Dr. Dianne Dunning (left) and Dr. Kathleen Wittek assist as Kim Knap leads a patient through
the cavaletti rails.

Under the direction of Dr. Dianne Dunning, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and with the help of certified veterinary technician Kim Knap, who has trained in animal rehabilitation, the new program not only speeds recovery of post-surgical patients but improves quality of life for those with chronic problems, such as arthritis, obesity, and paralysis.

Many animal participants have already made dramatic improvements. For example, Bowie, a beagle, was paralyzed in both hind legs due to a spinal problem. Within two weeks, rehabilitation techniques such as stepping over cavaletti rails, moving on an underwater treadmill, and receiving electrical stimulation to muscles, Bowie regained use of his hind legs.

Charley, a Champion English Labrador retriever who had impaired use of his right hind leg due to a fibrocartilaginous emboli (a common disease of large breed dogs frequently caused by broken spinal disc material entering the blood stream and blocking the blood supply), has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital since July. Receiving rehabilitation therapy three to four times a day has helped Charley get back to competition status.

The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 28 veterinary schools in the United States. Its Veterinary Teaching Hospital each year provides care for more than 15,000 patients in its Small Animal Clinic and 3,000 patients in its Large Animal Clinic.

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