep some human
physiotherapy per year for our
registration, but that's a small amount,
so I will keep doing private practise. um
And hopefully I'm looking to be able to
(06:43):
spend most of my time treating our dog
friends. Yeah.
I enjoy to see them, absolutely. So
what are the sort of conditions that you
treat as part of rehabilitation, like
most common ones?Yeah, the most common
ones really are things like dogs get
injuries from different things. They run
(07:05):
and collide with each other, they have,
you know, get run by cars and things
happen. They break their legs, you know
sometimes they have spinal fractures,
things like that, or bad cuts and
lacerations. So they have a lot of soft
tissue and musculoskeletal injuries.
Um you know Sometimes they do things,
(07:25):
you know jump and land, they jump out of
the car too quickly or they land wrong or
they jump you know up and down the stairs
and they injure themselves just in their
home environments, so those types of
injuries we see and treat. um
Surgery is another really common one.
Like ACLs in our knees that humans get
(07:45):
quite frequently from sports and things.
Um Some of the breeds of dog are prone to
getting, they call it a CCL ligament.
It's the same ligament essentially. And
there's some genetic factors and the
disease processes are quite a bit
different in the dogs. And the surgery is
a bit different. But the rehab is
essentially the same. We've gotta get
(08:07):
that knee moving to full movement. We've
gotta get rid of the swelling. We've
gotta build up the muscles around the
leg. We've gotta get them walking on all
four, not just limping and lifting that
one leg. And then obviously getting them
back to running and climbing stairs if
they have stairs at home and things like
that, and twisting and turning. So So the
rehab part of that is actually quite
(08:27):
similar, even though the disease
process and the surgery is actually quite
different. UmmBut that's a very
common thing. Other things dogs we see
commonly are hip dysplasia
and problems with their hip when they sit
and they have one leg sitting out. That's
common in different breeds like Labradors
and so on. We see that a lot. The same
(08:49):
with elbows, we have elbow dysplasia and
the joint doesn't function properly.
Yeah. So those have orthopaedic
surgeries um and
commonly until fairly recent
years,Vets would send them home after
surgery to just rest in a cage or a crate
for six weeks and only be on the lead to
go out to toileting. Umm But we can
(09:11):
do better than that as a society now. We
have a lot more understanding of medical
knowledge from humans. We absolutely can
apply it to these guys to do the
right movements and the right exercise,
do some strategies, some different
techniques to help with pain management
as well. And so, you know, there's
(09:32):
quite a bit of crossover there.
And other things we see commonly are, you
know, one thing I'm quite interested in
with with the dogs is is building
fitness. We have, you know, dogs that
are just not getting enough exercise or
just carrying too much weight. And then
they have similar problems to humans.
They have heart problems, they get
(09:52):
diabetes, they get arthritis is quite
common, osteoarthritis. Umm
And a lot of these things can be
prevented and certainly better managed
with weight management and better
exercise and and helping protect those
joints. So do you feel that even if my
dog is not suffering of a condition,
(10:12):
you can send the dog to rehab
to you know get him shaved, keep that
movement, because I know that there are
so many dogs thatthey're overweight
or they are not as active as other dogs.
That's right. So, yeah. Or probably if
there is an older dog that needs to keep
moving because, you knowThat's right.
(10:33):
Things like that. Yeah, the joints
have issues. As I said, they get
osteoarthritis like we do and we
certainly see that in older populations
of humans. So there's a lot we can do to
keep those joints moving and more
flexible. um and things like that as
well. Yeah, okay.
What are the, like, what people or pet
(10:55):
parents should keep in mind?Like in
terms of what are the things like the
kids that they have to see to identify
that something is wrong with the dogs or
that they actually need to take the dogs
to rehab?I do, yeah. So if
people are seeing things,
wondering why, when should they go to
rehab or when should they give me a call?
(11:17):
It seems like if the dog is having
difficulty getting up from lying down, if
the dog may be having difficulty jumping
up onto the couch or off the couch or the
bed at home. Um
Sometimes the dog doesn't sit evenly
anymore and one of the back legs will
sort of sit out and they'll lean to one
(11:38):
side. Things like that can represent the
dog is having problems with its hip
or having back pain. having different
leg problems, if it's having difficulty
jumping up and down. So there's some of
the key things to look at. If
the dog is having difficulty going up and
down the stairs is probably another one
(11:59):
and they don't walk evenly, they'll start
to bunny hop the back legs and scoop the
back legs, things like that. So they
would be some of the key things I think
people should umm be mindful of. And
if they see that, give me an e-mail, give
me a ring and we can talk through it.
So my question for you would be like,
regarding this type of dogs,
(12:20):
is there any particular breeds, for
example, I know that the social
dogs or the dachshunds, they have got
chocolate, and also they, they
when they jump, sometimes they get
injuries, correct?Is there any older
breed or any particular breed that you
are seeing more that needs that?
So. Not particularly that I see more, but
(12:43):
certainly there's there's some things
that are quite specific to different
breeds. So like the dash hounds, as you
mentioned, they're actually prone to
getting some spinal problems.
So they, they
particularly when they're young, like
three or four years of age, they can get
some spinal issues. Um
(13:05):
Other dogs we see have different
problems. Hip and and gait
problems, walking problems we see from
the German Shepherds. Hip and elbow
dysplasia, so when the elbows aren't
fully bending and straightening or the
hips are sitting out when they're
sitting, we commonly see in Labradors. So
there's been quite specific things we see
(13:25):
to certain breeds with
aging and genetic
type developmental conditions.
I know that for humans, when they go
toRehab. You go
to like, you go to see a doctor, you get
the rehab and everything, but you get
some exercises to get them at home. Yes.
(13:47):
Yeah. So you do that with dogs?Yeah. Do
you train humans as well to, you know?
Correct. Yeah. So part of my service is
assessing the dog, making
recommendations on
best practice in terms of what can help
them with pain management. Um We use
some different strategies around that as
physios. And exercise is very much
(14:09):
is a big part of what what I do and
teaching the the owner what they can do
day-to-day with their dog and showing
them how to do that. And sometimes it's
teaching them how to sit evenly every
time you give them some food and things
like that. Sometimes it's walking and
and getting them moving up and down over
(14:29):
the step or over the curb. So things that
they can bring into their normal day with
their dog. um And then providing them
with some resources. There's some
different YouTubes and online resources
that people can look up and see little
snippets of of videos of dogs doing
exercises and things like that. Yeah, so
what are some of the things like,
(14:51):
obviously you mentioned that you can
bring your dog to rehab even if they
don't have any condition, but what are
the things that probably parents
could start doing since they have their
puppies?to grow like what sort of
exercise and what things you require for
people to do it at home.
(15:14):
He's excited. He's
flooring, yeah. Anxious, yeah.
So yeah, things that people can do at
home from a young age, um
you know, a general fitness, keeping your
dog fit and healthy is the key thing that
people can do. So yeah,
taking them for regular walks,um you
(15:35):
know throwing balls and things are good
but sometimes there's some brains we want
to minimise too much jumping up and down
and catching them. So throwing the ball
up and down but throwing along the ground
so they're not jumping and landing so
much and twisting and things like that.
So there's some some ways to exercise
safely with throwing toys and balls.
(15:57):
Ummyou know, and being safe with them
when they're going swimming or the dogs
like watering, going in the sea or the
river or the swimming pools and things,
so. And some of them,
some, I have seen that some people play
with them throwing the ball. I feel like
too far and I'm like, oh my God, this dog
is gonna, you know?Yeah. Yeah
(16:18):
Yeah And you know, different breeds. It's
knowing what breed suits your family and
getting the right breed for the for the
person. I think earlier on is is quite
important 'cause different breeds need
different exercises. There's no doubt
about that. So for example, what's wrong?
There are breeds like a Jack Russell,
like a Jack Russell and he's
(16:40):
jumping all the time. So do you think
that's normal or should I control him and
say to him, Don't jump too much or what
sort of things?Like, you would recommend
me in this case, if I have a dog that is
jumping all the time, that's his
personality, you knowYeah.
Yeah, look, jumping is something dogs
love to do. But not all of them are safe
(17:02):
as all them. Yeah, that's right. And it's
how hard they jump, how high they're
jumping and how hard they're landing and
things like that. If it's like from soft
lounge to the soft floor, this sort of
height is not so bad that if it's a big
jump ora high car or any sort of dog
would be bad. Well, not any sort of dog,
but you know, bigger dogs can obviously
jump a bit higher and land a bit more
(17:24):
safely from a higher car. So
it's, it's you know you
know I would give specific advice to the
person and their dog at the time, 'cause
a one-year-old dog is different to a
10-year-old dog and and their joints and
so on. So it's about really giving a
person and and the owner and their dog
(17:45):
um something that's specific for for
that dog at that time of their life. It's
not a a recipe one statement for for
one dog. It will change as the dog gets
older and or the person changes and gets
a different car that's much higher than
the smaller car and things like that as
well. Well then the house and they didn't
have stairs and now they have stairs or
(18:07):
the stairs are no longer carpeted and now
they're shining. like wooden floors and
they're more slippery or things like
that. So yeah, sometimes they need some
guidance around that. So some of
that sort of guidance and exercise
advice. So Vanessa, we were talking about
what are the things that pet parents
could do for for dogs.
(18:29):
So is there any recommendation you
can give to pet parents
to make a better place for dogs to
to live?But in terms of,
you know, like a boiling, any sort
of problems or things
that may tend to get injured.
(18:50):
Yeah, I think the key things that that
I've learned along the way are
minimising how high they're jumping.
So then sometimes dogs just,
people throw the balls at the frisbee and
make them jump really high. That's more
at risk than throwing at a lower level.
UmmSometimes people encourage their dogs
(19:11):
to run up and down the stairs in the
house but we see some injuries from that,
particularly if the stairs are slippery
and not carpeted. Umm There's
some of the key things and I think really
it's about, I mean some of the other
conditions we see are just dogs don't get
enough regular exercise and I don't know
the current stats on that but I know
(19:33):
Australia generallywe don't take our
dogs for a walk enough. And a lot of
people have a big backyard, but it's not
necessarily enough. And dogs like that
mental stimulation as well. They like to
slip the trees and the grass and things
and play in the parks or walk along the
beachfront and so on, wherever they live.
(19:54):
Um So that mental stimulation really is
quite important as well. It's not just
getting home from work and throwing a
ball in the backyard a few times and
and wearing him out, is
taking him out to the environment and
making that time and effort. Um
So I think that's that's a really key
thing. And yeah, keeping
(20:15):
dogs to the weight that that they should
be, guided by the dog's veterinarian,
what that dog should be for its its
breed, its age, its
genetics and injuries at that time.
Just like humans, we we tend to
overfeed ourselves a little bit in our
society. We We often overfeed our dogs
and then not exercise them enough. So
(20:38):
really a lot of things can be prevented
from yeah keeping them nice and
healthy and and appropriate weight for
for that breed. Yeah So is there any
minimum that which we
walk our dogs or it depends as well on
the breed?It probably depends a little
bit on the breed. and the age of the dog.
(20:59):
But most dogs you know really would
benefit from a daily walk, at least one.
Some of the more active dogs need a
couple of good walks in a day. And how
long is that walk or how far is that walk
depends on the size of the dog. Obviously
a Greyhound, he's got long legs, but we
talked about their little legs, they
obviously can't go as far. UmYou
(21:20):
know, and and it's really, you know,
being guided by the veterinarian as well.
You know, they're the overseeing
physician of the dog um and I make
recommendations underneath that or more
targeted to the the condition at the
time. Yeah, and also there are dogs
that probably they will tell you
(21:40):
or you can tell how they're feeling about
their work. Yes. If it's too much work,
they will probably be like, I don't want
to work more. Right, yeah. They just
stop, right?They just stop. So I think
it's as well trying to see the signs of
the pets and see how they see their
enjoying. Obviously there are dogs that
don't like walking, right?So what do you
(22:01):
recommend for those dogs that don't like
No walks or walking at all. Not a lot of
things you recommend to dogs for parents
to do for them. Yeah, good question. I
think I think having that understanding
and the closer you have that connection
or that bond with your dog, you can
really read the language of what he is
saying or he or she is saying in terms of
(22:22):
their discomfort or their pain or they
don't like it. But things we
know, I mean, dogs do like to walk, it's
a natural and it's a survival thing. that
when they when they're in pain or injured
or sick in some way, or they just
physically can't and they start to lose
the control of their back legs, then
(22:43):
then they won't want to be walking. So
it's understanding if they're getting to
that point, they really need to be
assessed by the veterinarian and and or
a canine rehab therapist. So it's
it's understandingWhy is my
dog changed today?Why is he different
from his normal attitude?So it's being
(23:04):
in tune with your dog and, and like, you
know, some people, you know, are with
each other and their close family, it
it's, it's having the same sort of
understanding of when we know when
they're not quite right. Yeah. And, And
acting on that, doing something about it.
Yeah. Not just saying, oh, he's just
being lazy today. It's thinking, oh,
that's not quite right. I need to get him
(23:24):
checked out. Yeah.
So to finalise, from where
people can find your services. I know
that you have a new website. So
So what is their website?Yeah, the the
website is just launching currently. It's
strongerpause.com.au.
(23:44):
Um So that'll be coming live literally
today. And my email's
on that, vanessa@strongerpause.com.au.
My mobile's on there as well. So yeah,
Facebook and LinkedIn is coming. It's
just not quite there yet. Um So
yeah, definitely look us up. Happy to
have a chat. Happy to talk
(24:06):
through fitness and exercise. Happy to
do assessments for people if they're
worried about their dog's movement and
and strength and so on. Okay, so I've got
one last question that I want you to
leave to go. If that will, if that
will be one recommendation that you want
to leave to pet parents in general, what 589 00:24:25,1000 --> 00:24:28,840 would it be?I think,
(24:28):
you know, treat your dog as your best
friend. You know, if your dog is injured
in some way or gets some sort of medical
condition, get him to your vet, get
him assist. And don't stop there. Give
him the best treatment because like in
society now we have good treatment, even
in the public system, let alone private
health and physio. Um We have
(24:51):
good system and we have good treatment
available for dogs and and getting them
back to full capacity. Don't just say,
oh, he's just old and he can't get up
anymore. Give him the best, look for the
best treatment to get him back to full
activity. That's an amazing answer. Thank
you so much, Vanessa, for being here. Ohh
Thank you so much. Love to have you here
in Buddy. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, Buddy
(25:12):
had a good time. Recommendations and
hopefully everyone see the video that we
are sharing with the training that you
are doing for Buddy and how we can help
so many animals here in in Australia,
in South Australia. Yeah, happy to help
them. I mean, there's so many. We just
want to help them all have fun, happy
lives. And be strong and fit and healthy
dogs. Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank
(25:34):
you, Joanna. Thank you. Thank you so much
for coming into this episode of The
Possum's Companion. If you have any
further questions for our experts, feel
free to leave them in the show notes or
reach out to me directly. And if you are
a pet expert who loves to contribute to
this podcast, we will be thrilled to hear
from you. Don't forget to follow us
(25:56):
and if you enjoyed today's episode, we
will really appreciate a five star
review. Thanks again and we will see you
at the next episode.
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