A tender touch and patience: that’s what it takes to help dogs overcome their aches and pains, according to a New Brunswick physiotherapist who recently opened a canine rehab clinic in Moncton.
“It is all about joint protection and aging well,” said Cynthia Babineau who opened her rehab clinic called Pawsio last October.
Babineau, who has been working with humans as a physiotherapist for 18 years, said she advanced her studies to care for canines after her own dog, Ash, had surgery on his elbows, and she and her partner were unable to find a facility to provide their pet with post-surgery rehabilitation.
She believes that dogs have a right to age well too and said there are only a handful of canine rebab clinics in the country but the therapy is slowly growing in popularity.
“In terms of the 1940’s and 50’s when we were looking at it in terms of oh my dog is not doing well they take care of it. But these days they have more humane ways and looking more into therapy,” she said.
Babineau is currently working with an 8-year-old border collie Australian Shephard mix named Ellie who was born blind and deaf.
Being a herding breed by nature, Babineau said, “She likes to go to the right all the time”.
Carole Hache LeBlanc is Ellie’s owner, “because of that she has a tendency to hurt her legs a lot,” she said.
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Ultra sensitive to touch because of her disability, Babineau has had to win over Ellie’s trust.
“They are kinda going to look at you and hey that kinda hurt and you always thank them afterward. Thank you for telling me I am sorry that I hurt you but we are going to move on, ” she said.
Hache LeBlanc said the therapy is already improving her pet’s mobility.
“She can bend the front leg completely and the back one too everything is a lot better,” she said.
This past week, Ellie graduated to the therapy pool Babineau has on site. She said the water offers benefits that can’t be found on land.
“When you take the gravity away the body may be able to move better more freely,” she said which allows her to work on building stamina. “It is not all dogs that are coming in that are nice and fit and young.”
Babineau still works with humans, but said working with animals who can’t tell you what hurts has only enhanced her skills as a therapist.
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