Video consultations

Many dogs have benefited from my video consultations during the lockdowns and beyond. Some have had their problem resolved from start to finish and have been discharged with no need for hands-on therapy. We are continuing to find video consultations very useful, especially for clients who live in other areas.  

Booking

To book an appointment, use the contact form here or email me at [email protected]. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. These contact details are for appointments only. If looking for general advice, check out the advice for dog owners section of my website. 

Video consultations are held on zoom. You’ll receive the clickable private zoom link once payment for the consultation has been received.

Before your first video appointment

On booking your first appointment, I may in some cases prompt you to give your vet’s practice a quick call. This would be to double-check that they are happy for me to oversee your pet’s rehabilitation, and to ask them to email the pet’s clinical history to me (along with any relevant x-rays and scan results). 

Please send some video footage of your pet to me in advance of the consultation. I suggest that you get any video footage to me using WhatsApp, WeTransfer.com or another file sharing site. I’ll take a close look at any videos before we speak. Videos do not need to be of very high quality….footage snapped on your phone is fine. The following types of footage are often useful:

• Your dog walking. If possible, please include a bit of video footage from each side, and from in front and from behind your dog. NB Don’t worry if that’s not possible: I’ll work with whatever you can send me. 
• Your dog getting up from rest. E.g. you could video your dog laying on their bed, and then call them to come towards you (maybe with a toy or treat to encourage them to get up) so that we can look at how they get up off the floor.
• Very helpful: Please try to include a ‘video walk-through’ of where your dog lives, including the rooms and parts of the garden or yard that they have access to.  This gives me an idea of the flooring, doorsteps, changes of level, types of spaces, and twists and turns in the home and garden that the dog has to manage, and helps me to give you best advice. E.g. you could start in the garden and show that space, then show the doorstep as you walk in through the garden door, and continue through the home room by room. Remember to include where your dog usually eats, rests and sleeps. A series of photos is fine as an alternative to this if you prefer. 
• If there’s anything else that you’d particularly like me to look at, you’re welcome to send video footage or photos. Perhaps your dog is licking at a limb and you’d like to discuss whether or not this might be pain-related. Or perhaps there is a subtle lameness and you’d like to send me footage of your dog trotting, running off-lead, turning or climbing/descending steps. 

Video consultation fees

First consultation: £60

Follow up consultation: £43

Terms and conditions

Terms and conditions can be downloaded by clicking here. 

Your appointment

The first appointment takes 1 hour, and follow-ups are around 40 to 60 minutes. Your pet can just relax while we’re talking as I won’t routinely ask you to show them to me during the consultation. 

I’ll ask you some questions about your animal when we first meet online (anything that isn’t clear from their previous clinical history) and give you a chance to explain your concerns. Then I’ll give you some advice. This usually includes home advice specific to your dog, handling tips and guidelines on the best type and amount of exercise. If  prescribing exercises, I teach these online by talking the process through, demonstrating with a model dog and by sharing my screen to show you a video of another dog and handler doing the exercise. 

Remote consultation involves a lot of discussion. I also share my screen from time to time, e.g. to explain clips from the videos that you’ve sent me, to point things out on your dog’s x-rays if needed, or to show you relevant photos or video footage. You are welcome to record the consultation for your own reference, or to ask me to record sections of it and send them on to you. If you need me to write a report for your usual vet, this would generally be included in the cost of the session. 

Over a course of sessions, I prescribe and adjust an exercise and activity plan tailored to your dog. We may also discuss painkiller medication doses, diet (I’ll formulate a diet plan for your pet if needed), signs of pain or limb fatigue for you to watch out for and, if appropriate, we can talk through other issues related to your pet’s quality of life. 

For follow-up video consultations, it’s very helpful if you can send me a bit of fresh video footage each time before we meet. This allows me to recheck the dog’s gait. It’s also useful for me to see video footage of you doing any new exercises with your dog. 

The IVDD Handbook

Is your dog suffering from IVDD (‘slipped disc’ or disc extrusion)? If so, we recommend The IVDD Handbook as a home guide to their care. Use this book in conjunction with talking to your own vet. The IVDD Handbook is also suitable for those with certain other back or neck problems including FCE and traumatic disc.  It contains:

• clear practical guidelines for each stage of recovery
• illustrated how-to guides for everything from sling-walking to home exercises
• notes on when to contact your vet
• an illustrated guide to understanding your dog’s surgical report
• advice on keeping your recovering dog happy and content
• a section on maintaining your own wellbeing while caring for your own dog
• example daily routines suitable for dogs at each stage of recovery
• hundreds of colour photos showing what to look for and how to help your dog
• an index, glossary and colour-coded chapter to help you find information fast. 

How to get your copy

Click here to buy or look inside The IVDD Handbook.

The above link should redirect you to your country’s Amazon site.

For those living in Australia, New Zealand or Singapore, the book can be ordered either from the US or the UK.

Links to the book on this page are provided as part of the Amazon Associates program. Buying the book after clicking on one of these links will earn the author a small commission, thus contributing to the ongoing running of this website.