BARC News

Patient Spotlight: Kailani Pogue

Meet Kailani! She is a 7-year-old mixed breed dog that her owners describe as happy and energetic. One day in late February at the dog park she was playing and chasing a ball when she suddenly yelped and rolled to the ground. She was unable to get up and her frightened owners rushed her to her regular veterinarian who diagnosed an intervertebral disc injury in her back. They gave her a shot and medications and advised them to follow up with a neurologist. The next day they went in to see the neurologist who examined her and suggested an MRI. This study showed a “missile”/traumatic intervertebral disc injury in her lower back with the result of her being unable to walk/stand or use her right back leg. The neurologist advised the owners that this type of injury usually does not progress after 24 hours and most pets will improve some function in days to weeks, but he recommended rehabilitation at BARC to help her regain more of her function.

Kailani started rehabilitation with us 7 days after her injury and had difficulty using her right leg. Her owners used a sling at first to help her get around. She came initially for acupuncture and physical therapy where we focused on decreasing inflammation in her spinal cord and help “wake up” the nervous signal to her right back leg. Her owners were diligent about performing her home exercises and stretching every day which helped with her successful outcome. She came to therapy three times a week and on her second week she started doing some underwater treadmill therapy. She continued to show progress with every week and was slowly able to advance and ultimately place her back right leg correctly. About one month after her initial injury she was walking much better, was no longer using a sling or bootie for assistance and her owners were able to resume taking her on walks. She has continued with therapy and underwater treadmill treatments at a reduced frequency 1-2 times per week to help regain her strength. We are so proud of Kailani and her amazing progress!

Service Spotlight: Home Visits

At BARC, we understand that some cats and dogs are in too much pain, hard to transport or don't travel well in a car, So we decided to bring our services to you with Home Visits . We can now bring our caring, expertise to you in the comfort of your own home, including evaluations, acupuncture, cart fittings and therapy.

Home Visits are convenient and less stress for you and your pet! Call us at 310-542-2727 to schedule an appointment or with any questions about the services we offer or areas we serve.

Get To Know David Cardena, Rehabilitation Assistant

Where are you from? North Hollywood, CA

What do you like to do when not at work? Enjoy my family and play soccer.

Favorite color? Blue, Red and Black

Favorite food? All kind. I love food in general.

What got you interested in working in rehab? I grew up with all kind of animals, I love animals in general but especially dogs. I have been working with dogs for 15 years in Daycare, Hospitals but when i found out about Rehabilitation I knew at that moment that was what I wanted to do. I love my job. I love to see them happy and comfortable.

What is a fun fact about yourself? Interesting question but I think the best way to find out is asking to my friends (-:

Have you been on any fun or unusual vacation spots? Not yet this year but I'm working on it.

Dr. Amy Kramer, PT, DPT, CCRT

We are so proud that Beach Animal Rehabilitation's founder Dr. Amy Kramer is now a published author! Dr. Kramer is a contributor for the textbook Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Second Edition. Dr Kramer lends her expertise in two chapters; chapter 23 "The Business of Canine Rehabilitation" which she authored and chapter 5, "Introduction To Canine Rehabilitation", which she co-authored.

Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Second Edition is described as "a thoroughly revised and updated new edition of this gold standard reference for all aspects of sports medicine and rehabilitation, encompassing basic science and integrated veterinary and physical therapy approaches.

Presents current, state-of-the-art information on sports medicine and rehabilitation in dogs
Offers perspectives from an international list of expert authors
Covers all topics related to veterinary care of the canine athlete and all active dogs
Includes illustrations and photographs throughout to demonstrate key concepts
Provides clinical cases that set the information in context"

Plus pages 570 to 572 have wonderful pictures of the BARC clinic!