At the von Trapp Animal Lodge, we seek to enhance the lives of pets by offering a range of services to promote their physical and emotional well-being.

Our philosophy addresses the "whole patient," rather than one specific problem, thus our rehabilitation programs incorporate a range of modalities that are both physically and mentally rejuvenating.  We believe that this approach results in the improvement of the overall quality of life for our patients. 

Our rehabilitation services are performed by a licensed veterinarian who is certified in canine rehabilitation and acupuncture for companion animals. Our rehabilitation programs are designed to improve strength, flexibility and balance.  Our methods aim to reduce pain and decrease healing time.  We also have specific programs targeted at weight loss.

Rehabilitation Services Include:

• Acupuncture

  • Acupuncture is the insertion of small needles into specific points in the body. The needles cause the release of endorphins which inhibit the transmission of pain signals to the brain. The needles also cause increase of blood and oxygen into tissues, which ultimately aids in healing time. Acupuncture is very relaxing, and we find that most of our patients really enjoy their sessions!

• Electroacupuncture

  • Electroacupuncture is similar to acupuncture in that needles are inserted on specific points along the body. However, with electroacupuncture, small clips are then attached to the needles. The clips are attached to a device that creates electric pulses which can be increased or decreased in intensity depending on the condition being treated. We use electroacupuncture to amplify the effects of acupuncture.

• Laser Therapy

  • Laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Laser therapy is the use of light to relieve pain and stimulate cell function. This therapy works by delivering therapeutic doses of light energy into tissue resulting in a process known as “photo-bio-modulation”. The overall effect is to produce more ATP, which is the energy cells need for repair and rejuvenation. Laser therapy ultimately helps reduce pain and inflammation and increase healing time. Our patients love laser therapy! It is very soothing and relaxing.

• Hydrotherapy (underwater treadmill and outdoor pool)

  • Hydrotherapy, or water therapy, allows pets to achieve a well-rounded workout without the negative impacts on their joints, due to water's natural therapeutic properties: buoyancy and resistance. The resistance of water helps with strength and conditioning, while the buoyancy of water eases the impact exercise has on joints. This makes water therapy ideal for pets with arthritis, overweight pets, or for those suffering from neurological disorders, such as paralysis. However, aquatic therapy can benefit all pets, as it provides a complete and balanced work-out. We utilize hydrotherapy in most of our treatment plans.

• Massage

  • Massage aides in pain management, accelerates healing time and promotes joint flexibility. Massage also improves circulation and lymphatic flow and helps reduce general anxiety. We like to include massage in our therapy plans and find that we can often ease anxiety by offering massage at the beginning and end of treatments.

• Therapeutic exercises

  • We incorporate a wide range of exercises to help with joint flexibility and increase range of motion. Our exercises are tailored to our patients' needs and will typically vary from session to session.

• Stance analyzer

  • We recently added a stance analyzer to our rehab clinic! This equipment allows us to assess how a patient’s body weight is distributed among each limb and allows us to objectively measure rehabilitation outcomes. We typically use our stance analyzer during our initial consultation and at a re-evaluations.

• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

  • PRP is a form of regenerative medicine in which the platelet rich portion of your pet’s blood is injected into joints. PRP helps regenerate and heals tissues by recruiting cells to the area of injury to clean up dead and injured cells and by releasing growth factors which are responsible for tissue regeneration. This procedure is an outpatient procedure that requires sedation. Therapeutic effects last between 6-12 months for dogs with mild to moderate osteoarthritis.

Rehabilitation Pricing: 

We charge rehabilitation by the time spent with your animal, rather than the services provided.  

• Initial Evaluation: $125

• 30 minute rehabilitation session: $75

• 60 minute rehabilitation session: $110

• Single Acupuncture session: $45

• Single Hydrotherapy session (for weight loss/general exercise): $30

• Single land therapy session in gym: $30

• Single laser therapy session: $30-$45

• Stance Analyzer/Reassessment: $20

• Canine massage: $30

• PRP: $500

Rehabilitation packages:

• 10% discount for rehab package of 6 (includes all appropriate modalities of rehab)

• 20% discount for rehab package of 12 (includes all appropriate modalities of rehab)

• 10% discount for 6 sessions of treadmill use, acupuncture or land therapy