4 Steps Forward Animal Physio & Rehab

30/07/2026

Think telehealth physio for your pet means guesswork? Think again. 🐾

Fox and Molly Flying Paws Dog Training are in Tasmania (I’m in Western Australia) and distance isn’t a barrier for him making fantastic progress.

Through video, I can watch how your dog moves — their gait, weight-bearing, how they shift through different positions — and pick up patterns that tell me exactly what’s going on. From there, I teach you how to check your own pet at home: where to feel for tension, how to spot the subtle signs of pain most owners miss (and vets don’t always catch on a 10-minute consult).

Then we build your pet’s plan together — massage, gentle mobilisation, and rehab exercises and stretches tailored specifically to them, to improve movement, build strength, and get them back to doing what they love.

All without me ever needing to put my hands on your dog. All from the comfort of your own home. 🏡 As always working collaboratively with your vet when needed to ensure nothing important is missed.

Hands-on expertise doesn’t always require hands-on treatment — it requires the right information, and someone who knows what to do with it.

📲 DM me to book a telehealth session for your pet.

23/07/2026

Want to know an easy check for muscle tightness on your dog?

One of the first things I look for during a physiotherapy assessment is changes in the hair coat. Hair that curls, sticks up, or sits differently from the surrounding coat can sometimes indicate increased muscle or fascial (connective tissue) tension underneath.

Here’s what to look for:
✨ Compare the left side to the right—symmetry is key.
✨ Look for areas where the hair curls or pokes up differently.
✨ Gently palpate (feel) along the muscles and notice if you find any tight bands, twitching, or areas that feel different. Make sure what you’re feeling is repeatable before drawing conclusions.

In this video, you’ll notice Ember communicating with me when I reach a tight area. She moves away and looks back at me, letting me know it’s uncomfortable. Dogs are constantly giving us subtle feedback if we know what to watch for.

Other signs of discomfort can include:
• Lip licking
• Increased panting
• Changes in ear position
• Subtle eye movements
• Moving away from your touch

Give it a try on your own dog and let me know what you find! I’d love to hear if you notice any interesting asymmetries or changes.

⚠️ Remember: This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. If you find persistent tightness, your dog seems uncomfortable, or they’re showing changes in movement or performance, it’s worth having them assessed by your veterinarian or a qualified animal physiotherapist.

16/07/2026

As Sue said. Please look into your animal health practitioners qualifications. As someone with a double degree in both human and veterinary physiotherapy we want to ensure the same standard of care is maintained for all of your pets.

The current industry is unregulated so all you can do is research and advocate for your animals ☺️

Locally in the southwest both myself and South West Animal Physio both have done a 2 year degree in veterinary physiotherapy. That’s 6 years of qualifications, energy, knowledge and a hell of a lot of money/time spent to learn the best for your pets ☺️

Anyone can call themselves a canine therapist here in Australia because there is no regulation in the animal field.

This comes at a time when I am seeing more and more businesses pop up in Perth which made me think, does the public really know WHO they are paying to treat their beloved pets.

Some criteria questions that may help you when choosing your Animal Physio -

1. Ask for their qualifications.

Physiotherapy in animals can really only be provided by a vet ( with canine rehab credentials) or a human physio ( with postgraduate qualifications in veterinary physiotherapy).

2. Ask what insurance they have.

Qualified vet physios need to have professional liability and public liability insurance for professional practice.

3. Who their Regulatory body is.

Vets are governed by Veterinary Surgeons Board and Physios are governed by AHPRA. This means if you have a complaint as an owner about misconduct, you can put in a complaint to the governing boards which keep an eye on us as professional therapists. We are accountable for our actions or mis actions.

4. Ask if they are a Vet Physio or are they actually a soft tissue therapist using physio modalities eg. Massage therapist , Reiki therapist.

In a world where every Tom Dick and Harry can do animal Physio , do check carefully so you get the real deal who can do the RIGHT job for your pets.

09/07/2026

Hills I’ll die on as an animal physiotherapist: A strong dog starts with their diet. 🐾

We can do all the strengthening exercises, manual therapy, and rehabilitation in the world, but if we aren’t supporting the body from the inside out, we’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle.

Throughout my degree, and through everything I’ve learnt from the incredible holistic veterinarian .holisticpetvet I’ve become increasingly passionate about the role nutrition plays in joint health, muscle development, recovery, and gut health. The evidence continues to grow, and I see the benefits in my patients every day.

Ember is the reason this became so important to me. Before seeing Neil and transitioning to Wolfit, she was getting recurring gut issues every six weeks. We were dealing with vomiting, diarrhoea, repeated vet visits, nasty gut bugs, and she lost a lot of body condition. She also suffered from severe skin allergies, licking her elbows raw and developing rashes across her tummy (which you can see how awful it was in the pictures above).

It was exhausting for both of us.

Since starting everything has changed. Her gut has settled, her skin is healthy, she’s maintained great condition, and it’s so much less stressful for the both of us

That’s why I’m so excited to be partnering with Wolfit as a brand ambassador. I only recommend products I genuinely trust, and this one has truly changed our life. The fact that it’s also incredibly easy to feed is the cherry on top.

Healthy movement starts from within.

Use code AMYH to get 30% off your first box, and help your dog from the inside out.

09/07/2026

This is why I do what I do 🥺

As much as I adore seeing your dogs, getting to see them get back into what they love brings me so much joy.

Though I will be sad to not see Kuma’s head ferreting in my Physio bag for the supply of treats, and hear her chorus on my arrival 😂🥲

Go Kuma you good thing 🙌🙌

03/07/2026

Two years of rehab… and yesterday, Evie gave us the biggest “yes” she’s ever given❤️

Progress isn’t always measured in weeks. Sometimes it’s measured in trust, comfort, and the little moments that tell you everything is finally moving in the right direction.

Yesterday was one of those moments.

Over the past two years, Evie and I have worked through a long and challenging rehabilitation journey. Following a car accident, we’ve navigated pain, specialist reviews, medication changes, strengthening, manual therapy, and a few frustrating setbacks. More recently, we also suspected gut issues, which may have been contributing to how uncomfortable she was feeling. Evie is a super special dog. She’s not just adorable but she plays a critical job every day as Elissa’s cardiac alert dog for her POTS (not all heroes wear capes, and some are this cute).

One thing I’ve always loved about Evie is that she tells me exactly how she’s feeling. If manual therapy became too much, she’d simply get up and walk away. That wasn’t being difficult—that was valuable communication, and it’s something we’ve always respected.

For a long time, our hands-on sessions had to stay quite short because that was all she was comfortable with.

Yesterday, everything changed.

After treatment for her gut issues and with her pain now much better managed, we completed nearly 40 minutes of manual therapy—something we’ve never been able to achieve before.

The best part?

She didn’t just tolerate it. She kept choosing to come back, and afterwards we finished with some beautiful straight-line tug, with Evie happily engaging the whole time.

These are the breakthroughs that remind me why rehabilitation is so rewarding. Healing is rarely linear, and sometimes the biggest wins come after months—or even years—of listening, adapting, and never giving up.

I’m so incredibly proud of you, Evie. Here’s to many more moments like this. ❤️

29/06/2026

✨ If your dog’s harness is restricting their movement, it could be affecting every walk. ✨

We’ve just got the latest harness, and I’m so impressed with the updates (and obsessed with the colour).

For deep-chested dogs like Ember, the new design provides even better clearance of the the scapula with very few adjustments, and full clearance of shoulder and elbow flexion during gait. That means more freedom of movement where it matters most, helping dogs move more naturally and comfortably.

One of the reasons I continue to recommend is because Carly is constantly looking for ways to improve an already fantastic product. She’s committed not only to refining her harnesses but also to educating owners about canine movement and biomechanics, and that passion really shows in everything she creates. Also do yourself a favour and watch her super committed videos mimicking poor fitting harnesses 😂

If you’re looking for a harness that supports natural movement without compromising comfort or fit, this one is well worth checking out.

was a bit out of it in the videos as she had a vet visit to get a neurologist referral today for her tremors🤪 appreciate the ease of getting the harness off and on with just clips when she is like that (and not over the head).

💛 Use my code 4stepsforward10 for a discount on your order

11/06/2026

Even animal physios end up on the other side of the treatment table.

Ember’s had a mild forelimb tremor since she was a pup—previously mostly at rest, now more noticeable in standing, with some emerging restriction into carpal extension. Today I also picked up fatigable clonus and an intermittent catch that I can’t consistently reproduce.

So we go back to what we know: assess, test, adjust. For now we’re focusing on controlled stretching for the carpal flexor groups and close monitoring of response. If things don’t settle or evolve, neurology review is the next step.

Not every answer shows up quickly—but the process still moves forward.

Sometimes it’s a process of information gathering to find, and be able to manage the root cause of issues. It’s part of the fun of being a physio 🤪