Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, unless your animal is completely healthy with no previous pathologies, and being seen for maintenance purposes only, you will need to have our referral form completed and signed by your vet, or a referral note from your vet, before treatment can commence. For more information, please see the vet referral tab.

No it does not cost you, they do not need to re-see the vet for it to be obtained, and in fact you do not need to do anything to obtain it, just tell me your vet centre and I will do it all for you.

It is the law that ALL therapists need veterinary consent if the animal has an injury/condition. This is simply to ensure the vet has all the facts regarding its healthcare, and that we do not perform any electrotherapies that may interfere with veterinary medications/treatment, and that we can obtain a full history of the condition to treat it effectively.

As I am a full NAVP member this should be a seamless process, cost you nothing, and require no additional work for yourself!

Equine sessions happen at the yard your horse is stabled at, or at a rehab or veterinary centre if appropriate. Canine sessions can occur at a yard (if coupled with an equine visit), or at my home clinic in Irthlingborough or at the Loyalwill Hydrotherapy Centre in Islip (Thrapston).

Canine sessions may be able to occur at your home if prior agreed due to exceptional circumstances and you have a suitable space for the session.

It depends on your needs. There are different services available under the service tab, and any individual requirements or plans can be discussed with us.

No, absolutely not! Prevention is most definitely better than cure. We tend to treat “healthy” horses more than “healthy” dogs as horses are used more for sport. However, we breed a lot of poor conformational traits and diseases in to our dogs, so physiotherapy should be used more for dogs as a “pre-hab” to monitor physical health and prevent conditions such as cranial cruciate ligament rupture, or intervertebral disc disease.

Absolutely. Hydrotherapy is an excellent adjunct to physiotherapy when provided by an appropriately approved centre and qualified hydrotherapist. For clients in my area I recommend Loyalwill Canine Hydrotherapy Centre.

Certain conditions require multidisciplinary care and specific hydrotherapy, such as the underwater treadmill compared to swimming, therefore please discuss this with your vet or myself when enquiring if you are uncertain.

Many insurance policies provide cover up to a set limit for complementary treatment, which includes physiotherapy. As a member of the NAVP and RAMP, Four Amigos Veterinary Physiotherapy is widely accepted by insurance companies, making it easy to claim back the cost of treatment if this is included in your policy and accepted. 

 

Please note that payment must still be made at the time of treatment and claimed back from your insurance company afterwards. Invoice receipts will be emailed to you after each treatment session to provide to your insurance company.

It may seem like the cost is just for the time during your session, but vet physio sessions for companion animals and horses it includes:

• Veterinary liaison
• Report writing for you and your vet if required
• Travel to and from the session
• Treatment (including static and dynamic assessment, range of motion assessment, muscular palpation, and treatment with manual techniques and electrotherapies)
• Exercise prescription formation
• Aftercare contact when required 
• The fact I am highly qualified with memberships to professional bodies that vets and insurance companies work with

You are not just paying for the session, but all that goes with it. As-well-as the peace of mind of hiring a well qualified, regulated, and insured professional. 

Ideally, the sooner the better. Whilst exercise will generally have to be limited in the early stages of recovery, physiotherapy can play a vital role in every stage of healing. In the early stages, this can be as simple as maintaining joint range of motion, minimising muscle wastage, promoting blood circulation and reducing pain levels. Physiotherapy has been proven in research to improve outcome measures following surgery for common pathologies such as cranial cruciate ligament rupture, and is therefore used in combination with veterinary intervention.

Yes, rabbits, cats, farm animals etc, are all able to receive physiotherapy and may benefit following injury, surgery, following birthing complications, etc.

You can contact Four Amigos Veterinary Physiotherapy using the “contact” tab to send an email or obtain the phone number, or you can message us on Facebook. We will endeavour to fit you in at the earliest convenience, or you may book block sessions in advance.

All you need to do to prepare is have the completed vet consent form (if not already emailed to me, and only if required, see Q1), to ensure your animal is clean and dry, and to not have worked them at least an hour prior as this can impact my palpation. 

 

You can expect a longer first session than your subsequent sessions, as in the first session we will take a full history and perform a full static and dynamic assessment, palpation and range of motion tests to gauge a full picture. We will then follow up with some treatments based on findings, unless referral back to a vet is required. A 2-3week plan may be created following the visit if required, however longer plans have an additional cost, unless linked to further physio sessions (contact to discuss further).

This service comes with different packages (see services tab), and your requirements will depend on if the animal already has a diagnosed pathology or not. If it is for maintenance, you will be sent all information you need upon receipt of payment, all you need is a photo and filming capabilities, a solid surface to take photos and videos on, and access to Google Drive to deposit photos and videos (a link will be sent). 

 

If your animal has a diagnosed pathology, vet consent will be required, alongside vet history notes and/or physio report from Four Amigos Veterinary Physiotherapy, or another attending physiotherapist.

 

This service is not intended to replace proper Veterinary, therapist, or trainer care, but to be an additional service for owners to understand more regarding their animals conformation, posture and movement, and how to improve over time.

Although I am very relaxed with my cancellation policy, I do have to have something in place to prevent time and money wastage (of either fuel or clinic hire)

• More than 48 hours notice = no charge
• 24-48 hours notice = 50% appointment charge
• Less than 24 hours notice = 100% appointment charge