Patient Spotlight: Peyton

6lb, 14-year-old Peyton initially came to BARC in January 2021 after his owner noticed he was steadily declining and losing function in his hind limbs over a couple months leading to hind limb paresis. The presumptive diagnosis was T3-L3 myelopathy and bilateral Medial patellar luxation (MPL). At his initial evaluation, Peyton’s prognosis was fair for some improvement and his owner’s goal with rehabilitation was to find out if anything could be done to assist Peyton in his mobility and quality of life. Peyton’s initial physical rehabilitation sessions focused on relieving pain and inflammation through acupuncture, the use of LASER therapy and gentle manual therapies. His sessions then progressed to focus on proprioceptive training, functional mobility and gait training. Proprioceptive training included tactile stimulation throughout the core and hind limb musculature, knuckling his paws to increase hind limb awareness and gentle weight shifting to promote hind limb weight bearing and balance. Functional mobility training included therapeutic exercises such as assisted sit to stands, cone weaves, cavaletti poles, side-stepping and rocker board with the goal of retraining Peyton to think about where his hind limbs are in space during obstacle negotiation and changes in direction. Gait training included assisting Peyton’s hind limbs to ambulate by manually advancing his limbs and by using techniques to stimulate the neurologic system.   Peyton has exceeded expectations and is now able to get up on his own and is walking! He continues to improve in his gait training and strength and his quality of life has improved tremendously. Peyton is definitely small but mighty!

Service Spotlight: Nutrition

At BARC, we believe that proper nutrition is a key element in the healing process and is a cornerstone to good health. We have combined our knowledge of nutrition, integrating experience with Nutrigenomics, an area of science that looks at how foods affect gene expression, and Food Therapy, a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, to address the needs of our patients and support their health and longevity. We know that chronic inflammation leads to illness and studies have shown that well balanced home cooked diets made with human grade ingredients are anti-inflammatory when compared to commercial kibble. Food Therapy We take the time to review your pet’s current food and treats, calculate appropriate daily calories and discuss how we can make their diet work to help your pet heal and have the best life possible. Supplements Most pets can benefit from supplements whether they are for joint health, skin and coat or just to ensure overall wellness. We carry numerous supplements, including our homemade Turmeric Veggie Paste, but recommend only those that have been third party tested to assure product quality. Diet Counseling When needed, we can recommend a diet for your pet to help them achieve weight gain/loss goals and overall optimal nutrition. We will work with you to develop a realistic plan for you and your pet. Call us today at (310) 542-2727 with any questions you may have about BARC’s Nutrition Counseling or if you want guidance on cooking home meals for your pet.

Get To Know: Abby Noh - Physical Therapist Where are you from? I was born in Chiba, Japan and then moved to Putney, England around the age of one. I lived in Putney until I was nine or ten, after which my family moved to Westchester County, New York. And then when I was 18, I moved to Eagle Rock, California to attend college and have called different pockets of Los Angeles home ever since. What do you like to do when not at work? I love to be outdoors, whether that entails slowly walking around my neighborhood, heading to the beach to read, or going on a hike. I’ve also recently become enamored with knitting and crochet, so lately I’ve been spending a couple of hours a day learning to make new things. Favorite color? I’m not sure if I have a favorite color, but I’m usually wearing or decorating with muted/neutral tones and/or black. But that’s different from what I like to see in the world – I love the vibrancy and variety of green in plants and the comfort of sunrise or sunset skies. Favorite food? Korean and Japanese cuisine are definitely among my favorites, but any noodle dish could probably win me over. What got you interested in working in rehab? When I was little, my childhood ambition was to become a veterinarian because I felt a different kind of love for animals. But after some personal and painful experiences with my own pets growing up, I didn’t believe I had the mental strength to support such a rewarding, yet emotionally demanding profession. I later decided to pursue physical therapy (with people) because the idea of being part of someone’s healing process really warmed my heart. I also found studying human anatomy and movement both beautiful and challenging. But when I found out that animal/canine physical therapy and rehabilitation were practices I could be part of, everything just clicked, you know? My inner child and the adult I am now had finally found their dream. What is a fun fact about yourself? I  love Hayao Miyazaki films and the composer behind their scores, Joe Hisaishi. I find that these beautifully animated films evoke a lot of childhood wonder while also commenting on very serious real-world issues and the music just swells my heart and soul with emotion. Have you been on any fun or unusual vacation spots? y grandparents in Korea and seeing the contrast between the countryside, foggy mountains, and glistening seaside with fresh seafood markets. I’d like to go back soon so I can appreciate them more now. I’d also love to see and honor more places in the world soon and I’d love to go back to Japan to visit my birthplace.

Dr. Erin Bukofsky PT, DPT, CCRT

Manual Treatment Techniques A common misconception about physical therapy is that it mainly focuses on exercise. While therapeutic exercise is a very important part of the rehabilitation process, manual treatment plays a large roll in relieving pain, reducing swelling, improving joint range of motion and promoting muscle flexibility.  Soft Tissue Mobilization (STM) STM is the use of skilled, methodical manual pressure and movement of tissues within the body. This technique can be applied to skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia. To name a few benefits, STM decreases pain by increasing endorphins, promotes tissue healing by improving improving circulation, decreases swelling by pushing out toxins within the tissues, and improves mobility by breaking up myofascial adhesions and scar tissue.  Muscle Stretching The goal of this technique is to increase muscle extensibility. Lack of muscle...read more

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Beach Animal Rehabilitation Center | PH: 310-542-2727 | Fax:310-542-2726 admin@beachanimalrehab.com | www.beachanimalrehab.com