A Canine’s Behavior and Cognitive State as It Relates to Immobility and the Success of Physical Rehabilitation in the Non-ambulatory Spinal Cord Patient

Physical rehabilitation (PR) is recommended for dogs after spinal cord injury to help them recover and maintain their physical abilities. It also helps reduce pain and improve their overall health. In humans, it's known that a person's mental and emotional state affects how well they recover from injuries. This article explores whether similar factors should be considered when planning rehabilitation for dogs with spinal cord injuries. The authors suggest that factors like a dog's breed, age, personality, and home environment might influence the success of their physical rehabilitation, just as psychological factors do in human patients.

• 1
  The psychological condition of the canine patient, including personality, cognitive state and motivation, influences the PR assessment plan and ultimately the success of physical rehabilitation.
• 2
  Biopsychosocial barriers have been shown to directly affect PR planning and success, meaning interventions addressing these barriers and considering these barriers are proven to better patient outcome.
• 3
  A 'flag' system for canines suffering spinal cord injury could be adapted to assess objectively the injured canine patient at the initial PR appointment.