Just a few seats are open for our Canine Sports Medicine module, to be held May 21-23 at Het Waterhof in Velm, Belgium! Enjoy spring in the picturesque Belgian countryside while learning about canine sports medicine, the fast-growing world of canine sporting competitions, and rehabilitation techniques that can be used to support both canine athletes and family pets. This course will be taught by expert faculty member Chris Zink, DVM, PhD, DACVP, DACVSMR, CCRT, CVSMT, CVA, who lectures internationally about canine sports medicine. If you are interested in this course, please contact Ellen Martens at ellen.martens@hetwaterhof.com for more details.

Can't make it to Belgium? Great news! The same course also will be held in Colorado in July! Register now for Canine Sports Medicine July 8-10, 2022, at CVSG in Littleton, Colorado! We encourage nurses / technicians in our CCRVN program to take the July Canine Sports Medicine module. We believe this hands-on course is a great way for our students to earn their CCRVN! Please contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com with any questions.

"Excellent teaching and content covered [in the Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse module]. The hands-on labs were great and both practical and useful. Excellent experience."

To learn more, see the event flier and visit the official registration website at https://events.anzcvs.org.au/science-week-2022/program.

Congratulations to Dr. Kara Amstutz on Her New Research Publication!

Congratulations to Dr. Kara Chappell Amstutz whose research article was just published by the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics! Read her article here.

Veterinarians: Interested in pursuing acupuncture training in Australia or Europe? We are planning to bring our Acupuncture Program to Australia and Europe in 2023. For more details, contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com.

Registration is now open for our 3-Module Acupuncture Certification Package (which includes a $500 discount) and individual spring and fall acupuncture modules! If you are thinking about acupuncture certification, sign up today before our modules are sold out!

We are now offering our three Acupuncture Program modules twice each year, with one set in the spring and one set in the fall. We will provide a $500 discount for anyone who registers for and attends all three modules in sequence. Students may now combine spring and fall modules into one package. Please see the Acupuncture Program page for complete details.

Remember, save $500 when you register for a 3-Module Acupuncture Certification Package. Please see the Course Schedule on our website for upcoming course dates.

Thinking about enrolling in our Acupuncture Program? Students give our acupuncture modules wonderful reviews!

"I really loved the instructors and how they approached the course."

Acupuncture Modules 1-3 are RACE approved by the AAVSB for 40 credit hours each. Visit our website to learn more, and register today to reserve your seat!

"Instructors are great; things I should have learned in vet school I’m learning now with good, practical applications."

Veterinary students: You are eligible to enroll in our Acupuncture modules after your first year of veterinary school. Please see our Veterinary Student Certification page for information about our 20% student discount.

Already certified? If you are already certified in acupuncture, be sure to check out our accelerated program for more hands-on training and increased knowledge of neurophysiology-based acupuncture. In the accelerated program, students watch the online videos for two of the three modules, and then attend one live module (either Module 2 or 3) for additional hands-on training. For the live module, we strongly recommend students attend Veterinary Medical Acupuncture for Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation Patients (Module 2). Students must watch the videos from Introduction to Veterinary Medical Acupuncture (Module 1) before taking the in-person module.

CRI's Certified Veterinary Acupuncture Therapist Program is recognized by the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture, the U.S. affiliate of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. Those enrolled in our program can sign up at AAVA.org as active members. Upon successful completion of the CVAT program, graduates can notify AAVA, and their status will be changed to credentialed members of AAVA.

Our CRI Member Library is continuing to grow! We have just added our new 3-hour Feline Rehabilitation and Pain Management course and our recent webinar "Practical Application of Shock Wave Therapy in Canine Rehabilitation" to the CRI Member Library.

For $795, students can have unlimited access for one year to our CRI Member Library! The CRI Member Library now includes 80+ hours of RACE-approved online courses taught by our expert faculty — and content continues to grow! The CRI Member Library is a great way to fulfill most states' current continuing education requirements without needing to travel!

Already have a subscription to the CRI Member Library? Renew your annual subscription for a $250 renewal fee! We have added hours of continuing education content this year and will continue to add more online content in 2022.

Veterinarians, physical therapists and veterinary technicians/nurses that have successfully completed Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation (including the exam) can subscribe. CCRPs are also welcome to subscribe. Veterinary technicians/nurses need to submit a valid Employment Agreement Letter.

See the CRI Member Library page on our website to learn more and sign up today! Be sure to indicate in the Checkout process that you have completed Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation or are a CCRP.

Seats in our fall and winter courses are filling up quickly! Register today to reserve your space!

Veterinary technicians/nurses: We are offering a $350 discount for any nurses who take our Canine Sports Medicine module this year as their elective for CCRVN certification. Registration is now open for our July 8-10 module in Littleton, Colorado. Register today and make sure you have a seat!

Our core rehabilitation courses combine online coursework and in-person lab sessions. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register now, or contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com if you are interested in attending these upcoming courses.

Please check our website for the most up-to-date course schedule.

Remember that we also offer discounted 2-course packages for either (1) Clinical Skills plus Clinical Applications or (2) Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse plus Canine Sports Medicine. We also offer a discounted 3-module package for our Acupuncture modules. Please see our Registration page for more details. If you are not sure when you plan to take a course, you may choose the option of a "Future" class. "Future" registrations may be subject to tuition increases. (Learn more.)

If you have previously registered for a "Future" course and wish to attend a class that is now open for registration, be sure to contact CRI and tell us which course you would like to attend. This is the only way to guarantee you have a seat in the course.

Register today, and reserve your seats in these classes!

After careful consideration, we have made the decision to update the Certified Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse (CCRVN) and Certified Canine Rehabilitation Assistant (CCRA) program for veterinary technicians / nurses for 2023.

Starting January 1, 2023, the modules for CCRVN / CCRA certification will be:

Students who complete Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse (Module 2) in 2022 may choose a Module 3 elective as outlined below.

From January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, the three modules for CCRVN / CCRA certification will be:

Note: During 2022, CCRVN / CCRA students that choose Canine Sports Medicine for their elective can take a $350 discount in the course fee.

Please see the CCRVN page for complete details.

Please visit our Course Schedule page for an up-to-date list of upcoming courses. If you are interested in taking a course, please register or contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com to join our interest list.

Dates are tentatively set for January 21-25, 2023. Seating is limited. If you are interested, contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com to be put on our list for this class.

Dr. Kara Amstutz was recently interviewed about her career and starting a business. This interview was conducted in Springfield, Missouri with the local iHeartRadio station for International Women's Day. Click here to listen to this great conversation about being a veterinarian, owner, wife and mother.

Dr. Janet Van Dyke, CRI’s founder, was recently interviewed as part of a podcast series, “Beyond Badass: How Fierce Women Get It Done,” hosted by former ABC News anchor Ann Abernethy. Learn how canine rehabilitation and CRI got started, and hear about her efforts to mentor and empower women in the veterinary field.

We are excited to announce that CRI's promotional piece for our Public TV program was shown nationally on Fox Business News in September, and our longer video segment is now being shown on 400 Public TV networks across the country. To see it, check your local programming for Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid.

To see CRI's full-length video (just over 8 minutes long), visit the News page on our website.

We are planning to hold our next Introduction to Ultrasound Techniques / Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound course during the fourth quarter of 2022 or the first quarter of 2023 at Sound's Academy of Veterinary Imaging in Arlington, Texas.

"The entire class was extremely useful and appropriate for the audience. The instructors were excellent and provided different tips and tricks. The instructors made a challenging area of vetmed understandable and easy to learn. Thank you!!!!"

– Carolina Medina, DVM, CVA, CVCH, CVT, CVFT, CCRT, DACVSMR, Coral Springs, Florida

– Kenneth Bruecker, DVM, MS, DACVS, DACVSMR, Moorpark, California

If you are interested in attending the next course, please contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com so we can add your name to our interest list.

We have sent our "Mentor Minute" newsletter to all current internship mentors. If you are a mentor and did not receive it or if your practice would like to join our internship team, please contact internship@caninerehabinstitute.com.

Subscriptions are now available to our CRI Acupuncture Member Library, a separate online library just for acupuncture content! For $150, students can have unlimited access for one year to our CRI Acupuncture Member Library with recordings of six acupuncture webinars. Keep expanding your knowledge and skills by learning from our expert faculty!

Please note that the six acupuncture webinars are also included in our main CRI Member Library. If you subscribe to the CRI Member Library, you do not need a separate subscription to the CRI Acupuncture Member Library.

The CRI Acupuncture Member Library is available to veterinarians who have completed CRI's Introduction to Veterinary Medical Acupuncture (Module 1) and veterinarians who have been certified in acupuncture through CRI or another program can subscribe. During the registration process, please be sure you indicate that you have completed Introduction to Veterinary Medical Acupuncture (Module 1) or have been certified in acupuncture.

Please see our CRI Acupuncture Member Library page for complete details and a link to subscribe.

Are you an intern or resident who needs to complete a research project? Our comprehensive Introduction to Veterinary Clinical Research course can take you from "How to write a hypothesis" to launching your pilot study.

We are planning to offer this course in 2022. Please contact us to add your name to our interest list. This online course, led by faculty member Dr. Chris Zink, includes 10 live discussions held once a week and is limited to 15 students to allow ample time for interaction.

Our Introduction to Veterinary Clinical Research course has received great reviews from students!

Please contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com to add your name to our interest list for this class.

CRI is honored to have three faculty members and graduates selected for PulseVet's new Small Animal Advisory Board. Congratulations to CRI faculty members Dr. Janet Van Dyke, Dr. Leilani Alvarez, and Dr. Carolina Medina for their selection to this board. The PulseVet Small Animal Advisory Board includes well-recognized leaders in veterinary orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, and rehabilitation in both academia and private practice. Read more.

Dr. Janet Van Dyke, CRI founder, was recently featured on Fueled: A Sporting Dog Podcast presented by Eukanuba™ and hosted by Dr. Joe Spoo. In this episode, Dr. Spoo and Dr. Van Dyke discuss canine rehabilitation — what it is and what training looks like. Listen to the podcast.

CRI founder Janet Van Dyke, DVM, ACVSMR, MANZCVS, CCRT, serves as secretary of the chapter. Yoko Clinch, BSc BVMS (Hons), MANZCVS, CCRT, is the president, and Jane McNae, BVSc, MACVSc (Surg), MRCVS, PG Cert (Med Ed), FHEA, CCRT, is the sponsor liaison.

The chapter held its inaugural lecture track in July 2021 at ANZCVS Science Week, and CRI veteran faculty member Sasha Foster, MSPT, CCRT, was selected to be the keynote address presenter.

For more information, please visit the Chapter's website.

Research Update from Canine Home Exercises

Read the study from Animals 

The Study: This retrospective controlled clinical study aimed to verify if intensive neurorehabilitation (INR) in post-surgical dogs with acute intervertebral disc extrusion could improve ambulation faster than spontaneous recovery or conventional physiotherapy. Three hundred sixty-seven dogs were divided into two groups. The study group was based on prospective cases. The control group was based on retrospective cases. The authors concluded, “The intensive neurorehabilitation protocol translated in 99.4% (167/168) of recovery in deep pain perception-positive dogs and 58.5% (55/94) in deep pain perception-negative dogs. There was 37.3% (22/59) spinal reflex locomotion, obtained within a maximum period of 3 months. Thus, intensive neurorehabilitation may be a useful approach for this population of dogs, avoiding future euthanasia and promoting an estimated time window of 3 months to recover.”

Study Limitations: Because the control group consisted of retrospective cases and the study group of prospective cases, it was difficult to compare the groups to determine if the improvement in function was due to the rehabilitation intervention or spontaneous recovery.

Impact on Clinical Practice: This study supports the importance of rehabilitation by showing intensive neuro rehabilitation may improve function within three months in deep pain positive and deep pain negative dogs.

Did you know Canine Arthritis Resources and Education (CARE) has a wealth of FREE resources to help veterinary professionals and pet owners manage osteoarthritis (OA)?

Sign up for a free subscription today to gain access to CARE's extensive collection of resources to help your rehabilitation patients and clients. CRI is pleased to be a sponsor of CARE.

For more information on our line-up, as well as our membership, please visit our website: https://onlinepethealth.com.

Attention, physical therapists and PT students! You can now register for CRI courses during your final year in PT school and start your certification as a canine rehabilitation therapist as soon as you have graduated and are licensed! We will NO LONGER require that you graduate before registering for courses. This will allow you to achieve your dream of working with animals much sooner!

Have questions? Contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com. We are very excited to continue helping more and more PTs along this exciting journey! 

Certification in Canine Rehabilitation (CCRT): Students can start their training by taking Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation any time after their first year. They can then take the second module, Clinical Skills, any time after their second year. After their third year, they can take the last module, Clinical Applications, followed by a 40-hour internship. Certification will be awarded when the students obtain their veterinary licenses.

Certification in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture (CVAT): Students can start their training by taking Introduction to Veterinary Medical Acupuncture any time after their first year. They can then take the second module, Veterinary Medical Acupuncture for Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation Patients any time after their second year, and the last module, Canine and Feline Medical Acupuncture, any time after their third year. Certification will be awarded when the students obtain their veterinary licenses.

For complete details, please see our Veterinary Student Certification page or contact us at info@caninerehabinstitute.com.

CRI is pleased to announce the creation of The Tayla Fund, in memory of Tayla, a long-time favorite demo dog and the beloved companion of Janessa Shine, an O.R. nurse at Coral Springs Animal Hospital.

Donations to The Tayla Fund are tax-deductible and will be used to pay for rehabilitation at Coral Springs Animal Hospital for clients who cannot afford it.

To make a tax-deductible donation, use the button below to donate to Coral Springs Animal Hospital's charitable fund through the Veterinary Care Charitable Fund. Please be sure to select Coral Springs Animal Hospital as the recipient and specify "The Tayla Fund" in the Donor Name(s) for Public Recognition section of the donation form.

In April, we were pleased to welcome students to our Veterinary Orthoses and Prostheses course, held at OrthoPets headquarters in Westminster, Colorado, and our Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse module in Littleton, Colorado.

– Kathryn Marles, LVT, VTS (Neurology) CCRVN, Steep Falls, Maine

– Alicia Lorch, RVT, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Students, faculty, and a demo dog took a class photo during Veterinary Orthoses and Prostheses, held April 8-10 in Westminster, Colorado.

Students, faculty and demo dogs posed for a class photo during the Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse module, held April 23-25 in Littleton, Colorado.

CRI is offering a 10% discount on most continuing education courses to members of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society (VOS) and the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians (AARV), as well as CRI graduates (CCRTs, CCRVNs, and CCRAs).

Please visit our Continuing Education page for a list of eligible courses and our FAQ page for more details. Note that continuing education courses do not include core rehabilitation or acupuncture courses taken for certification.

Please check our our Littleton, Colorado Travel page and our Coral Springs, Florida Travel page for more details about hotels and reservation links!

"No surprise that Maui has been the best nurse, until she steals my spot or is sleeping on the job!" Dr. Schwartz adds.

In recognition of this honor, Maui will receive a $50 gift certificate from Jiminy's good for any of their treats or dog food. Congratulations, Maui, and enjoy your yummy Jiminy's treats!

The Breezie Demo Dog of the Month Award is given in memory of Breezie, who was the lead demo dog for our Coral Springs courses for more than 9 years and helped to educate more than 800 veterinary and physical therapy professionals. She was such a great demo dog that our faculty would beg to have her in their small group sessions. Breezie's favorite holiday was Halloween when she was always the best dressed dog in Coral Springs!

Are you following CRI on Facebook? Be sure to stay connected for the most up-to-date news and photos from our courses. Tag your friends and colleagues and share our posts to spread the word about veterinary rehabilitation!

Have You Looked at CRI's Online Job Postings?  

If you are considering a new position in canine rehabilitation, be sure to check out the Jobs page on the CRI website, which has numerous listings. Recent postings include openings for rehabilitation veterinarians, physical therapists, and technicians/nurses in Illinois, Washington, Indiana, Oregon, California, Ottawa (Canada), Florida, Michigan, New York, Wales (UK), Alabama, Colorado, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.

If you have a job opening that you would like to publicize, please use our online Job Posting Form to submit your listing.

CRI students and graduates, please remember that you may only use protected terms such as "physical therapy" and "veterinary medicine" in your advertising materials if you are licensed in these fields. We discuss protected terms during Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation, and we hope everyone continues to remember and follow the recommendations provided.

If you are a CRI graduate, please check your listing in the Find a Therapist online directory and make sure the contact information is correct. If you have any updates, please email Joyce Rudzitis, CRI's chief operating officer.

For more information, download the Sponsorship Opportunities flier or contact Dwight Amstutz.