‘Rehabilitation centre’ for pets with mobility problems

A pioneering ‘rehabilitation centre’ for pets with mobility problems is now available at the Small Animal Teaching Hospital at the University of Liverpool to help treat animals with diseases such as osteoarthritis – which affects approximately 20 per cent of adult dogs and 50 per cent of cats over 10 years of age.

The Hill’s Pet Mobility Centre – the first of its kind in Europe – takes referrals from vets who suspect mobility problems in animals they see in practice. Following the patient’s initial assessment by specialist veterinarians and nurses at the centre, the pets have their lameness evaluated on a gait analysis system to enable their progress to be assessed before, during and after treatment. Therapy usually includes a dietary plan, exercise and physiotherapy recommendations.

One of the first patients to be treated at the centre is Harvey, a six-year-old Chocolate Labrador owned by Gill Derbyshire:

“When Harvey was a young dog he was naturally lively and we often took him on long walks in the Lake District; but as his arthritis worsened, we’d have ‘good days’ – when Harvey was running around and fetching a ball repeatedly – and ‘bad days’ when he was off colour with a limp and had to be exercised in the garden. His lack of exercise as a consequence of his mobility problems also meant that he put on a lot of weight. Obviously this was really upsetting, as all we really wanted was for Harvey to be healthy and happy.

“Following the initial tests at the Hill’s Pet Mobility Centre, we were recommended a new diet, and an exercise and physiotherapy regimen, which seems to have really worked. After 21 days on the programme, we’ve got the old Harvey back, and whilst we still have ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days, he’s livelier and a lot happier. We’d definitely recommend the dog food – Hill’s™ Prescription Diet™ Canine j/d™ – to owners whose dogs have osteoarthritis.”

Head of the Hill’s Pet Mobility Centre, Professor John Innes, comments: “Osteoarthritis is an extremely common condition which causes chronic discomfort and reduced mobility in pets. The disease is often found in medium to large breeds, although small dogs can also suffer from osteoarthritis.

“We’ll be using the data from pets being treated at the centre to improve our understanding of diseases, such as osteoarthritis, and the appropriate treatments for these conditions. We hope that this research will lead to an improved standard of living for these pets.”