Ageing pets experience many of the same problems that humans do as they mature. These changes often result in a decreased quality of life.  Some of the changes that have the greatest impact on your pet's ability to function are: arthritis, muscle atrophy and decreasing nerve function. These problems either  combined or alone may result in difficulty rising, climbing, jumping, running and even walking.  Medications may alleviate some of these signs of ageing but many pets are unable to tolerate the drug's side effects or are unable to start taking these drugs due to liver or kidney problems.

At Healing Touch we address these problems in ways which can improve the function of joints, muscles and nerves. Each therapy plan is based on our evaluation findings and is tailored to the specific needs of the patient. Most therapy sessions for geriatric patients start with a warm up to help control pain, improve circulation and increase joint movement. The warm up could include massage, joint mobilization, the application of heat, passive stretching and a session in the whirlpool. After the warm up, an exercise program will be used to strengthen muscles and supportive tissues of the body along with improving nerve function. Zero impact exercise in the heated indoor swimming pool or low impact exercise in the underwater treadmill is frequently used to minimize the irritation to arthritic joints that frequently occurs in regular exercise.