CRI is excited to be returning to Australia in the near future! To kick off the announcement of this exciting development, Drs. Kara Amstutz and Janet Van Dyke traveled to Australia's Gold Coast to share sponsorship of the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation lecture track as well as exhibit space with our Australian host organization, VetPrac, and our sponsor company, Paw Prosper. This was the first in-person gathering of the College in over 2 years, and the excitement was palpable. More than 920 delegates took part in the 4-day scientific meeting, enjoying presentations by specialists from over 20 different Chapters in ANZCVS.

There was great interest in CRI's upcoming programs to be held in Brisbane, starting in mid-2023, especially following the two full-day lecture tracks presented by the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Chapter of ANZCVS, where Dr. Van Dyke is a founding member and chapter secretary. The Chapter held its annual general meeting during Science Week and was happy to announce that there are 7 candidates who sat the inaugural Canine Membership Examination last month. The Chapter will offer its inaugural equine Membership Examination in 2023. For more information please visit the ANZCVS Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Chapter website.

Watch this space for more information regarding courses offered by CRI in Australia. To get on the waiting list for the next Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation course in Brisbane, visit info@caninerehabinstitute.com.

Registration is open for our January and February 2023 modules! Register now for Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation from January 6-9, Clinical Applications from January 10-11, and Clinical Skills from February 10-12, all held in Littleton, Colorado! Register today to reserve your space!

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!

"The [Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation] course was excellent. I was skeptical about the clay models but found them extremely useful in learning muscle placement. The instructors were all amazing, so helpful and knowledgeable. The course has obviously been very well thought out. I appreciated the multimodal aspect: we would get a lecture, then build muscle, then palpate on live dogs. Great course. I can’t think of a way to improve it."

– Mary Ellen (Emmy) Finley, DVM, Durango, Colorado

Start making plans for 2023! We have announced the dates for our upcoming January to June 2023 courses, and our January and February courses are already open for registration and filling up. We will be holding our core rehabilitation and acupuncture courses in Littleton, Colorado, and we also will be offering The Business of Canine Rehabilitation as a live, online course on March 22, 29, and April 5.

We also are excited to announce that we will be holding our Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation module June 3-6 in Belgium and later in the year in Australia!

Check our website calendar and make plans to join us!

Our brand-new course in Alaska – Exercise Physiology for the Working Canine – attracted a long list of interested participants and sold out in three days!

This course will be held January 21-25, 2023, in Big Lake, Alaska, and will be taught by Michael S. Davis, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVSMR, the past president of ACVSMR.

Students in this course will learn about canine exercise physiology and gain hands-on experience with elite canine athletes — Alaskan Husky sled dogs! Attendees will learn how to drive a sled dog team and will have the opportunity to drive their own team in the vast wilderness of this area with stunning views of Denali. This is a great opportunity for residents preparing for boards, rehabilitation therapists who work with canine athletes, and anyone who would love to combine RACE-approved CE with a once-in-a-lifetime experience working with a world-famous sled dog trainer and his team.

If you are interested in being on the waiting list or attending this course in the future, please send your contact information to info@caninerehabinstitute.com.

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 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. Students receive a $500 discount when registering for Acupuncture Modules 1, 2, and 3 together. Students may now combine spring and fall modules into one package. Modules must be taken in sequence and completed within 12 months. 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 recently 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.

We have made a few more changes to our CCRVN / CCRA certification program! Veterinary technicians / nurses now may be supervised by a veterinarian or physical therapist certified from any of the following programs: Canine Rehabilitation Institute (CCRT), UT/Northeast Seminars (CCRP), Healing Oasis (VMRT), Chi Institute (CCRV), CuraCore (CRPM), or by a veterinarian who has earned his or her DACVSMR and is practicing canine rehabilitation. Students also may be under the supervision of a veterinarian or physical therapist who is pursuing CCRT certification and has completed Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation or has a seat confirmed in that course.

In addition, veterinary technicians / nurses are now welcome to take the Canine Rehabilitation Veterinary Nurse module, even if their supervising veterinarian is not yet certified. Technicians / nurses will receive their CCRVN or CCRA certification once their supervising veterinarian or physical therapist has been certified.

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

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.

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.

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 Veterinary Record 

The Study: This retrospective study compared short- and long-term outcomes of dogs treated surgically or medically for osseous associated cervical spondylomyelopathy. Twenty-four dogs were treated surgically with a dorsal laminectomy and 30 medically with restricted exercises and medication. Neurological status was determined at discharge, 4-8 weeks post treatment, 8-54 months by phone interview. Neurological improvement was significantly higher in surgically treated dogs (p = 0.004). Transient early postoperative neurological deterioration occurred in 73.1% of surgically treated dogs. For medical cases, long term improvement was seen in 15% of cases, remained static in 40% and deterioration in 45%. Surgical treatment resulted in long term improvement in 67% of cases, remained static in 29% and deterioration in 4% of cases.

Study Limitations: Retrospective study with limited controls.

Impact on Clinical Practice: This study should be considered when determining with dogs can be treated conservatively for osseous cervical spondylomyelopathy. The authors conclude the study “suggests that surgery is a favourable treatment option, however, requires intensive post-operative care. Medical treatment was associated with a guarded prognosis but could be a viable treatment option for selected 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.

We are excited to share our coming month's line-up with you, including a FREE webinar series for Onlinepethealth small animal members on stance and movement analysis, presented by Kirsten Haeusler, PhD, CCRP. This series of webinars is presented LIVE one week apart in the small animal members portal. Tickets are available for sale to non-members. You can get more information about the series here: https://onlinepethealth.com/small-animal-webinars/

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! 

We were excited to welcome students to our Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation module in June and to our Canine Sports Medicine module in July. Congratulations to all of our students who are working on their journeys to certification. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Students, faculty, and demo dogs posed for a class photo during Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation, held June 15-18 in Littleton, Colorado.

Students, faculty, and demo dogs gathered for a class photo during Canine Sports Medicine, held July 8-10 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.

Our July Breezie Demo Dog Award Winners are Tanner and Zach, Golden Retrievers owned by Angela Berkheimer McLean of Timberbash Goldens. Five of Timberbash's Golden Retrievers have served as demo dogs for CRI with Tanner and Zach volunteering the most.

Tanner (shown below) passed away in late April, but in recent years, he provided CRI students with wonderful firsthand experience with a geriatric dog. "Tanner did most of his volunteer work as a very old man – 14 and 15 years old — presenting the students an example of old dog issues," Angela continued. "Tanner loved going anywhere so going to class was always a complete joy to him. He also loved being the center of attention so having the full attention of a group of students was perfect for him. We lost Tanner the last week of April – he would have been 17 on July 5th. Looking back I’m so happy Tanner contributed to the education and growth of sports medicine and rehab."

"Zach (shown below) is 7 years old and loves to volunteer," Angela said. "Zach is a mostly retired show dog, but I think he missed his true calling of being a therapy dog. As several people have said – we’re not sure if Zach is a therapy dog or if he needs a therapy person. Zach loves to give hugs, and his gentle, easy-going nature makes him a wonderful dog to live with and to participate in this program. Zach has volunteered for almost every module as he’s equally content to lay on his side for an hour or do the active exercises with the various equipment."

In recognition of this honor, Team Timberbash Goldens will receive a $50 gift certificate from Jiminy's good for any of their treats or dog food. Congratulations, 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!

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.