ARC - Animal Rehabilitation Centre

16/07/2026

🐾 Let’s Talk Harnesses & Your Dog’s Anatomy 🐾

Did you know that the style of harness your dog wears can influence how they move?

A dog’s shoulder is very different to ours. The scapula (shoulder blade) is designed to glide freely as your dog walks, runs and plays 🐕

Some harness designs, such as Norwegian-style harnesses, have straps that sit across the front of the chest and shoulder region. This may restrict the natural movement of the scapula and limit your dog’s stride.

A well-designed harness, such as a Y-front or H-front style, allows more freedom around the shoulder area while still providing support and control.

When choosing a harness, consider:
✔️ Where the straps sit on your dog’s body
✔️ Whether your dog can move their front legs freely
✔️ Whether their natural walking pattern is maintained

Every dog is unique, and the “best” harness depends on your individual dog’s shape, size and needs. We use a Y front harness in this video and the Ruffwear Frontrange or Flagline are our usual recommendations. Not sure what will best suit your dog? Come see us for expert advice and harness fittings!

02/07/2026

🐴 Dynamic Mobilisation Exercises in Equine Physiotherapy 🐴

Dynamic Mobilisation Exercises (DME) are a simple but powerful way to improve your horse’s strength, posture, flexibility, and overall performance. DME exercises have been shown to activate spinal stabilisers including the mulitfidis muscle and the deep abdominals. Activation of these muscles and completion of these exercises on a regular basis (3 days a week) also improve the dynamic stability of the spine during locomotion.
DME stretches include:
- Head between the front legs (ensure they dont lean back into a 'downward dog', this is more of a 'camel stretch' for an abdominal lift and thoracolumbar flexion of the spine
- Head down and around toward the hock for lateral flexion of the lumbosacral spine

Watch Cuz complete his DMEs for today! Based on clinical assessment, this could be one of the many exercise we prescribe to your horse too.

If you think your horse may benefit from an assessment, contact us on [email protected] or 0407 512 154

25/06/2026

NEW EQUINE REHAB CLIENT

Meet Lily! A beautiful 6 year old OTT mare from Herd Harmony . Lily will be staying onsite here at ARC for 6 weeks of rehabilitation. This will include a Physiotherapy assessment, daily therapy such as massage, activation exercises and a walking program. Stay tuned for updates as we are excited to see the progress we make with this sweet girl!

08/06/2026

At ARC, rehabilitation is about more than simply walking on the underwater treadmill. Every session is carefully adjusted to suit the individual patient, their condition, and where they are in their recovery journey.

While the underwater treadmill is a fantastic tool for improving strength, movement, fitness, and confidence, rehabilitation is rarely a straight line. As patients progress through recovery, we often need to make small adjustments or additions to help them continue improving safely and effectively.

These adjustments can include:
• Small weights on the legs to encourage stability and help improve stride length
• Support bands around the hind legs to assist muscle activation and movement
• Toe-up supports to help patients who drag or knuckle their paws improve paw placement
• Changes to water height, treadmill speed, incline, or session length
• Additional Physiotherapy exercises to target specific weaknesses or movement patterns

Every patient responds differently to rehabilitation. Some progress quickly, while others need more support, encouragement, or changes along the way. Our goal is always to adapt each program to the individual patient and provide the best possible support throughout their recovery journey.

Rehabilitation is not just about exercise, it’s about understanding how each patient moves and making the right adjustments at the right time.

Checkout some examples in how me might make changes to treadmill sessions.

01/06/2026

Meet Trueman💙✨

When Trueman first visited us in October 2025, his family had been told that euthanasia may be the only option. After suddenly losing strength in all four limbs, struggling with balance, tripping during walks and collapsing at times, his future looked uncertain.

But from the very beginning, Trueman still had quality of life, determination, and a family willing to fight for him. Our team believed rehabilitation was worth pursuing. Weekly underwater treadmill sessions and regular Physiotherapy became the focus of his treatment plan.

At his initial sessions, Trueman fatigued quickly, struggled with coordination, and often left his hind limbs behind while walking in the treadmill.

Fast forward several months, and the change has been incredible.

By November, his owners were already noticing huge improvement.
By late November he was described as back to his old self, with minimal knuckling and a family so happy with his progress.
By early this year, Trueman has been enjoying beach walks, improving his strength, and consistently tolerating longer underwater treadmill sessions.

Today, Trueman continues to work hard with weekly hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy support. While he still has challenges at times, he is stronger, happier, and continuing to exceed expectations every step of the way.

Stories like Trueman’s are why we do what we do. Rehabilitation cannot always cure neurological disease, but with the right support, many dogs can regain strength, confidence, mobility, and most importantly, quality of life.

Keep kicking goals, Trueman 💙

14/05/2026

🐴🐴 HIND LIMB ACTIVATION EXERCISE 🐴🐴

The three-legged diagonal push is an exercise we prescribe to a number of our equine clients to target hind limb activation. When gentle pressure is applied the front limb, diagonal weight shift occurs at the hind limb muscles including the gluteus medius and bicep femoris. It also encourages:
- Weight shifting without losing posture
- Activate the core to prevent collapsing through the back
- Stabilise the shoulders and pelvis
- Coordination between the front and hind limbs for balance and proprioception

This is one of many exercises we prescribe as a part of the rehabilitation process for many of the horses we see. Do you think your horse could benefit from hind limb strength? Call us on 5976 1069 or email at [email protected] and we can come to you for an assessment! 💪 💪 💪

03/05/2026

01/05/2026

🐾🐾USE HILLS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE 🐾🐾
Do you have a hilly paddock or driveway? You can use inclined and declined surfaces to challenge your dog.

UPHILL walking helps target gluteus medius and latissimus dorsi activation as well as increased hip flexion compared to flat ground. This allows for more drive through the hind limb which can help with strengthening in conditions like cruciate disease or hip dysplasia.

DOWNHILL walking requires more control of the front limbs and range of motion in the elbows. It optimises the dogs ability to use it's 'breaking' muscles that provide stability to the front limbs during activities such as jumping down (out of the car or off the couch)

These are one of the many exercises we prescribe to our clients. Do you think your dog might need Physiotherapy?
Book with Sarah or Jodie at https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/d5721661-7028-4d17-9b99-5d96e198933d

23/04/2026

IN HAND WALKING AND POLES FOR EQUINE REHAB

When we talk about in-hand walking and pole work in rehab, we’re not just “keeping them moving”, we’re targeting very specific muscle groups that are critical for posture, stability, and correct biomechanics.

🐎 In-hand walking primarily activates important muscle groups including the deep abdominals, thoracic sling stabilisers, gluteals and hamstrings.

🐎 In-hand pole work activates the hip flexors, quadriceps for stifle stability, tendon loading for the distal limbs, balance and proprioception. You can make this exercise simple but this exercise can also be easily progressed to further challenge your horse! This can include increasing or reducing the stride distance, increasing the height or having a mix of the two!

The key takeaway is that although these may look simple, we as Physiotherapists prescribe these exercises in a deliberate way tailored to your horse's needs based on their clinical assessment.

Does your horse need Physiotherapy or maybe benefit from these kind of exercises? Call us to book an assessment on 5976 1069 or email us at [email protected]

16/04/2026

IVDD is something we commonly see here at ARC, particularly with the Dachshund breed. Read more to see what IVVD is and what we can do to help!!
Does your dog have IVDD or need some help managing back pain?
Book a Physiotherapy assessment at: https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/d5721661-7028-4d17-9b99-5d96e198933