Emma’s arrival expands our veterinary physiotherapy service

We are delighted to have recently expanded the size of our veterinary physiotherapy service here at Kentdale following the appointment of Emma Woof

Emma has joined Eugenie Wilcocks in our veterinary physiotherapy team, with her main responsibilities seeing her running outpatient appointments, including assessment and treatment, carrying out inpatient physiotherapy and creating tailored home exercise programmes.

Emma said she was excited by the responsibility and varied range of cases we see at Kentdale, saying: “I am really looking forward to being more involved with inpatients, especially spinal patients, following their operations.

“During my placement year, I completed several months shadowing and assisting the rehabilitation team at another Linnaeus-owned hospital, Wear Referrals in County Durham, and developed a keen interest in spinal rehabilitation.

“I am also excited to see the wide array of different cases and surgeries that take place at Kentdale.

“Kentdale provide a range of treatments including laser, shockwave, massage and HEP, and we are looking to potentially expand this in the future.

“My main ambitions are to support as many patients as possible through Kentdale’s veterinary physiotherapy service, as well as to set up an arthritis clinic and raise awareness of the condition and the multi-modal management available.”

VETERINARY PHYSIOTHERAPY

One look at Emma’s background gives a clue as to why she has pursued a career as a veterinary physiotherapist.

Emma was born on a farm surrounded by animals and was a keen horse rider and sports woman who had her own fair share of injuries, many requiring physiotherapy.

Sure enough, she has combined her love of animals with physiotherapy and is thrilled to now be helping people’s pets back to health and mobility with us.

Emma said: “I have been around animals my whole life. I grew up on a dairy and sheep farm, and always had working Border Collies.

“We also developed a soft spot for cats when a stray came to shelter in our barn one night, needless to say our family have had cats ever since!

“This, combined with being a keen horse rider for more than a decade, meant animals were a huge part of my life.

“I was also very sporty, loved science and had undergone plenty of physiotherapy myself due to sporting injuries when I was younger, so veterinary physiotherapy ticked all of the boxes!”

Emma knew she had made the right career move when she was involved in a distressing case while in her final year at university.

HYDROTHERAPY

She explained: “A nine-month-old dog was rescued by passers-by who had intervened to stop her from being beaten in a local park.

“They took her to the nearest vet practice and she was found to have previously suffered fractured vertebrae, which had mostly healed but caused serious compensations and deficits.

“She was so excited and full of life but also close to death. We worked alongside the veterinary team and there were a few times when putting her to sleep seemed imminent if there wasn’t an improvement in a few days.

“However, through physio, hydrotherapy and lots of support, she not only found a forever home, but she was ambulatory without support and went back to being a ‘normal dog’ again. It was so uplifting and rewarding.”

Emma graduated in September 2019 with a BSc (Hons) degree in veterinary physiotherapy from Harper Adams University in Shropshire and went straight into working in a rehabilitation unit.

In her two-and-a-half years there she also completed a Level 3 Small Animal Hydrotherapy and Advanced Underwater Treadmill qualifications.