Issue 27 : simplebooklet.com

ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 3Welcome to issue 27A huge thank you, as always to all our writers and advertisers. Whilst a tricky few months with people melting in the heat and juggling school holidays we are as always delighted with the editorial content that hascome together.Therapists are in the ﬁeld day in, day out and every day is a school day so we really can learn from each other. Whether you have been practising for 1 year or 20, your practical experience is valuable, so get in touch and share your ﬁndings.We hope you enjoy this issueTeam Animal Therapy MagazinewelcomecontentsIssue 27September 2022Published QuarterlyHannah AshtonEditor hannah@animaltherapymedia.co.ukBeth LorraineSales Manager info@animaltherapymedia.co.ukTony NevinPodcasts and Research tony@animaltherapymedia.co.ukGET IN TOUCH:While every eﬀort has been made to ensure that information is correct at the time of going to print, Animal Therapy Media Ltd cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any action or decision based on the information contained in this publication/website. The publishers or authors do not give any warranty for the completeness or accuracy for this publication’s content, explanation or opinion. No part of this publication and/or website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of Animal Therapy Media Ltd and/or the authors of the articles within. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing.Front cover image courtesy of: Levi HuntTo subscribe with us or join our mailing lists please visit our website www.animaltherapymedia.co.uk4-7 Photizo Case study: Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats8-9 High Five for One Medicine10-11 How to help a dog with arthritis at home12-14 Canine Massage Guild: Albert’s Story15-17 Does canine hydrotherapy need further enforcement and tighter guidelines?18-19 Retraining of Racehorses: Are you a rider or a trainer?20-22 Equicantis Equine and Canine Exercise Prescription App24-25 Leucillin: Understanding Clipper Rash26-28 Tissue Healing and Electrotherapy29-32 Equestrian Surfaces, the good, the bad and the ugly33 Levi Hunt; Does my bum look big in this? 34 Lady Bathurst launches a new animal charity, The National Foundation of Retired Service Animals (NFRSA)35 Subscribe to Animal Therapy magazine

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 5CASE STUDYFounded in 2003, Buttercups has saved over 800 goats in 35 years. Currently 126 goats live at Buttercups and another 120 live in foster homes in Kent and East Sussex.As goats are generally overlooked in the farming industry, the sanctuary raises awareness and promotes research into understanding this special animal known for being stubborn and full of personality. All the goats remain in Buttercups’ care forever, enjoying a life of enrichment, expert care, pastures and fun. Taking part in many attractions and awareness days for the public that raise funds. Events include: ‘Walking with Goats’, the ‘Goaty Gallup Fun Run’, husbandry courses, and goat handling experiences.Sanctuary Supervisor, Katie Fielder, commented: “I have worked at Buttercups since 2014, I was working here part-time whilst studying international Agriculture at the University of Greenwich, which I graduated in 2017. My love of animals began as a small child and goats were a deﬁnite favourite from the beginning. I then began working here full-time from August 2017 and was promoted to sanctuary supervisor in 2020. This job is very rewarding as the goats are real characters. They make the day full of fun and it doesn’t feel like work. It’s a dream to be around these animals every day. I am passionate about educating the public, especially children about goats, and our attractions help with this understanding that a goat is not the same as a pet dog or cat”.The major common condition for abandoned goats is plain neglect and a lack of love, so most of the goats that arrive at the sanctuary are very nervous and fearful of people. With no experience of being handled, they act in their “ﬂight” response, which makes them diﬃcult to handle.Buttercups provides “Incoming” health checks where common conditions, including in growing hooves, and skin conditions are treated straight away. Overtime the Goats learn to trust humans, and love the care and attention received. Buttercups Sanctuary for GoatsButtercups Sanctuary is the only registered charity in the UK that’s a safe haven dedicated to rehabilitating abandoned or abused goats.by Charlotte Busuttil

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 276 7CASE STUDY CASE STUDYRandy arrived at the sanctuary as an entire billy in 2017 along with Anouska and Rambo another entire billy. Their incisor teeth suggested they were all around four to six years old. Randy is a big goat and has suﬀered from joint issues, which could have been caused by an altercation with another goat. The sanctuary’s vet diagnosed Randy with ligament damage after X-rays didn’t reveal any fractures. Despite casting his left front hoof to restrict his movement, he remained lame.Katie explained: “I was concerned about Randy’s lameness as the cast had caused swelling, and he clearly was irritated by the pain. We had been working with Vet Nurse, Charlotte Busuttil, who volunteers at Buttercups oﬀering veterinary physiotherapy. Helping keep the goats in tip top condition, Charlotte suggested using Photizo’s Vetcare on Randy. I was very interested to see the results as I am all about working with natural non-invasive solutions. Some goats respond negatively to pain killers, so the Vetcare oﬀered the perfect natural solution.”Charlotte graduated from the Royal Veterinary College as a registered veterinary nurse in 2018, completing her ﬁnal year with an ‘honours’ degree in Veterinary Nursing. Her passion is to help as many animals as possible, including exotic species, and volunteering with pet and wildlife organisations. Charlotte began volunteering at Buttercups in 2020, where she built relationships with the goats and the team. She has been helping with some of the poorly rescue goats since, and most recently trialling the Photizo Vetcare on Randy. She is also the proud guardian of one of Buttercups resident goats called Rory. She explained: “When I ﬁrst met Randy, he had signiﬁcant swelling on the lateral surface of his fetlock. I could see that he was 8-9/10ths lame on presentation, and he was non-weight bearing on his front foreleg when he was resting. He was on both Meloxicam and Gabapentin for pain relief. As his cast hadn’t been tolerated, the swelling around the skin and the joint had been exacerbated by Randy’s interferences, which worsened his mobility. The biggest concern was that if Randy’s leg didn’t improve, euthanasia would have had to be considered.”Combining an integrative approach to Randy’s ligament issue working on areas compensating to support his lameness. Randy took to his Photizo sessions, oﬀering little kisses and nibbles in appreciation.Being a big advocate of the Vetcare, Charlotte used three, of the 30 second pre-programmed doses of red and near-infrared light daily. Applying the evidence-based doses on Randy’s joints on the aﬀected leg, and any compensatory pain or stiﬀness.After 10 consecutive days, treatment sessions were reduced to every other day, and ﬁnally after another two weeks, to bi-weekly treatment sessions.Bearing in mind that Randy’s lameness score at the start of treatment was 8-9/10ths lame, in only two weeks, after the Photizo therapy was introduced, a re-check with the vet conﬁrmed Randy’s lameness was dramatically reduce to 3/10 th lameness score!With the on-going plan to monitor Randy, weaning him oﬀ his pain medication, and maintaining his progress with the Vetcare as needed.Since its UK launch in 2013, Photizo’s Vetcare has been shining its light in practice for animal physiotherapists, massage and naturopathic practitioners, vets and vet nurses nationwide.The Vetcare has transformed the treatment of a host of animals from horses, dogs, cats, alpaca, tigers, swans, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, even pangolins and now goats.As a handy portable non-invasive device, Vetcare harnesses the natural healing power of ‘Red Light Therapy’ deﬁned as Photobiomodulation by MeSH in 2015.Its LED (Light Emitting Diodes) sourced red and near-Infrared light facilitates the production of energy in the mitochondria, stimulating a cascade of biological reactions at a cellular level, including increased blood and lymph ﬂow, which reduces pain, inﬂammation, whilst stimulating ATP (cellular energy).Katie enthused: “With Randy being the ﬁrst goat at Buttercups to beneﬁt from the Vetcare, I can see how it can help many others here at the sanctuary. Not only with musculoskeletal conditions, injuries, and arthritic symptoms in the elderly goats. I believe that the Vetcare can help with wound healing and atopic conditions. I am keen to try it on some of our “red collared” goats as these are known as the unpredictable ones and it might help them relax a bit more. I noticed how Randy would relax during his sessions with Charlotte who explained there’s evidence that the Vetcare oﬀers a calming eﬀect.I’m excited to see Vetcare’s eﬀects on some skin issues and with wound healing as goats suﬀer from a condition known as ‘pigmy goat disease”, where they can open wounds on themselves. Goats are playful, and can get excited, which can sometimes result in a ripped ear! Also, in winter goats also suﬀer from Mud Fever, which creates sores and as bacterial infection can spread up from the lower limbs. I am so excited to see the beneﬁts of integrating Photizo’s Vetcare into our daily routine and give an even better quality of life at Buttercups”. nButtercups Sanctuary: https://www.buttercups.org.uk/Photizo Vetcare : https://www.danetrehealthproducts.com/The major common condition for abandoned goats is plain neglect and a lack of love, so most of the goats that arrive at the sanctuary are very nervous and fearful of people.I am so excited to see the benets of integrating Photizo’s Vetcare into our daily routine.

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 278 9ONE MEDICINEONE MEDICINEIn my previous articles, I’ve touched upon the work of Humanimal Trust and the bene ts of a One Medicine approach, given the many diseases that have aetiological, genetic and physiological similarities between humans and animals. These are not just con ned to areas of medical specialism, but also to those seen in general practice and of course to manual therapies, given many practitioners are dual quali ed in this respect.Our ﬁ ve ﬂ agship research areas are those we consider provide a strong evidence base for the need for One Medicine. These are: infection control and antimicrobial resistance, cancer, spinal disease, musculoskeletal disease and regenerative medicine. There are of course many other areas and as such, our door is always open to medical professionals and scientists looking to take a One Medicine approach by studying naturally occurring, spontaneous disease and whereby both human and animal patients will gain equitable beneﬁ t.The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened global focus on zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases and it is in this area that the concept to which One Medicine gave rise to, One Health, is most well-known. One Medicine and One Health are not strangers to each other, nor are they separate silos although they are distinct from, but synergistic to, each other. We must ensure though, that the core tenet of our vision of One Medicine, reciprocity, is a key objective that is delivered. Antimicrobial resistance is a challenge shared by both medical disciplines and to tackle it, we need joined-up approaches. One potential alternative to antibiotics are bacteriophages (phages), small viruses which can infect and kill infection causing bacteria. We also need a greater understanding of how we communicate information regarding such alternatives. A PhD studentship funded by Humanimal Trust at the University of Surrey, has provided much needed information on both the mechanisms that enable phage to kill bacteria and how we can assess their safety as a potential alternative to antibiotics, together with how novel therapies are communicated to all audiences. As an example of the beneﬁ ts of collaboration, the Trust has contributed funding to Action Medical Research towards one of their research projects at the University of Cambridge, which is looking at preventing infections and reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance in critically ill children, again with potential to also beneﬁ t animal patients.Having made (many) references to my dog, Henry, our best friend has recently been receiving a lot of attention in the scientiﬁ c media on how a better understanding of naturally occurring cancer in dogs could help them and humans too, moving cancer diagnosis and treatment forward in both patient types. Cancer is perhaps the area for which One Medicine approaches are most well-known and the Trust has funded several studies in this area. Research funded at the University of Glasgow investigated the development of methods by which bladder cancer could be detected in canine patients via the use of liquid biopsies which aim to detect circulating DNA from tumour cells. Such liquid biopsies techniques are already in development for human patients, but are not yet widely available for animal patients and have potential in diagnosing cancers such as bladder cancer, without patients having to undergo invasive tissue biopsies. Sadly, many cancers which are fatal are mainly due to their spread to other parts of the body – so what if there was a way which could predict which cancer patients were most at risk of their cancer spreading? Research that the Trust has funded at the University of Cambridgelooked at identifying biomarkers that could help determine an individual’s risk of their cancer spreading in patients with osteosarcoma, the most common form of bone cancer and for which treatment options are limited in both human and animal patients.For several decades, viruses which can attack cancerous cells i.e. oncolytic viruses, have been studied and been approved for the treatment of human cancers. They also have huge potential in relation to the treatment of cancer in companion animals, if we have a better understanding of which cancer types are likely to respond to oncolytic viral therapy. Such research, as funded at the University of Surrey really emphasised the importance of One Medicine by stimulating collaborations between medical and veterinary oncologists in this area.In other areas such as traumatic spinal cord injury and musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis, by taking a collaborative medicine approach, we could stand to gain a much better understanding and enable research breakthroughs in treatment options for both patient types and in diseases such as osteoarthritis where animals share similar risk factors to humans, an enhanced knowledge of the role of lifestyle factors. Having made reference previously to personalised medicine and the role that One Medicine can play in that respect, another Action Medical Research project that we have contributed funding to, was a study at University College London on juvenile idiopathic arthritis and personalising drug treatment. The development of specialised magnetic resonance scans in this area will enable doctors to measure joint inﬂ ammation more accurately and choose the best drug treatment for an individual child. Inﬂ ammatory and degenerative joint conditions can aﬀ ect animals too and so this research could provide considerable transferrable beneﬁ ts. Veterinary medicine has been a major contributor in the area of regenerative medicine, in its development of stem cell therapies involving mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which could deliver tangible beneﬁ ts to sports medicine research on MSC therapy in both equine and human athletes and applications for the treatment of, for example, autoimmune diseases and conditions such as diabetes mellitus in dogs.There is so much that we could gain if doctors, veterinarians, nurses and allied health professionals engaged with their respective counterparts. So I’d like to ask you, as Animal Therapy readers, to please consider ‘paws-ing’ for a picnic and inviting your human medical/health counterparts along and getting that initial conversation going. Just one conversation, in person or by being a member of our Humanimal Hub online community, has the potential to have a profound eﬀ ect on taking One Medicine forward for the beneﬁ t of both humans and animals. nHumanimal Trust is a registered charity in England & Wales (no. 1156927) and in Scotland (no. SC048960).HIGH FIVEfor One MedicineBy Dr Tracey King MRSB, CSci. Research and Outreach Manager, Humanimal TrustOur  ve  agship research areas are those we consider provide a strong evidence base for the need for One Medicine. These are: infection control and antimicrobial resistance, cancer, spinal disease, musculoskeletal disease and regenerative medicine.REFERENCES:King, T.A. (2021). The One Medicine concept: its emergence from history as a systematic approach to re-integrate human and veterinary medicine. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences. 5. 643-654. https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20200353 Humanimal Trust Impact Report 2014-2021 (2021). Online. Available at: https://www.humanimaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/annual-reports-accounts/impact-report. Accessed on 20 April 2022.

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2710 11CANINE ARTHRITISCANINE ARTHRITISTurn on TV or radio when you are not homeThis is a simple thing to do but can be beneﬁ cial to dogs that have severe mobility issues. Turning on the TV or radio to something peaceful can help drown out other noises such as children playing upstairs, or post getting delivered, which can cause your dog to automatically spring into action and potentially injure themselves. The last thing you want is for them to accidentally cause damage or injury to themselves or be in pain, especially when they are alone or unsupervised.Incorporate certain foods into their dietsOily ﬁ sh and sweet potato are just two foods that are sometimes recommended for dogs with arthritis. Studies have shown that oily ﬁ sh such as salmon, sardines or mackerel can decreaseinﬂ ammation that is associated with arthritis in dogs. Make sure you choose plain ﬁ sh as opposed to those based in a tomato or spicy sauce as these can be harmful or toxic to dogs. Sweet potato is a food that many dogs ﬁ nd easy to digest and can help provide them with a beta carotene boost which has also been proven to reduce arthritic inﬂ ammation. Again, serve this plainas opposed to in butter or milk. Whilst these foods can be good for your dog, it is imperative that you discuss with your vet before you introduce any new foods into your dog’s diet. They will be able to conﬁ rm whether this is a goodidea or not, as well as let you know what portions and frequency you should be feeding them. Go for walks for some reliefWhilst a dog with severe arthritis will naturally be more sedentary, it is important to continue to walk them every day, even if it is not the same pace or distance they used to do. Try to keep yourdog moving constantly throughout the walk and try to aim for 20 minutes per day (ideally two 20-minute walks per day). Try and avoid your dog stopping to sniﬀ all the time as stopping and starting is something you don’t want to happen. Start with ﬁ ve minutes of slow walking to help your dog build its pace. Spend 10 minutes walking quicker, then use the ﬁ nal ﬁ ve minutes as a cool down where you reduce the speed back down.Avoid mobility commands where possibleWhilst you will sometimes still have to use mobility commands, try to avoid them where possible. Using commands to get them to “sit” or “lay down” in exchange for a treat can potentially make them uncomfortable or cause them pain. Instead, you can exchange treats for a kiss or hug, or hide them around the home in places where your dog won’t have to exert themselves to reach.Dog MassageMassage therapy is a common method for coping with arthritis and, whilst it is advised to go to a specialist for a more intense massage, there are some easy to learn techniques that you can apply at home. Massage can help get your dog’s blood ﬂ owing to the arthritic areas and can help to temporarily reduce the pain and stiﬀ ness, sometimes for several hours. Apply a heat padMassage therapy can be used in conjunction with heat therapy. Apply a dog friendly heat pad onto your dog’s arthritic areas. Make sure you supervise your dog whilst the heating pad is on them anddon’t leave them unattended with the heat pad on. Keep your dog’s nails trimmedIf your dog has nails that are too long, they can annoy them and cause them to walk diﬀ erently which can lead to them distributing their weight in a way that aggravates their arthritis. This is commonly done by a groomer or a veterinarian, but you can also do this at home yourself with a pair of pet-safe nail clippers.Consider their dog bed carefullyDogs that suﬀ er from arthritis ideally need something to cushion the joints that are hurting them most. With this in mind, you may want to consider investing in more than one dog bed and havingthem located in the rooms where the family spends the most time. This means your dog can comfortably spend time with its family. This is also great for houses that have hardwood ﬂ oors whichdon’t provide any support or comfort.You can also purchase speciﬁ c orthopaedic dog beds. Whilst all your dog beds don’t need to be orthopedic, you may want to invest in one for their main bed as they can make a big diﬀ erence to the dog’s stiﬀ ness and overall mobility. Make sure you do suﬃ cient research before buying to ensure you are purchasing one that best suits your dog’s needs.Buy rugs if you have hardwood  ooring If you have hardwood ﬂ ooring, then make sure you have areas with rugs on the ﬂ oor to help provide your dog with some much needed cushioning. Use rug grips or speciﬁ c carpet tape to make sure the rugs are secure as it will help to stop your dog from tripping on them or sliding. Consider indoor pee solutionsMany dogs that suﬀ er from arthritis end up having bladder issues. It can be diﬃ cult for them to keep going outside to go to the toilet, so you may want to consider some indoor alternatives. Pee blankets or pee turf can both be purchased for this purpose and may be something you want to do additional research into. Use gatesWe thoroughly believe that prevention is the best cure, and one way to prevent your dog from injuring themselves further is to install gates around your home, particularly on the stairs. Having a gate installed will prevent your dog from needlessly climbing the stairs or jumping on the sofa and putting additional, unnecessary strain on the arthritic area. You can also install them throughout the home if there are certain rooms you don’t want your dog to enter. It can be an eﬀ ective way to reduce the risk of further injuries or damage.Use pet steps or a rampYou can purchase a small set of steps or a ramp that is speciﬁ cally designed for dogs with mobility issues and can be used to help them to get in and out of the car, on and oﬀ the bed or sofa, or upany big steps. You can purchase foldable steps which are practical as they don’t take up much space. Medicines and supplementsThere are many medicines and supplements that can be taken in order to help your dog’s arthritis and, whilst these will be administered at home, we are not going to go into detail in this article about which medicines are available. You should discuss any medications with your vet and veterinary therapist as each patient is unique and will therefore need a unique treatment plan to suit.Whilst these in isolation may not help you see the desired results, combining them along with the medical advice given by your veterinary physiotherapist can ensure your dog is as comfortable as possible at home. nHaving a dog with arthritic conditions can be upsetting and challenging for owners. Whilst it is important to receive speci c advice from your veterinary physiotherapist, especially when it comes to exercise treatments, dietary plans and any medicinal treatments or surgical plans, there are some ways you can help a dog with arthritis at home.How to help a dog with arthritis at homeMany thanks to the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 13CANINE MASSAGECANINE MASSAGE GUILDALBERT’S STORY:CLINICAL CANINE MASSAGEAS PART OF THE VETLED TEAMBy Jayne Strange of K9 BodycareAlbert is a 6 year old Jack Russell, a real character and the apple of everyone’s eye. Albert suered a sudden temporary paralysis (when the central nervous system’s ability to co-ordinate the body’s movements is diminished) of his hind limbs; his mum Karen could not understand how this had happened.Albert was taken to the vets, x-rays were carried out and found that he had slipped discs & had narrowing of discs within his Thoracic Vertebra 10,11,12 and 13. He had lost complete use of his legs, had no bladder/bowel control or ability to stand.Karen discussed with her vets a treatment plan, which included medication, canine massage and acupuncture to assist with his voluntary movement and reduce the risk of severe muscle wastage (Atrophy).Albert’s rst visitWhen I ﬁrst saw Albert, he had no bowel or bladder control, was unable to stand on his own, had no use of his hind legs, but was trying so hard to stand. Despite all this Albert was still his cheeky self and let you know he was here and it was all about him. Even though Albert is a very sociable boy, he was cautious of being touched so we took our time going at his pace and establishing our bond of trust.Albert was holding a lot of tension within his body and due to not being able to use his back legs, his front legs were taking even more pressure than normal. In normal circumstances a dog carries 60% of its weight on their front legs, so you can imagine the pressure that he was having to bear on them now.His neck & shoulders were tight (hypertonic), adhered and both were holding a number of knots (trigger points) within them. His ﬂexor and extensor muscles on the front legs were taking a lot of strain and these were rock solid. Along Albert’s back he was twitching (radiating myofascial pain) and muscle wastage within his hips and hind limbs bilaterally. Proprioception on his left hind was more signiﬁcant than on his right.Albert welcomed the touch and relaxed very easily into the massage. I initially concentrated on relaxing the muscles which were being over-used and increasing the circulation to the muscles which had been under-used. During the treatment he released a lot of tension throughout his body.I gave Karen some useful guidance and massage techniques so that she could continue working with Albert until our next treatment.About the AuthorJayne Strange is a member of the Canine Massage Guild. She runs K9 Bodycare from her clinic in Worksop. You can ﬁnd out more about Jayne at www.k9bodycare.co.uk

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2714CANINE HYDROTHERAPYANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 15CANINE MASSAGESubsequent visitsAlbert’s second Canine Massage Treatment Owner’s comments: “Albert had been trying to pull himself up and had been attempting to squat whilst going for a wee.”I continued to work on reducing the referred pain and increasing the ﬂ exibility of the surrounding tissues, making it easier for Albert to move and assisting the development of the soft tissue in the tight and sore muscles. It was great to see Albert starting to feel the gentle manipulation around his hind legs and paws.Third treatment Owner’s comments: “Albert stood on his own for a whole 2 minutes, 42 seconds, whilst eating his food and having a drink. This might not sound a lot, but from not being able to stand at all this is a huge achievement for him, 5 weeks ago I never thought we would get to this stage, but he’s done it”. I treated Albert with various massage techniques to release the shoulders further and reduce the twitching that was running along his back and there were great improvements throughout his body.On Albert’s next treatment he had managed to walk on his own for a few minutes, even if it was a little bit wobbly and was attempting more each day, always guided by his Veterinarian to ensure he wasn’t over doing it. During this treatment, his muscle tone within his hind legs had started to improve, however, there was slightly more tension in his shoulders than previous, this was due to the increase of activities he was now able to do. I worked further with Karen, showing her various warm-up and cool-down techniques that she could do with Albert before and after activities that would help improve this.ConclusionNormally, we only see dogs for an initial 3 sessions, but with paralysis this can be longer depending on how the dog responds. With Albert, I saw him initially for four sessions and after the fourth session we agreed that we would see him in one month’s time to see how everything was going, and he was doing just ﬁ ne.It is an absolute privilege to be working with Albert and Karen and being part of his recovery journey. I am happy to report that he is coming on leaps and bounds - he is now walking, trying to run, holding himself up when having a wee and three months after meeting Albert for his ﬁ rst Canine Massage he had his ﬁ rst proper walk!Karen and I keep in regular contact and she keeps up with the techniques I showed her to do with Albert on a regular basis, ensuring those muscles are kept healthy.Owner Comments:“The beginning of July 2019, I will never forget. I had arrived home with Albert from work (Albert came to work with me) and my boy couldn’t stand properly and was dragging his back legs. I was so scared for Albert and immediately rang the vets. I thought, I was going to lose him after  nding out by my vet Gonda that Albert had slipped a disc. Albert showed so much determination that he was going to  ght this and he did. A friend had recommended Jayne Strange at K9 Bodycare. I made the phone call and Jayne made me feel there was hope for Albert, we chatted, she listened, she advised me, Jayne was so warming and I felt comfortable making arrangements to see her. Our  rst visit Albert wasn’t of course his normal self but he soon warmed to Jayne. I cannot thank Jayne enough for her time, patience, love & commitment she gave Albert. Without Jayne I do believe Albert wouldn’t be where he is today. I will continue to have further sessions with Jayne as I feel the work she does is amazing and Albert still bene ts from seeing her. I highly recommend Jayne to anyone. Fabulous knowledge, so understanding, very professional, loves animals & I cannot thank her enough.”About the Canine Massage GuildProudly celebrating 10 years of highly skilled Clinical Canine Massage Therapists, specialising in soft tissue injury rehabilitation and providing chronic pain management for orthopaedic conditions. In clinical trials with Winchester University 95% of dogs responded positively to clinical canine massage therapy. As published in ‘Vet Record’ by the British Veterinary Association. Providing results you can see and your dog can feel! Find your local Canine Massage Guild therapist: www.k9-massageguild.co.uk/therapistregister/Does canine hydrotherapy need further enforcement and tighter guidelines?AN OWNER’S PERSPECTIVEHydrotherapy is a type of water-based physiotherapy, often used as a complimentarytreatment to rehabilitate a person or animal back to health, though can also be usedon healthy clients as a form of  tness. With proven bene ts such as improving range of motion, relieving pain and improving muscle mass, canine hydrotherapy has become increasingly popular in recent years. Despite the rapid growth of the canine hydrotherapy industry in the last decade or so (Houlding, 2011), the trade remains somewhat new and therefore, potentially unknown (Lindley &Smith, 2010), particularly to dog owners. As an unregulated  eld, that does not require hydrotherapists to be quali ed (Houlding, 2011), nor is the industry covered by national legislation (Winter, 2016), means those unquali ed could potentially be di cult to identify and cause more damage to the dog’s health, while having no consequences.

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2716 17CANINE HYDROTHERAPYIn comparison, veterinary physiotherapists (VPT’s) have a protected title, must bequaliﬁed and educated to a degree level and are covered by the VeterinarySurgeons (Exemptions) Order 2015, as a regulated profession. Although veterinarysurgeons should be recommending qualiﬁed and trusted hydrotherapists, preferably those who are members of the Canine Hydrotherapy Association (CHA) or National Association of Registered Hydrotherapists (NARCH), of who set a standard of codes of conducts, it is not a legal requirement. Moreover, the only legal parameters a canine hydrotherapist is recommended to abide by, includes those that revolve around health and safety, animal welfare and conduct of all people and animals involved; in addition to insurance, to allow the treatment of patients. Furthermore, contraindications to hydrotherapy may cause further damage to the dogs’ condition, postponing the healing process. For example, unqualiﬁed hydrotherapists may not be as knowledgeable in certain musculoskeletal conditions or how to correctly apply passive range of motion exercises, causing tears in ligaments, tendons or muscles when pushed too far. Other contraindications include unhealed surgical incisions, incontinence, diarrhoea and untreated cardiac, kidney or liver disease. Additionally, not understanding which method of hydrotherapy (pool or treadmill) is best forparticular conditions, may put the animal at further risk of exhaustion, and respiratory distress (Tomlinson, 2012) . Therefore, knowing VPT’s must be qualiﬁed to practice,and that hydrotherapy is a form of water-based physiotherapy, it would be logical for canine hydrotherapists to require mandatory qualiﬁcations as well.A questionnaire-based research was carried out in the U.K. to determine exactly what dog owners knew about the canine hydrotherapy industry and whether theybelieve legislations should be in place, in order to better regulate the industry. Thequestionnaire was produced on Google Forms and shared via many social mediaplatforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. The questionnaire was posted with ashort description to personal social media accounts, accessible to friends, family andother canine/owner related accounts. In order to achieve the target of one hundred responses, the questionnaire was available for a total of 28 days and reached a total of four hundred and three responses, all of which contributed to the results analysis of this study.Results demonstrated that 81.6% of participants in this study did not know that not all hydrotherapists are qualiﬁed, 85.4% did not know that those unqualiﬁed are legally able to treat dogs and, 93.8% thought qualiﬁcations to practice caninehydrotherapy should be mandatory. These statistics demonstrate how there is little,accessible information to the general public regarding qualiﬁed professionals and how after learning this, dog owners felt it was important for hydrotherapists to be qualiﬁed for a variety of reasons, such as for the health and safety of their pets.Furthermore, 86.1% of participants did not know how to identify a qualiﬁedhydrotherapist, implying dog owners are relying on veterinary recommendationsalone. 70.2% of dog owners stated they would consider canine hydrotherapy infuture, but only by a qualiﬁed therapist, in comparison to 22.8% who signalled theyhad no preference on whether the therapist was qualiﬁed or not. Only 7% stated they would not consider it at all. To overcome this issue, perhaps qualiﬁcations, certiﬁcates of continuing professional development and memberships to governing bodies should be listed on company websites and displayed in centres more frequently, or, have a sticker on the centre’s door, as representation of meeting said requirements. Additionally, frequent visits from a regulator would help keep centresup to date and ensure safe practice is achieved.In many scientiﬁc papers and reviews, authors such as Houlding (2011), Prankel(2008) and Waining et al., (2016) stated canine hydrotherapists should be qualiﬁed, whereby Winter (2016) claimed, to a minimum of a Level 3 certiﬁcate, whilst also being a member of either CHA or NARCH. However, due to there not being a recognised professional governing body (Davies, 2011), many hydrotherapists practice without qualiﬁcations, as found by Waining et al., (2016) in which 49% of hydrotherapists surveyed, did not have a nationally recognised qualiﬁcation. Basedon this study’s results (Figures 1 & 2) and other literature, signiﬁes how important itshould be for therapists to be qualiﬁed when treating animals, in addition to the fact that unqualiﬁed therapists may cause more damage to the dog, due to a lack ofknowledge and understanding of the canine musculoskeletal system and medical conditions. Though checking the qualiﬁcations and experience of a hydrotherapist should be one of the dog owners ﬁrst priorities (Bailey, 2021), over 81% of participants in this study did not know how to identify a qualiﬁed hydrotherapist, and since Winter (2016) stated hydrotherapy should never be performed by any laypersons, this poses to be extremely challenging. Veterinary professionals, therefore, have a responsibility to educate the public and provide advice on the method of treatment, however, education should not be solely dependent on vets.Instead, further, trusted methods of education need to be more accessible to the public, whether via the internet, television, colleges or pet insurers.Likewise, although many veterinary professionals often refer patients to attend a speciﬁc, qualiﬁed hydrotherapist this is not always the case and therefore, dog owners should always research the hydrotherapy centre to check the following: the therapists are qualiﬁed to at least a level 3 qualiﬁcation, are members of either NARCH, CHA or IRVAP (ICH) and to call or visit the centre to make sure the owner is satisﬁed.Overall, this study found that the majority of dog owners want hydrotherapists to bequaliﬁed and believe qualiﬁcations should be mandatory, especially as many do notknow how to identify qualiﬁed hydrotherapists. Furthermore, based on 3.97% of participants stating there needs to be more information on canine hydrotherapy,veterinary professionals and trusted means of education have a responsibility toprovide this. Though this research is not suggesting all hydrotherapists have aveterinary background, as a form of physiotherapy, in which physiotherapists must be qualiﬁed, regulation should be improved for the hydrotherapy industry. nFigure 1. Graph demonstrating whether dog owners knew the industry is non-regulated, includes unqualied hydrotherapists who can legally treat dogs and whether they knew how to identify qualied therapists.Figure 2. Graph demonstrating the number of dog owners who would consider hydrotherapy in future and those who think qualications should be mandatory.CANINE HYDROTHERAPY93.8% thought qualications to practice canine hydrotherapy should be mandatoryfurther, trusted methods of education need to be more accessible to the public

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RETRAINING OF RACEHORSES18 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27Before we even go down the route of:• Di erent bits• Di erent saddles• Di erent work routines• Posture change• Lifestyle change• Competition requirements changeLet’s look at the most obvious change that our ex racehorses face during the retraining process: The position, self carriage, stance and weight distribution of the rider.All horses, regardless of breed/history/genes etc etc have the same amount of bones, tendons, ligaments etc. how they’re put together in the ‘horse making factory’ is what diﬀ ers one from another. The ‘Thoroughbred Horse making factory’ puts out TB’s together, so that they’re; fast, athletic, built for stamina, they are not puttogether’ to have a rider ‘sit’ on them. It is not a case of we cant ‘sit’ on them, or that, in time, they are not able to, we just have to be mindful of the amount of TIME this will require and strengthening before being able to ‘sit’ on our ex racehorses, with them in comfort both mentally and physically.We do also have to consider how the riders position can be changed/adapted/altered by the horse for them ﬁ nd their ‘best comfort.’ Whether you ride out, or you’re a jockey, you ride in, quite frankly, a piece of leather that’s main purpose is to provide you something so you can attach stirrups. There is no ‘support’ given, you are quite literally, sat on your racehorse. You can see from the photographs that you’re either ‘up out of the saddle’ or in a slightly lowered more ‘racing’ position. Whether you’re on the ﬂ at , or over the jumps there is very rarely a moment when you see your jockey ‘sit’ on your ex racehorse (and in this instance, it’susually to try and calm them down before the start of the race.A BIG TAKEAWAY that we as retainers need to fully; understand, OWN and apply is that our ex racehorses are not used to having riders who use their hands to balance!! The concept of ‘the contact’ is diﬀ erent in racing compared to that of riding horse/dressage life (but more detail on that is for another time…) but the one thing ‘racing’ do very well compared to ‘riding horse life’ is that of the hands are never used to balance the rider. If we look at the photograph of Amy Murphy’s racehorses enjoying a day at the beach, even when at a ‘long point’ in the canter stride, where the frame is long and the back is dropping away from the rider, the rider is still in their own self carriage and using their entire body/legs/core to stabilise and the hands are quiet and to the base of the wither, without hindering the horse.Even when at full ﬂ ight in a race, when you’re chasing down the last few yards and looking for every inch from the horse, or going over a fence mid ﬂ ight, the jockeys are never’ sat down’ and driving. They are still slightly above the horses backs, their hands not being used to balance and their overall body strength being used to balance themselves.The advancement/wide range of availability of saddles can make saddle ﬁ tting an absolute mineﬁ eld when re training our ex racehorses. Also, taking into account our own asymmetries as riders, some brands can almost oﬀ er us ‘too much stability’ by various knee blocks, which wedge us in as riders, which can ultimately cause us to block/hold/grip/sit in a certain way that sit conducive to what our ex racehorse requires at the time. By putting us, as riders, into a ﬁ xed position, this can cause us to use our hands to balance more if we feel unsafe, grip more if we feel to one side or if our ex racehorses feel too forward. We also have to consider that does this ‘perfect position’ still ALLOW our ex racehorses to be able to move at the level of training that they’re at. I know, from many a photo, and years of experience, that I always look slightly ‘perched forward’ on the TB’s in the early years and this is to HELP develop them, not just because I cant be bothered to ‘sit up.’ I’ve never quite understood why its seen as two diﬀ erent words of ‘RACING’ and ‘RETRAINING” why don’t we, for our horses sake, merge the two worlds and take pieces of knowledge and understanding i.e considering our own position in the RETRAINING OF RACEHORSES19ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27saddle, what our hands do, how they’ve been warmed up/ridden/trained for years, and APPLY this into our retraining to beneﬁ t our ex racehorses. THERE IS NO SHAME in not being ‘picture perfect’ and being slightly tilted forward, if it means that it encourages your racehorse to stay more ‘up and over the back’. THERE IS NO SHAME if you ride in a GP saddle for months/years and you do a dressage test, because, it keeps you, as a rider, a bit more ‘up and oﬀ ’ their back. THERE IS NO SHAME in riding your ex racehorse in half seat at any point in your training session in all three gaits if it helps them develop mentally and physically. How can you ﬁ nd your own self carriage, either through training ‘oﬀ horse’ as well as on horse so you aren’t reliant on your hands? To be a trainer is to merge the two worlds, of racing and retraining and, for the beneﬁ t of our beloved ex racehorses, understand their history and use it to beneﬁ t their future. nby Louise Robson, Thoroughbred DressageAre you awww.thoroughbreddressage.com Socials @ Thoroughbred DressageHalf seat, with weight a little more to the saddleHalf seat as riding horseJockey stanceJockey stanceridertrainer?or aAbout Thoroughbred DressageFounded and run by Louise Robson, Thoroughbred Dressage is growing and developing, as we strive to produce the best horses we can and help educate those with ex- racehorses, and dressage horses. Thoroughbred Dressage has the support of a dedicated professional team who help keep the horses in the best shape possible.Louise has achieved so much with her horses. She is Retrainer for HM The Queen, has paraded at many shows and racecourses, Won ROR Horse of the Year and Elite Dressage Horse with Quadrille 2019+ 2020 and won at British Dressage Novice and Elementary at the National Championships, proving that thoroughbreds are just great racehorses.For more information please visit www.thoroughbreddressage.com

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EQUINE AND CANINE EXERCISE22 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27There must be a better wayVideos, I thought, I need to show them videos so they can look back at how to do the exercises. So, I tried ﬁ lming some videos and sending them to clients, with a written description. Tried to make itlook professional. It didn’t. So my exercise plans were all over the place if I’m honest. And it dawned on me that I couldn’t be the only one. There must be other practitioners out there who were fed upwith spending so much admin time on exercise and rehab plans and getting frustrated with outcomes. It is hard for owners to correctly carry out exercises when the delivery method isn’t veryeﬀ ective.So I did some research and had a conversation with my husband, who just happens to be a web and software developer and runs Titan Webtech Ltd….I’m not a techyA million thoughts, scribbles, scrappy pen and paper drawings and adjusting to working with my husband (I’m sure Dave could add his own ‘adjusting’ stories!) and during 2020 Equicantis began tocome to life. Equicantis took shape as a subscription-based SaaS product (Software as a Service). But here’s another problem. I’m not a techy. I had no idea what this meant. I knew very little about what it was going to take to bring this idea to fruition. I had ideas, I changed my ideas, I sent out questionnaires to fellow therapists, some took part in a beta test, and I thought Equicantis would beready to launch about nine months before it actually did, because I had zero appreciation of the time and work involved for both myself and Dave and his team. And throw into the mix a global pandemic and having our second baby in March 2021.The FutureWe have animal physical therapists subscribing from various diﬀ erent countries and an exercise library currently standing at just over 200 exercises with another canine ﬁ lming day plannedpartnering with a canine physiotherapist, and another equine day in the pipeline. We are committed to continually growing the exercise library and always take on board suggestions.The conversations I’ve had with other animal physical therapists have been amazing. The feedback is honestly so important; most of our changes, improvements and new features come from yoursuggestions. We’re in a very unique situation with Equicantis where we’ve been able to bring two skillsets together – mine as an equine physical therapist, and Dave’s as developer. This allows us to be very agile with the platform and development plans for the future. We aren’t reliant on outside companies, we’re not restricted to pre-made out-of-the-box formats, and our communication isuncomplicated (most of the time!) We have lots of ideas and new features in the pipeline to help you streamline and modernise your business and create home exercise programmes that yourclients will love.I am so grateful for the support, the help and the feedback I’ve had from so many practitioners and I’m excited to continue to grow Equicantis into a platform that is a real asset to your businesses and that ultimately helps you with the care you can give to your equine and canine clients in their maintenance and rehabilitation.We have a special 15% discount on annual Pro subscriptions for 12 months using code ATMAG15 (until 30/10/22). This saves you up to £44.55 and includes a 14 day Free Trial plus one month free as an annual subscriber. nwww.equicantis.comwww.instagram.com/Equicantiswww.facebook.com/EquicantisJoin our Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/TheEquicantisNetworkLeisure Ride Group have been manufacturing equestrian surfaces and constructing arenas for over 20 years. rough our passion for performance horse sports our Trojan range of premixed waxed and non-waxed surfaces oﬀ ers unrivalled, durability, energy return and appearance. Our aim has always been to improve the industry’s standards and educate the equestrian community in the bene ts of quality over cost.Whilst our range oﬀ ers surfaces to suite all budgets, our surfaces start where other suppliers  nish. We only produce our entry level surface ‘MultiSports’ with shredded carpet  bre, and not our entire range.Our premium footings AllSports and ProSports use far more robust, longer lasting, new raw  bres blended to create the perfect going for your discipline.Our Trojan Wax Coatings are unique and developed to provide optimum rejuvenation of the original wax coating as the surfaces ages, ensuring your footing is as it should be for years to come.Our founder grew up at the family equestrian centre and saw  rst-hand the frustrations of lame horses o en the result of poor quality surface from suppliers who promised the world, so hedecided to make changes, and Leisure Ride Group was born.Whilst a lot of things are out of our control, providing a safe, lasting training environment is something that we can control.Advanced Equine FootingLEISURE RIDE GROUPFor more information or a site visit please contact LEISURE RIDE GROUPTel 01684 273232 or 07867 808909 info@leisureridesurfaces.co.ukwww.leisureridesurfaces.co.ukour entire range.Our premium footings AllSports and ProSports

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 25ANTISEPTIC SKINCAREUnderstanding Clipper RashClipper rash is one of the most common injuries in grooming salons and it doesn’t just happen to inexperienced or new groomers, it can happen to professionals with a career of experience. From a business perspective when a pet has been aﬀected by clipper rash the owner will often place blame on the groomer and may not return.Clipper rash may also aﬀect equines, the horse, or pony may develop skin lesions, papules and become very itchy, even experiencing some hair loss after a clip.Clipper rash as the name may suggest isn’t always caused by hot clipper blades. Clipper rash is an irritation or trauma to the top layer of skin more commonly occurring in dogs after matted or particularly dirty sections of coat are removed particularly from hygiene areas, or could experience an allergy to the clipper oil. Whilst not necessarily severe, clipper rash can be itchy and uncomfortable causing the animal to scratch, lick, bite or kick at the area causing a secondary infection which if left can quickly escalate into something much more serious.Unfortunately, clipper rash is not always detectable straight away, meaning that unknown to both the groomer and owner, the animal maybe going home or have the beginnings of a skin irritation. The condition often goes unnoticed until the animal begins to aggravate the skin till it becomes sore.Practical cautionary steps• Blade choice and direction, (if the dog has a pale skin and coat or is vastly overdue, a longer blade and clipping gently with the lay of the coat could be advisable.)• Clip once, don’t clip over the same area again and again.• Always use cool and well lubricated blades.• Groin areas, (some dogs are very sensitive so it’s prudent to be careful clipping especially around the genitalia.)How Leucillin can be the Groomers best friend in tackling Clipper RashLeucillin is a unique antiseptic, which cleverly mimics the bodies own immune system, Leucillin replicates the leukocytes (white blood cells) naturally produced chemical used to ﬁght infection caused by invading pathogens (germs).Leucillin provides the groomer with a user-friendly solution applied topically, it is skin pH neutral and will not sting or irritate. Leucillin is a natural antiseptic, destroying harmful pathogens on contact, creating the perfect environment for healthy skin.Leucillin can be safely applied to all skin types, included in ears, eyes, mouth, sensitive and allergy prone skin, with its incredible 99.99999% germ killing eﬃcacy, Leucillin tackles trapped infection, caused by matting and can stop clipper rash in its tracks. For mild skin trauma Leucillin’s skin pH neutral formula soothes and calmsthe tissue and removes surface pathogens which could cause discomfort and be the catalyst for causing secondary infection. Leucillin is an incredibly versatile antiseptic and can also be used for ﬁrst aid instances as well as cleansing weepy eyes, irritate ears, skinfolds and wrinkles.A good spray of Leucillin over the skin and coat especially of sensitive areas gives reassurance that the dog has left the salon, or the equine has received the best level of care and skill of the professional, with an extra level of insurance against clipper rash. If you are interested in becoming a salon stockist, please contact us directly for aninformation pack and free sample.Contact Details:Email: info@leucillin.comTel: 0345 548 9800Web: www.leucillin.co.ukFacebook: www.facebook.com/leucillin“A couple of years ago we bought a pony with a nasty skin condition all over his body, we thought we’d give him a chance, it was everywhere and it was so sore! We discovered Leucillin, bought from the tack store by accident, it worked!!!!!I’m so pleased to say that since he got better my then 9 year old son was able to break him in and ride him, he is o to his rst ever show AND it’s a HOYS qualier!!!Just wanted to say thank you as without Leucillin I don’t think he would’ve even been ridden, never mind be able to show at this level!!” Annie and Mr FletcherOften known by many names; Clipper burn, clipper sensitivity, clipper irritation, razor burn …

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2726 27TISSUE HEALING AND ELECTROTHERAPY TISSUE HEALING AND ELECTROTHERAPYTissue healing and ElectrotherapyWhat, when, why? By Helen Walsh BSc Physiotherapist, MCSP, HCPCI’m in and out of professional sports teams these days and get asked many questions about electrotherapy (or electro physical agents (EPA’s) as we’re now calling them). A lack of time to update oneself continuously on tissue repair and the evidence base is contributing to myths surrounding certain modalities. Some people just outright ‘believe’ that they do nothing, despite a huge volume of research to the contrary. Companies also do a good job of confusing us, ‘proving’ their device is the answer to all our prayers oering quick x solutions, when really it does not suit every injury or problem.Let’s be honest here, there isn’t much that’s completely brand new in electrotherapy. Companies do an excellent job of making it seem like a new product when in fact it’s a reinvention of something old. It just looks better and not like some of those dust covered scary looking devices I’ve seen lurking in dark corners of a hospital therapy unit! One of the main issues I come across on my visits is a lack of fully understanding the modality, when its best used and for what conditions. I am going to make a bold statement here; animal therapists do seem to have a better understanding than those therapists working with just humans (don’t shoot me!). In this article I am going to attempt a whirlwind tour through tissue healing with what to use and why. I am basing it on evidence, which comes from both the published resource and my own personal experience.In Fig. 1 it gives a complete overview of what is occurring when and the overlapping of the diﬀerent activities. I think of it as an orchestra, it all starts oﬀ with just one group, the ﬂutes, slowly building tempo and sound, as other instruments join in. It builds to the crescendo of them all playing at once followed by a slowing down of tempo and instruments towards the end as they quietly go about their business. The diﬃculty with trying to simplify anything is that there will always be occasions when the injury is more severe and therefore spends more time in any of the above stages. As a therapist it’s up to us to determine a likelihood of where its at. This is through taking a history of the injury and in our assessment. Working with vets and having access to any diagnostic imaging of the case you are treating is very useful if not essential.Fig.1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wound_healing accessed October 2019.From the table we can see that during those ﬁrst minutes the body is attempting to limit blood loss. Vasoconstriction and coagulation take precedence during the ﬁrst 10 minutes. Once there is enough coagulation to reduce bleeding the body triggers vasodilation. In that ﬁrst 6 hours the only intervention is ICE. However, this should not be left in place longer than 10 minutes. Time and again I’ve seen people strap it on and leave it during this period. The evidence has not changed regarding ice, it’s still only 10 minutes on and leave it oﬀ for at least 10 minutes. Inﬂammation is NORMAL and NECESSARY. It’s got some serious bad press, we’ve been saying ‘anti-inﬂammatory’ for a long time. There is a point that it can become chronic and that’s the one we don’t want but in an acute injury we absolutely want it.For this reason, many including myself have been using the word ‘pro-inammatory’. Let’s try and speed it along its way but not fundamentally ‘change’ it. If you have the opportunity to treat at this point, the aim of treatment is to accelerate the normal process. As you move into this phase the intervention starts of with any of the non-thermal modalities depending on what it is that’s injured and how deep it is. Fibroblasts start early on after injury. They play a role in angiogenesis (formation of new capillaries). It is an aerobic process and thus the increase in blood ﬂow supports the delivery of oxygen to support it, especially in tissues that do not have a good blood supply. We can inﬂuence this in several ways, mechanotransduction (aka exercise) can also support this process. Being selective at what exercise you start and ensuring that the healing isn’t completely disrupted by an excess of it. Other ways to inﬂuence a greater inﬂuence in blood ﬂow can be through the use of EPA’s. The thermal inducing ones and the electric muscle stimulators. This is massively important to us therapists to achieve a well-organised scar that behaves as much like the tissue of the structure that it has repaired. You can have very positive inﬂuences on this stage even months after an injury. Never underestimate how long it can take something which has been damaged to fully repair and have the same strength it had before. Always be aware that the older a patient the longer things take! What modalities do we have at our disposal? We may only have one or two of the below. Some do more than others and you should always see if it ﬁts with what you see week in week out! You deﬁnitely want something that can help with a majority and earns its place in your toolbox paying for itself in time! Disclaimer: I do keep abreast of current evidence I also talk to a lot of therapists which always helps when writing a guide. I will always answer honestly about electro-physical agents. Stage 1- BLEEDINGTime: up to 6 hours approximately Treatment: ICE 10 minutes on 10 minutes oﬀStage 2- INFLAMMATIONTime: 6 hours- 3 days (this is ongoing for longer, as it starts crossing over with proliferation we treat diﬀerently)Treatment: Non-thermal progressing to mild thermalStage 3- PROLIFERATION Time: starts 24-48 hours after injury but peaks 2-3 weeks later Treatment: Increase blood ﬂow Stage 4 - REMODELINGTime: 1st week up to 1 year Treatment: Heat, stretching, exercises, massage

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28 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27EQUESTRIAN SURFACES29ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27Equestrian surfaces, the good, the bad and the uglyBy Ross Hemming, researcher and manufacturerHave you ever taken a really good look at what your surface is made of, or have you ever thought about what your horse thinks of it and how it eﬀects their going?With countless surface types available from a host of companies in the UK, all claiming to be the best, how do you decide what is right for you?Here we will attempt to explain exactly what goes into the various types of surfaces available today, from simple sand and rubber to supposed high end waxed surfaces.Lets start with the basics. The major component in any surface is silica sand.What Is Silica Sand?Silica sand, also known as quartz sand, white sand, or industrial sand, is made up of two main elements: silica and oxygen. Speciﬁcally, silica sand is made up of silicon dioxide (SiO2).The most common form of SiO2 is quartz – a chemically inert and relatively hard mineral. SiO2 grades at a 7 out of 10 on Mohs hardness scale, making it ideal for use as a ﬁltration medium and perfect for equestrian use where a hard wearing sand is required to stand the test of time and hooves impacting on the sand, whilst at the same time being free draining.Investing in an equestrian surface is a big outlay and it is tempting to go for the cheapest option. But are you really getting a good deal?Pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT) (also known as PEME; pulsed electromagnetic energy, although this is not the ideal name) has very good evidence for wet/boggy tissue; muscle, hematomas, pain. The devices normally operate at 27.12MHz. There are now smaller devices that can be used at home for longer periods of time. They are a good alternative to buying a huge device but you need to be aware of depth of penetration and dose (length of time) as they need to be left on for much longer to achieve a beneﬁcial eﬀect. It’s a very useful little gadget for in between sessions especially if you can’t get back out to them and they don’t cost much to keep a couple in your bag just in case.Pulsed and non-pulsed laser (LLLT & LILT, photobiomodulation): the main consideration of using any ‘light’ based therapy is that hair and skin are barriers. Its also been found that darker skin can block out even more of the energy by scattering and absorption. This has been found by hundreds of research papers. If it’s a wound on skin or in the ﬁrst 15mm with hair/skin colour not causing more of a barrier then laser is an excellent choice. The diﬀerence between class 3b and 4 in simple terms; a class 4 can deliver more energy in less time. It does not go deeper, despite what the company say. There is also no evidence yet showing that the mitochondria further down will take the energy deeper into the body. The issue has always been that laser works where it reaches brilliantly, it does nothing more than you just looking at it, anywhere it cannot reach. Therefore hair, skin and what your trying to treat really matter with this type of energy delivery. It can be delivered in non-thermal and thermal doses, the heat can be a nice addition. Be wary of very expensive ones claiming they go deeper and do your homework if purchasing. Ask for a trial and look at what actual results you get in the outcome measures.Pulsed electromagnetic elds (PEMF) I’d throw it out there that this is one of the most highly confused areas of EPA’s. It is not surprising, the complexity of the interaction of electricity and magnetism can have us baﬄed within minutes, especially when even the evidence has a multitude of parameters with quite a few not stating all the information needed. In soft tissue injury, I’m not currently convinced (you may be and that’s ﬁne!) that the best way is by wrapping the limb and having the magnetism around it. The evidence is patchy. I do think there is enough supporting pain relief though. However, one thing that does strike me is that suﬃcient magnetic therapy needs to be delivered in order to achieve therapeutic results. Again, penetration depth of the therapy can quite often be superﬁcial even when left on for long periods, as in the study by Steyn 2000 where the measurement at 7mm from the wrap showed no diﬀerence to the earth’s magnetic ﬁeld. Quiz the company on all the parameters and review the evidence for dosing.Ultrasound: I almost feel like it doesn’t need to be in the list. I’d guess it’s the most well-known. Its cheap and easy to understand and there is a plethora of evidence to support its use, think ligaments and tendons. You can be very superﬁcial, and you can go a little bit deeper. It’s considered a non-thermal treatment because you will feel nothing. It doesn’t reach warm temperatures. In terms of fractures the evidence is very good. So much so you can get one on the NHS for delayed union (if your lucky, it is on NICE guidelines). Sports people use ultrasound to speed up fracture healing and do very well with it. Again, there are numerous companies selling devices so do your research and make sure it actually does do what it says on the tin.Radiofrequency electric currents (RFEC) Confusion can arise with this technology from it being an electromagnetic current at a particular radiofrequency. Currently the majority of evidence has been at Radio Frequency 448KHz. The most ‘like’ it would be pulsed short wave, however there is a big diﬀerence, the delivery is a direct electric current into the body which passes all the way through the body with some exiting via a neutral return plate. Recall above we mention magnetic with the coil on the outside, the magnetism here is accompanying the electric current through the tissues. The second part of confusion is that it can sit under the electrical stimulation title even though there is no muscle contraction, it can also deliver a thermal treatment to temperatures of 42 degrees and it can be non-thermal. This is the only one that I am aware of that goes very deep as it travels to wherever the neutral electrode is placed, and it is the only one that the evidence states will maintain an increase in tissue temperature for at least 45 minutes. All other modalities stop when the treatment stops. The limitation on this device is that the equine device is a bit heavy, it certainly will build your muscles. The small animal device for canine is super light. Again ask questions of the company and trial before you buy.That was a whirlwind tour through somemodalities that can help in tissue healing.Apologies for not exploring everything! For anyone wanting more information there is a lot online, a quick Pubmed search will keep you busy for hours on the topic! Professor Tim Watson does have abook out, (those of us who do nothave hours to review the literature andcritique it, he’s done it for you!) Amazonlist it as March 2020; Electrophysical agents: Evidence based practice. In this there are plenty of updates on the list. As is the way with evidence, it keeps growing and hopefully informs our practice to achieve better outcomes. nTISSUE HEALING AND ELECTROTHERAPY

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2730 31ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27EQUESTRIAN SURFACESEQUESTRIAN SURFACESThere are many silica sands available within the UK but not all are suitable for equestrian use. Many sands are round in their particle shape and this roundness simply does not bind together to form a ﬁrm base. For equestrian use you require an angular or at least a sub-angular grain shape in order for this binding to take place and for the sand to remain ﬁrm. Get the wrong sand and your surface will be hock deep constantly.It’s no good just using a silica sand and hoping because you have the right sand, the going will be perfect. In order for sand to remain bound together you need a certain amount of root structure to prevent the hoof from cutting too deep. A natural turf has root structure and therefore gives a little under the hoof but also prevents the hoof from pushing deeper into the soil. A sand without any root structure will simply not preform day in day out. Even if it’s the best sand money can buy it will still loosen as the hoof cuts into it with daily use.To provide a root structure the sand requires a surface additive to create the structure. Surface additivesThere are many additives available but not all will do the job. The wrong additive with the wrong sand will ultimately be a poor quality ride condition and could be damaging to your horses joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles.How the foot moves over the surface can be the diﬀerence between cushioned and concussive forces moving up through the body. Foot roll is the natural forward movement of the hoof as it transitions from the back of the hoof to the toe whist in contact with the surface.On any surface, if you can’t see a hoof mark in the sand then your surface is too deep and you’re not doing your steed any favours as the footing is constantly moving constantly beneath them.Rubber chipIf your additive is rubber chip it needs to be small, 5-10mm in size. Rubber chip requires a very good quality, tightly binding sand in order to keep the rubber primarily on the top of the surface. Larger chunks of rubber will ultimately feel like squash balls to your horse and thus the hoof will constantly be rolling around on it as the rubber moves. You also don’t want the rubber to be too deep a layer, as this will mean your horses hoof is on the rubber and not beneﬁting from the absorption eﬀect the sand gives.Most equestrian rubber chip available is produced from punctured or worm tyres. End of life tyres are Classiﬁed as ‘hazardous waste. Tyres cannot be disposed of via household waste or landﬁll. As a result, both consumers and businesses need help getting rid of their end-of-life tyres safely and in compliance with the law.Burning them is not an option as they release hazardous chemicals and are known to cause health issues but my question to you is, ‘if tyres are hazardous waste, how they can be used for equestrian purposes and why would you want them anywhere near your horses not to mention yourselves?’PVC granulesMost PVC granules come from reclaimed cable where the copper has been removed for recycling and what’s left is the PVC casing. Whist methods are used to remove all the copper components, small quantities of sharp copper wire strands may be present, therefore PVC granules are generally described as 99% wire free. If your horse gets a piece of wire in their foot it’s very diﬃcult to trace and can cause foot problemsIn addition, all cable is round in shape therefore if you use PVC you are adding round particles into your angular sand and therefore it can reduce the sand’s natural ability to bind.Carpet bresShredded carpet ﬁbre is abundant in the manufacture of equestrian surfaces. Undoubtedly, ﬁbres provide the best form of root as they mimic the natural structure found in turf and provide the vital cushion eﬀect. However there is a problem, especially for the environment. Research conducted by Anthesis demonstrated that European carpets are made from a complex mix of synthetic materials such as polyester, polyamides and polypropylene in addition to nylon and rayon. Carpets are made of several layers of diﬀerent materials that are then coated with chemicals to make them ﬂame retardant and stain-resistant. More than 59 hazardous substances have been found in European carpets, including toxic substances such as lead, phthalates, PFAS, ﬂuorine compounds and metals.A recent report by Utrecht University shows that there is still a way to go in the Dutch carpet industry. Little is done in carpet design in terms of circularity, and carpets are made of such complex compositions that they are “non-renewable, non-reusable or can even be dangerous”, says the report.https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2021/01/how-hazardous-carpet-waste-ends-up-in-horseboxes/The UK government stateshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-shredded-waste-carpet-in-equestrian-surfacing-rps-248/using-shredded-waste-carpet-in-equestrian-surfacing-rps-248The fact of the matter is that carpet ﬁbres do breakdown and do turn to dust and this, although the report above suggests takes some time. The truth is it takes approximately 3-5 years.If your surface has a wax coating, the breakdown of the carpet reduces the eﬀectiveness of the wax to bind the surface and prevent dust.

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 3332 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27EQUESTRIAN SURFACESSo do you really want carpet  bre in your surface?Wax coatingsWax coatings are popular in surface production with many clients seeing a waxed surface as the Rolls Royce of surfaces, but there are only a few manufacturers in the UK that produce an equestrian grade wax and they do come at a cost. Using the wrong wax, not enough or even too much wax will have detrimental results not only for your surfaces performance but your horses safety too. A wax should enhance your surface and prevent dust from becoming airborne.Early production of waxed surfaces used a cable ﬂ ooding compound designed for underground cable applications to keep them watertight. It’s this type of wax that has been super seeded and the few companies in the UK producing it call them an equestrian wax.Surface manufacturers may claim they have a unique wax coating however in our experience there is no real diﬀ erence in what each company uses. The only way to truly know is if a manufacturer is happy to provide a sample of their unique wax for you to compare with another’s. You may struggle to obtain this! The ones that will provide a sample should be conﬁ dent of their product.Most equestrian waxes need to be heated to a minimum of 100 degrees celsius to be liquid enough to be applied to the sand and ﬁ bre mix with many manufacturers opting to increase the temperature prior to use in the surface.An equestrian wax is solid at room temperature in its pure form and most will congeal at around 65 degrees C, making them non-transferable. For road transport purposes you cannot carry a ﬂ ammable liquid product on the road if it is over 100 degrees without an ADR registered carrier.Wax emulsionsFrom the development of wax coatings came wax emulsions produced to be used onsite with direct application to the top of the surface.An emulsion is a mix of oil or wax and water blended to give an emulsiﬁ ed look. Most of these types of wax have an oﬀ white colour and most have a water content of up to 50% therefore, when you apply the emulsion inevitably the water content will dry leaving the wax product within the surface.Wax emulsions tend to require no heat for application therefore they have become popular with some surface suppliers as an easy way to apply a wax coating but remember, it’s up-to 50% water so your not really getting a full wax treatment. It’s essentially a cheaper way to ‘sort of’ wax your surfacePutting it in to practiceSo now we have covered the science let’s talk footing or going, after all, it’s all about the safety of the horse and preserving their precious musculoskeletal systems.As previously mentioned, how the foot falls should be a major consideration for keeping horses sound. If your surface is not providing a clean clear hoof print in the top of the surface, the chance of injury increases. A clean foot print should be shallow towards the back of the hoof and deeper toward the toe. If your hoof print is constantly deeper to the left or right this may indicate an issue with the surface. Of course there are other factors to consider but regardless, an un-level foot fall will likely cause pains, strains or injury and should be investigated.Additional considerationsWith the hotter and dryer weather patterns we are now seeing in the UK, what may have worked previously may not cope with the environmental changes. Like most things in life, we should move with the times and not stand still. It is clear that a number of products used in equestrian surfaces are in fact hazardous waste. At what point is this questioned for its environmental factors? To date there is no guild of manufacturers within the industry therefore the standards of both construction of arenas and the products used as surfaces has a wide and varied range. Investing in an arena is a very costly exercise which only gets more expensive every year.As the saying goes, ‘buy cheap, buy twice’. If your surface is produced with a quality silica sand, a quality ﬁ bre additive and a quality wax coating it will last longer but it won’t be cheap. LEVI HUNTABOUT LEVI Levi Hunt is a Grand Prix International Rider for Great Britain. He is a regional British Dressage team trainer, UKCC3 Coach and in 2016 he was awarded British Dressage Young Professional of the year.Now set up in a beautiful yard near USK, Levi holds regular private coaching sessions on site, (with overnight accommodation if needed) as well as travels to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Kidderminster, Romsley and Broadway to teach. For more information or to book, please contact Nicky on 07771 610027.Does my bum look bigin this?Levi’s BlogThe “ideal” weight of our Equine friends is a rabbit warren of a subject. So buckle up, here we go!Each case has its individual contributing factors that determine what we see.Conﬁ rmation, age, season of the year/weather conditions, work load and type, underlying health issues and the general management all play signiﬁ cant roles in the weight, condition and therefore health of a horse.Thin does not guarantee ﬁ tness, a rounder stomach or “deeper barrell” does not mean the horse is “fat”.Each horse should be judged on their own merit, but taking professional advice.Vets, Physios, Farriers, Trainers and Feed experts can have a very good eye for the balance between all of the factors mentioned.A horses health MUST come above anything else, the art of good management with a horse is getting the balance between optimum condition for the purpose of the horse.by Levi HuntQuestions Questions Questions... If you are intending on building an arena or having a new surface installed ask a lot of questions about the quality and longevity of the product. Ask for samples of not only the whole surface but the individual components, especially the  bre and the wax coating as this is the part you want to last. If your supplier won’t provide samples question why!

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ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 27 ANIMAL THERAPY MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2734 35THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION OF RETIRED SERVICE ANIMALSFull Subscription£39.95 p/year• Printed copy of our magazine - delivered to you quarterly (UK Only)PLUS: • Full access to all online content from all devices• Access to special oﬀ ers from industry suppliers• Automatic yearly renewalOnline-Only Subscription£29.95 p/year• Full access to all online content from all devices• Access to special oﬀ ers from industry suppliers• Automatic yearly renewalLove the magazine?Receive new issues hot oﬀ the press.Subscribe at: www.animaltherapymedia.co.ukLady Bathurst launches a new animal charityTHE NATIONAL FOUNDATION OF RETIRED SERVICE ANIMALS (NFRSA)Lady Bathurst,The Rt. Hon. The Countess Bathurst of Cirencester Park, and former High Sheri of Gloucestershire (2016/17) has always been passionate about animals - she has  ve dogs of her own.Her love of dogs was strengthened further as she learned more about the GloucestershirePolice Dogs who trained on the family estate, something the organisation has done for generations. It was during her time spent with her local Constabulary that Lady Bathurst gained valuable insight into the work that these incredible service animals do for us on a daily basis. Cirencester Park was ﬁ rst designed c 1714 by the ﬁ rst Earl Bathurst, in collaboration with Alexander Pope. The estate today comprises around 15,000 acres and is run by the 9th Earl and Countess. Since moving to Cirencester, Lady Bathurst has spent a huge amount of time updating ‘The Mansion’ as it is known locally, and running her holiday cottage business on the estate (Bathurst Estate Holiday Cottages), her coﬀ ee shop in Cirencester Park, as well as being closely involved in the community and the many charities she works with either as Patron or President. During her time as High Sheriﬀ of Gloucestershire, Countess Bathurst was privileged to be warmly welcomed by the police, ﬁ re & rescue and prison services and given the opportunity to see these incredible service animals at work. She was fascinated to learn about the vital role they play. Indeed, most of our key emergency sectors, with the exception of the ambulance service, utilise the help of working dogs and/or horses and the part they play is invaluable. The Countess discovered that these extraordinary animals, once they reach the age of retirement, do not have the beneﬁ t of a pension, and no longer receive any ﬁ nancial support for their ongoing care, veterinary bills, and medical treatments. This means the entire ﬁ nancial responsibility for the dog or horse falls to the handler - even worse, and because of the work they have done, meaningful insurance is almost impossible to ﬁ nd and even if available, the premiums charged for retired animals is beyond the ﬁ nancial reach of the owners.Lady Bathurst understood how invaluable the relationship between a handler and their working partner is, and how the break-up of the special bond would be unthinkable - handlers have spent 8-10 years with their animals, and their only wish is to give them the rest and retirement they deserve. However, due to ﬁ nancial pressure, the heartbreaking decision to rehome a dog sometimes has to be taken, meaning it is removed from all it has known, and the handlers family left bereft. It was with this in mind that The Countess Bathurst, determined to help ensure all these animals would be entitled to a deserving and loving retirement with the families they love, set about establishing The National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA). A non-proﬁ t organisation, The NFRSA supports owners of the 2,000+ retired animals in the UK from the police, ﬁ re, prison and border force services byhelping with the medical and veterinary costs that inevitably occur as a dog or horse reaches old age. “Having spent so much time with our loyal service dogs and horses who, on an almost daily basis, place their lives on the line to keep us safe, and then learning about the predicament they face in their old age, it was a completely natural reaction to want to help. Our operational animals have given the majority of their lives in the service of our communities across the country and in their twilight years, I absolutely believe that we should be returning the favour. The charity’s motto is ‘Protect Our Protectors’ and I hope we can all join together to do just that, when we are needed the most. By supporting the NFRSA, we can be there for these amazing dogs and horses, just like they have been there for us.” - Lady Bathurst.The formation of this new and much needed charity has been met with much praise by the police, ﬁ re & rescue and prison services. “I am delighted that the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA) has been established to help support our brave service animals when they reach their well-earned retirement. Working together with the police, prison service, ﬁ re service, border force, other charities and partners, the NFRSA is as committed as I am to ensuring these canine and equine heroes enjoy their autumn years.” Chief Constable Pippa Mills, Chief Constable for West Mercia Police, and National Police Chiefs Council Lead for Police Dogs.The charity will oﬃ cially launch in the spring, with a star studded event at Christie’s and has already touched the hearts of many high-proﬁ le ambassadors - Minnie Driver, Deborah Meaden, Carol Vorderman, Nick Knowles and Patrick Robinson, to name just a few have all jumped at the chance to support this brilliant initiative. “To be involved as an Ambassador to The NFRSA is my way of showing support to the leading role these extraordinary dogs and horses play in our everyday lives. Quite simply, they keep us safe. We should do the same for them when their work is done.” – Minnie Driver, Actress & MusicianIf you would like to  nd out more, get involved or donate to this essential charity, please head towww.nfrsa.org.uk today.

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