ER Vet Physio

07/09/2026

Welcome back to the 2nd post of the series of signs your dog may be in pain. This week is about movement or more accurately known as lameness.

Lameness can be defined as an abnormal gait, stance, or way of moving caused by pain, injury, weakness, or physical dysfunction in one or more limbs. However, some conditions like arthritis can physically change the joint which can alter how they move, with it being a degenerative condition it may not be possible to remove the lameness completely. This is known as a mechanical lameness, so when their lameness is assessed these types of conditions are taken into consideration. With physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, veterinary intervention and other complimentary therapies the goal for these dogs are primarily to manage their pain, which improve their lameness. However, particularly with dogs with dogs this may be harder to achieve and instead the goal is to help mange their pain and delay their deterioration. This is why I like to recommend prehab to hopefully reduce the likelihood of things like arthritis developing at an early age. 20% dogs or 1 in 5 dogs have arthritis before age 1! Arthritis isn’t and shouldn’t be an early death sentence. This is why I love and will always recommend Canine Arthritis Management.

If you have a dog with a funky movement that you aren’t sure about I’m more than happy to have a chat and discussion whether they may benefit from a vet assessment. Legally I require vet consent to work with an animals with diagnosed or suspected conditions, but I’m more than happy to work with you and your dog and vet to get the best plan for them.

01/09/2026

As it is now officially September, we are in pain awareness month! Often it can be difficult to tell if a dog is in pain as they like to hide the fact they are. However, throughout September I am planning on posting weekly content of the top 5 things that can possibly be a sign your dog is in pain.

First up is static and postural signs. Some of these can be really subtle and may not be as extreme as the dogs in the images. Is there anything I’ve missed or you’ve noticed with your own dogs?

30/07/2026

I’ve had a lovely message from one of my newer patients. I’ve never been one to ask for reviews, as I never want people to feel pressured or they have to. However, if anyone does want to, here’s the link to my Google profile review link. Alternatively if you type ER Vet Physio into Google my profile should come up there and then find the review section. It helps to push my online presence to hopefully reach and help more lovely animals.

https://g.page/r/CcHgwJTxedUyEBI/review

20/07/2026

It’s been a while since I’ve shared some general info posts, but after my ride at the weekend I’m going to try to get back to doing it.

I’ve noticed lately more and more people are nervous to over take horses when hacking and hanging back behind them. When I ride, I try and help drivers out where I can, by pulling into passing points, getting as close to the left hand side as possible and calling drivers past when I can see the road ahead is clear. I know a lot of riders are the same. Understandably not everyone is comfortable driving past horses. However, hesitating and sitting behind a horse could actually cause the horse more stress by doing this compared to just over taking, providing it is safe and legal to do so. Due to horses having eyes on the side of their heads they have different blind spots to us, as can be seen in the diagram. When a vehicle sits behind them, they possibly may be able to work out that there is something behind, but not well enough to work out what it is. That combined with the noise of the vehicle is enough to upset any sensible horse if there for longer than necessary. This is due to them being prey animals and it targeting their flight or fight system of their body. I appreciate not everyone believes that horses should be on the road, however with significant reduction of bridle paths, a lot of people’s only option is to ride on the roads. Having said that do I believe every horse should be on the road, no I don’t. Horses should be carefully desensitised to what they may see on the roads. I wouldn’t take a horse on the road that I did not feel was safe. A it’s not fair to put the horse in that position. B it’s not fair to put other road users in that position. C I would rather not risk the chance of getting injured and not being able to work.

So if you’ve been sitting behind a horse and notice them getting upset it may be because they can’t work out what you are. Generally most horses will then settle quite quickly once you have gone past. Please don’t sit behind a horse for the sake of it, watch the rider as most will help you out. Generally riders would rather not hold people up.

Imagine credit: Magazine Equine Vision

09/07/2026

Dr David Marlin is the expert on cooling advice and advises the Olympic committee on competing in different temperatures. What he doesn’t know about thermoregulation isn’t worth knowing! If you’re ever unsure what to do in warm weather please look through his advice.

⚠️ADVICE ON COOLING DOGS YOU SHOULD NOT FOLLOW!!!⚠️

Its seems everyday now there is another viral piece of advice on cooling dogs (or horses) from an "expert" that is dangerously wrong! Here is the latest!

❌"Most dog owners cool their dog down the wrong way"
✅YES, SADLY INCLUDING YOU NICK AND THOR TRAVEL!

❌"Armpits, groin, then chest, underneath their neck, paws"
✅NO, WHOLE BODY.

❌"Not their whole body"
✅YES, THEIR WHOLE BODY!

❌"You do not want to soak them completely"
✅YES YOU DO, IF THEY ARE OVERHEATED!

❌"If you soak them then whats going to happen is the water creates almost like a barrier with their skin and it doesn't allow the heat to release"
✅THIS IS WRONG! WATER COLDER THAN THE DOG COOLS BY CONDUCTION. WATER IS A BETTER CONDUCTOR OF HEAT THAN AIR. WATER EVAPORATES.

💡OVERHEATED DOG💡
✅WET ALL OVER WITH WHATEVER COOL/COLD LIQUID YOU HAVE ACCESS TO
✅OR TAKE INTO WATER
✅SUPPORT HEAD
✅GO TO VET



FREE CONTENT https://askanimalweb.com/managing-dogs-in-hot-weather/

28/06/2026

Where has the time gone! Exactly 4 years ago today I received the news that I had passed my integrated master’s degree in veterinary physiotherapy. Since then I’ve seen a range of different neuromusculoskeletal conditions and the business’s primary focus has become canine therapy. Over these 4 years it’s been a pleasure to be able to help your animals become as comfortable as possible. However, I will never forget the ones that have gone over the rainbow bridge, each one has taught me so much and made me the practitioners I am today. Thank you to every single one of you that has allowed me to see your animals, I really do appreciate being able to continue doing the job I love!

01/06/2026

‼️ Advanced notice ‼️ Monday 13th to the morning of Thursday 16th July I will be away on a training course. If you do want a session that week please let me know sooner rather than later, so I can try to accommodate everyone as best that I can that needs a slot that week. I will still be monitoring calls, messages and emails while I am away. However, they will be long days, so I might not able to get back to you as quickly as I would normally be able to.

18/05/2026

Who’s the face behind the brand, as there’s more to me than just being a veterinary physiotherapist?

Hi I’m Eleanor or El.
👩🏻‍🍳 I’m a keen baker. Celebration cakes are my fav to make, but unfortunately the metabolism isn’t as quick as it used to be. Anyone fancy being a taste tester?
🧘🏻‍♀️ For the past 5 years I have regularly attend Pilates, as it allows me to be able to get in the positions I need to for this job.
👩🏻‍🌾 On a regular basis I help with my friends’ animals on their farm.
🐶 Jack russells and gun dog breeds are breeds that I’ve always had soft spots for.
🏋🏻‍♀️ I have physiotherapy sessions myself, to ensure that I am not over compensating in certain areas. I try to make sure that I practice what I preach.
🐴 At 7 years old I started horse riding, I still ride, but as a happy hacker.

Is there anything you would like to know more on?

P.S. the cake is white chocolate and raspberry ripple.

24/04/2026

Did you know “vet” in my business name does not mean that I am vet? It is actually a shorten prefix for veterinary. This is the same for when a veterinary nurse is called a vet nurse.

Legally only people with human physiotherapy degrees that are also registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can called themselves physiotherapists/physios. However, this is not the same with the veterinary industry, there is currently no legal legislation to protect the titles of veterinary physiotherapists. People with any level of qualifications including those that do not have any, can call themselves any version of the term of animal physiotherapist. This is why it’s so important to understand what qualifications your animal professionals have. Hence why I am a member of RAMP and have always been open regarding my qualifications. If you did want to know more about them, please feel free to check them out on my website. I’ve linked it below.

https://www.ervetphysio.com/qualifications

26/03/2026

I absolutely adore my job being able to help animals maintain their comfort levels particularly in later life. Although, it never gets any easier when their time comes to cross the rainbow bridge. However, having messages like this and seeing the difference of having regular hydro and physio to their quality of life, makes it all worth it.