Incorrect information on google search - how to become an animal physical therapist

I'm a little frustrated with what I just found. I did a search on google for "how to become an animal physical therapist" (since that is a question I get asked A LOT!) and the first link that shows up SHOULD be a good link with lots of really helpful information. But, it's loaded with incorrect and useless information. I have to admit, I'm a little upset about it because I have hundreds of children email me who are looking for good information on how to get into this field one day...and this "how to" article is just simply not good information. Here's the link if you want to check it out - maybe if enough of us give it bad reviews, they will take it off the web or change the information.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4798589_become-animal-physical-therapist.html

So, here are the corrections... First, Western University does NOT have a masters program that has anything to do with animal physical therapy. The author of this article was misunderstanding that animal physical therapy (also called canine or equine physical rehabilitation) is very different from the animal rehabilitation that involves helping sick or injured wild animals and then returning them to their natural habitat or zoo.

Second, you can NOT find programs in your area by checking out NaturalHealers.com. All that is there are ads for one school's long-distance programming (which again, has nothing to do with animal physical therapy). It's a scam.

Some real and good information can be found on David Levine's website. He is an excellent physical therapist who has been instrumental in advancing the field of animal physical therapy. His helpful website with lots of good resources can be found at:

http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/David-Levine/Veterinary.HTM/

Also, Lin McGonagle has been instrumental in advancing our field of animal physical therapy as well. She is a fabulous physical therapist and has a GREAT resource manual that you can purchase. I bought her first edition years ago when I first started out in the field and I found it to be tremendously helpful. I highly recommend it! Here is the link:

http://www.morningstaranimalpt.com/manual.htm

Back to the eHow article... There is no state licensing exam for animal physical therapy as of yet. There IS a licensing exam for human physical therapy and veterinary medicine however.

And finally, the rest of the information was just not that useful. Of course you need to gain experience in the field. But the author left out the most important resources.

Here are the links again for the sites I think are most helpful if you are learning about how to enter the field of animal physical therapy:

http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/David-Levine/Veterinary.HTM/
http://www.morningstaranimalpt.com/manual.htm
http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/
http://www.canineequinerehab.com/

The first 2 links are great resources. The second 2 links are the only two professional and respected education programs in the United States for continuing education in animal physical therapy! In a nutshell, get your formal degree in PT or veterinary medicine. Then, take the continuing education courses listed at the websites above (which will involve a short internship experience) and finally, contact the animal rehab centers listed on David's site to see about volunteering or securing a job. He has a great list divided up by regions of the country. You can also find a state-by-state listing on the Handicappedpets.com site. Here's the direct link:

http://handicappedpets.com/www/link-a-resources/pet-rehab-centershealers.html

Hope this helps!

School for Animal Physical Therapy?

In the last post, I outlined the big picture. But, now for some details about how to get trained in animal physical therapy. The 2nd most commonly asked question I am asked is if there are any schools (degree programs) specifically for animal physical therapy. Currently, there are NOT any formal programs at the university degree level. I hope to see a masters program in animal physical therapy created in the near future.

Until then, the best training includes:
1) Being a PT, PTA, vet, or vet tech first
2) Several continuing education courses in animal rehabilitation
3) A lot of self-study (especially anatomy, biomechanics, and gait)
4) Observation with veterinarians and surgeons
5) Hands-on experience in handling animals
6) Hands-on experience in applying PT techniques to the animals
7) Learning about behavior from animal trainers is very helpful too.

The continuing education courses/programs are generally offered to the following professionals: physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, veterinarians, and veterinary technicians. At the moment, there are two programs (in the United States) that are similar in nature and result in a "certificate" in either canine or equine physical rehabilitation. The programs, in a nutshell, are a series of weekend courses (actually, last time I checked, you could take them in longer chunks, such as 6 days of classes at once as well). Plus, they involve some shadowing of an animal therapist, case studies, and a final exam.

There are 2 primary centers for animal PT (rehabilitation) courses. One is based in Florida and split into canine and equine. The other is based out of Knoxville, TN (affiliated with UT vet school), but they offer courses in various locations. I'll put the links to their websites below so that you may check them out. I entered the profession before the certification programs existed, but I have heard that they are excellent. Best of luck!

Canine Rehabilitation Institute:
http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com

Equine Rehabilitation Institute: http://www.equinerehabilitationinstitute.com/index.html

University of Tennessee Outreach Program
http://www.canineequinerehab.com/

How do you become an animal physical therapist?

This is probably the most-asked question I get from students of all ages and from professionals who are considering a career change. The simple and best answer is to go to human physical therapy school first. There, you will learn the science and art of physical therapy, which is very important to have under your belt! Once a PT student, there are continuing education courses and conferences that you will be able to attend in the field of animal physical therapy. You will learn to apply your solid PT knowledge and skills to animals (dogs, cats, and horses primarily) much more easily this way and be more competent in working with the animals over the long haul.

Alternatively, veterinarians and veterinary technicians are also known to do animal rehabilitation. But, their ground education is in medicine and medical skills, such as drawing blood, listening to the heart, etc. So, if you haven't started out yet, it makes A LOT more sense to go to PT school and learn what you really need to learn (yes, even though it is based on humans - it really does ALL apply to animals as well)! It's easier, in my opinion, to learn the animal-related stuff later (like, how to handle the animals, the slightly different anatomy and physiology, the common conditions and injuries that dogs and horses endure, etc). In my experience, I can tell you that there is A LOT more to learn in physical therapy school than the additional knowledge you'll need to learn to apply that PT knowledge to dogs or other pets.

For those of you wanting a shorter career path and you don't mind working along side a PT or veterinarian, I would suggest becoming either a veterinary technician or a physical therapy assistant (both are usually 2 years at the associate's degree level) and then you can help with physical therapy treatments. The law says that only licensed physical therapists and veterinarians can do the evaluations and prescribe the treatments. So, you'll need to think about if you want to be the diagnostician and treatment developer or if you just want to spend your time with animals and don't mind carrying out the treatments that your boss designs.

It's a great field -- very fun and very rewarding -- wishing you all the best as you move toward doing animal physical therapy yourself!