F.A.Q’s

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes you do. The law (The Veterinary Surgeons Act) states that any type of treatment on an animal which is not carried out by a vet must be referred to the professional treating by their Veterinary Surgeon. Therefore Chartered Physiotherapists who specialize and work as Veterinery physiotherapists cannot treat animals without a veterinary referral. This also ensures that your animal gets the best care possible with your therapist and your vet liaising over the course of your animals treatment and rehabilitation.  I am often told that someones previous practitioner “never needed consent from my vet?”.  They may have sought this referral without your knowledge or they may have been working without it, which leaves them and therefore you uninsured.

A change in your horse’s behavior, a reduction in performance or a schooling issue that seems difficult to work through may be an indication that there is a problem. This may start with something as simple as being ‘girthy’ or upset when being groomed or a sudden reluctance with fying changes or to jump a particular type of fence.

In addition, a lot of our clients will ask their vet for a referral for physiotherapy purely to maximise athletic performance.

This will vary and depends on the type of treatment required and the athology your animal presents with. Typically your first appointments last an hour and follow up appointments between 45 minutes and an hour.

All human physiotherapy appointments last approximately an hour.

This depends enormously on what your animal has been referred for. Each animal is assessed and treated as an individual and treatment is provided according to that animals specific assessment findings and the owners requirements i.e. what level of performance they need to be rehabilitated back to.

At your first appointment your physiotherapist will assess your animal carefully. At the end of this appointment, your physiotherapist will discuss these findings and advise on the most suitable course of action. The frequency of treatment will depend on whether your animal requires hands on physiotherapy or just a progression of a home exercise programme. An estimate will be made of the number of sessions and the frequency so that a treatment plan can be agreed with yourself.

Should this change during the course of treatment, your physiotherapist will discuss this with you and advise you accordingly.

Your horse will usually require between 1- 2 days off, depending on the type of treatment that was given. The amount of time off after physiotherapy is often reduced once your physiotherapist has known your horse for a while as they will be better able to judge that animals response post physiotherapy. There are some animals who always require 2 days off after treatment and some who can be ridden on the day of treatment.

We endeavour to see your animal as quickly as possible. It may be that the waiting time to see a particular physiotherapist is longer than one of the others and so it may be necessary to start your treatment with one physiotherapist and if you wish to, then transfer to the caseload of another within our practice. In general we try to ensure continuity of care with your treatment being with the same physiotherapist each time.

Please contact us to inform us that you need to cancel or change your appointment as soon as you know. We do not normally charge for cancellations when we receive more than 24 hours notice, but please tell us as soon as possible and do not wait until the day before if you can inform us sooner, as we may be able to offer your appointment to another animal. You will be charged for cancellations within 24 hours.

All Chartered Physiotherapists initially qualify to degree level to work with humans. They will have the letters ‘MCSP’ and ‘HCPC’ after their name meaning that they are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and are registered and regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. The HCPC is a statutory body established to set and maintain standards of physiotherapists and other health professionals.

The term ‘Chartered Physiotherapist’ is a protected title by law but the term physiotherapist is not if you put the word animal or veterinary in front of it. A growing number of people now advertise their services as veterinary or animal physiotherapists with varying levels of qualification.

A Chartered Physiotherapist is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and has a postgraduate qualification in Veterinary Physiotherapy. The Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s Degree in Veterinary Physiotherapy at the Royal Veterinary College (University of London) or Hartpury College is an academic postgraduate qualification open to Chartered Physiotherapists only which then entitles their graduates to call themselves ACPAT Veterinary Physiotherapists. To ensure your physiotherapist is insured, regulated and well qualified check they are Chartered Physiotherapists and Veterinary physiotherapists.

The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) is a clinical interest group of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. ACPAT regulates their physiotherapists to ensure they achieve the correct level of training to be allowed to practice as a qualified Cat A member of ACPAT and they audit their members continuing professional development to maintain standards of ongoing training and education. Members of ACPAT work only with veterinary referral and abide by the Veterinary Surgeons Act. Beware of anyone offering treatment to your animal without veterinary referral.

RAMP stands for the Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners and to be on the register you must have met the gold standard set out by them to have completed a sufficient level of training to allow you to be a competent animal musculoskeletal practitioner. All the physiotherapists who work with Sarah Price Physiotherapy are on the RAMP register. The register was initially set up to allow the public and referring vets peace of mind when selecting their practicioner to ensure they can select from a list of highly qualified individuals.

Payment is made after each treatment either by cheque or cash. In certain circumstances we allow BACS payments but please check with your physiotherapist when you book your appointment.

Most animal insurance companies provide cover for Veterinary Physiotherapy. They require referral to your Veterinary Physiotherapist from your vet prior to the commencement of treatment. It is your responsibility to contact your animals insurance company prior to commencing treatment to confirm what benefit is available to your animal as each policy is different.

Arrange a consultation with your vet. Following examination of your animal, ask if physiotherapy is appropriate. If so, they will contact us directly or give you a referral letter to give to your Chartered Veterinary Physiotherapist, explaining the nature of the problem. If your veterinary practice is not one we routinely work with, then either contact us for a referral form prior to your veterinary consultation, download one from the link below or provide them with your details so that they can call us to discuss the case

Veterinary Referral Form Equine