Canine Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine

Cedarview Animal Hospital is home to Ottawa’s first underwater treadmill for animal hydrotherapy. This advanced rehabilitation tool allows dogs to exercise in a low-impact, buoyant environment that supports joints while providing gentle resistance. Underwater treadmill therapy is ideal for post-surgical recovery, injury rehabilitation, degenerative joint disease, weight loss, and fitness conditioning, helping dogs regain strength, mobility, and confidence safely.

Therapeutic ultrasound uses continuous, high-frequency sound waves to promote tissue healing at a cellular level. This non-invasive treatment increases circulation and enhances the speed and quality of healing in soft tissues. We commonly use ultrasound therapy to support recovery of surgical incisions, muscle injuries, ligament strains, gums, and other sensitive tissues.

Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive rehabilitation treatment that delivers low-energy acoustic wave pulses directly to injured or painful areas. This therapy is designed to stimulate the body’s natural healing response, reduce pain, and target deep tissues that are difficult to reach with other modalities. Shockwave therapy is commonly used for chronic tendon and ligament injuries, joint pain, and musculoskeletal conditions.

Just as in people, canine massage therapy can improve circulation, reduce pain, promote relaxation, and support healing of strained or injured muscles. Our therapists tailor each session to your dog’s needs and comfort level, ensuring treatments are calm, gentle, and anxiety-free, even for nervous or senior pets.

Laser therapy, also known as cold laser therapy, uses infrared light to stimulate healing at a cellular level. This pain-free treatment helps reduce inflammation and swelling, relieve pain, improve circulation, and increase range of motion. Many pets find laser therapy relaxing, making it an excellent option for dogs recovering from surgery, injury, or chronic pain.

Dr. Kim Holzman is a Fellow of the College of Animal Chiropractors and provides veterinary chiropractic care as a complement to traditional medicine. Animal chiropractic focuses on restoring normal motion and alignment to help manage conditions affecting joints, bones, discs, soft tissues, and nerves, supporting comfort, mobility, and overall function.

Dr. Gumley and Dr. Holmes are Certified Veterinary Medical Acupuncturists. Veterinary acupuncture uses fine needles placed at specific points on the body to stimulate a natural healing response. It is commonly used to help manage pain, non-infectious inflammation, mobility issues, and functional disorders, often alongside other rehabilitation therapies.

Additional rehabilitation services include custom therapeutic exercise programs, thermotherapy (heat therapy), and cryotherapy (cold therapy). These treatments are tailored to your pet’s specific condition and recovery goals. Many exercises and therapies can be safely performed at home, making them a critical part of your pet’s long-term rehabilitation and maintenance plan.

Our veterinarians are highly skilled in recognizing and managing pain in dogs and cats. Both Dr. Gumley and Dr. Holzman are Certified Veterinary Pain Practioners. Pain management may include medications, rehabilitation therapies, and multimodal treatment plans designed to improve comfort, reduce inflammation, and enhance the effectiveness of other therapies—helping your pet move better and feel better at every stage of life.

Our hospital works in collaboration with the Canadian veterinary orthotics company, Ortho-Animo, to provide custom orthotic and prosthetic devices for pets. Our patients who may benefit from these devices are referred to Ortho-Animo, and all measurements and fittings are performed at our hospital by a professional orthotist. Devices are made here in Canada , just outside of Montreal.