Dr Bernadette Bryan-Frankson, a physiotherapist, once watched two of her dogs suffer from injuries — one at birth and the other in old age. She believed she could help them recover but, since physiotherapy for dogs was uncommon in Jamaica, she did not act.
Lucky — one of her German Shepherd-Malinois mixed dogs — was injured at birth when her skin was torn, leaving her to walk on three legs. Her mother, Kelly, suffers from hip dysplasia. Dr Bryan-Frankson believes both conditions could have been treated more effectively with therapy.
“During the delivery, her (Lucky’s) skin got torn and, as a physiological therapist, I did what I thought was the right thing, and, many years later, I discovered that dogs have some muscles that obviously are different from humans. Had I known then, I would have been able to improve the outcome with this dog who pretty much walks around on three legs,” Dr Bryan-Frankson told GoodHeart during an interview at the Jamaica Kennel Club’s All Breed Championship Dog Show held on Sunday.
In 2023, it weighed heavily on her mind that what she had never considered doing for her own dogs as a physiotherapist was exactly what she needed to do for other dogs in Jamaica suffering from musculoskeletal injuries and ageing-related issues.
“[For] Kelly, I was able to look on her needs and successfully ease her pain by managing her weight and doing specific exercises to improve her sitting [and] going upstairs, because, sometimes when dogs are in pain, they stop going upstairs, they stop climbing up, because it hurts to take weight on their back legs. So she is much better now with running up the stairs,” she explained.
In 2024, Dr Bryan-Frankson went to Springfield, Missouri at the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in the United States for three courses, then went to Colorado for an internship at Walking Paws Rehab to become a certified canine rehabilitation therapist. The latter was to help dogs who suffer with arthritis and slipped disks in their backs.
“When I was in Colorado for my internship, these dogs are hikers and so on, and they get anterior cruciate ligament injuries. They do reconstructions and hip replacement [surgeries]. Walking Paws was just the most fantastic place with modern facility, so it was an inspiration to me of how I wanted my place to be set up [in Jamaica],” Dr Bryan-Frankson added.
After returning to Jamaica in cember, she decided to start her own doggy care business, Paws for Physio, located along Braemar Avenue in St Andrew.
“What I do is evaluate them, identify the weaknesses, identify the muscles or the joints that are involved, and design programmes. So these programmes will include exercise, pain management, aquatic therapy if necessary, underwater treadmill, swimming, and very specific targeted exercises for them,” she said.
Some of her services include laser therapy, photobiomodulation, under water tread milling, pulsed magnetic field therapy, aquatic therapy, and manual therapy.
“Many may ask, how does laser therapy affect my pet’s tissues? Light absorbed by cellular components activates cells to promote growth, proliferation, mitigation and repair. The main benefits are: laser reduces inflammation, decreases pain and improves wound healing. Some conditions that benefit from laser include: chronic arthritis, surgical incisions, tendon and ligament injuries, and traumatic injuries.
She also recommends aquatic therapy for healing and improved mobility in dogs without stressing their joints. The benefits include mental stimulation for senior dogs, post-injury rehabilitation, exercise conditioning for unfit dogs, and an alternative for owners with limited time to walk their dogs, allowing them to leave their pets with Bryan-Frankson for a swim instead.
With a young animal therapy business that is new to Jamaicans, she is hoping for the best to happen in 2025, and for ageing dogs in dire need of therapy.
“I love dogs. I love animals. As a teenager, I wanted to become a vet, and I love physical therapy. When I heard about physical therapy, it was a tick, and, after all these years, I just saw where the two things could merge, and it’s a big thing in the United States,” she said.
ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com
