In this Forstinningen practice, you will be greeted with excited barking and happy tail wagging. Husky Snowy and German shepherd mix Balou greet the visitor expectantly behind a black gate. Even if such a greeting would probably deter many patients in ordinary medical practices: With “Pawmotion” it inspires trust. Because this is about sick four-legged friends, the dog Snowy and the male Balou belong to the physiotherapist and chiropractor Ramona Stadler, who specializes in animals.
As the daughter of a dog trainer, she was particularly interested in veterinary medicine as a teenager, says Stadler. This enabled her to develop a feeling for the well-being of four-legged friends early on. And when Balou finally fell ill with an underactive thyroid and Snowy showed the first signs of hip dysplasia, she was forced to delve deeper into the matter. Especially since the cause of the husky’s dragging, unstable gait remained unclear even after numerous visits to the doctor. “I was assured at the time that my bitch was healthy,” says Stadler.
In Snowy, a cavity between the hip bones destabilizes the gait
Eventually, however, she came across a veterinarian who, using the appropriate x-ray equipment, was able to identify a cavity between the loose hip bones. Therefore it was not possible for the bitch to build up a gait-stabilizing musculature. However, Ramona Stadler decided against an operation and began to correct her dog’s joint misalignment through muscle-building physiotherapy – and successfully so.
Among other things, because she is averse to injecting, putting animals to sleep and simply administering pain-relieving medication, the 33-year-old turned to animal physiotherapy. Her training lasted from summer 2018 to April 2022. During the Corona period, Stadler set up a practice on Münchner Straße in Forstinning. There she now supports the healing processes, especially of dogs – without cutting. In the meantime, she often hears from her customers about superfluous surgical procedures, the causes of which can be cured more effectively with physiotherapy, says Stadler. She has even been able to successfully treat the consequences of a torn ligament with the help of laser therapy. “Because the laser penetrates deeper into the tissue and can thus promote the healing process by stimulating the nerve tracts.”
“I’m a fan of using my hands to identify the pain points and their causes”
Ramona Stadler uses various working methods and devices to treat pain, from massage to heat, cold and movement therapy to laser and ultrasound. On the basis of a gait and movement analysis, she assesses which methods are most likely to alleviate the symptoms of her animal patients. “Also, I’m a fan of using my hands to identify the pain points and their causes.” Apart from the neuralgic points, she emphasizes, it is important to look at the animal holistically. At first glance, a lame front leg can just as easily indicate a hip misalignment as a knee problem. Traditional veterinarians, however, would like to overlook such phenomena and hastily reach for the surgical knife, according to the physiotherapist.
When choosing and practicing the healing methods, the individual reaction of the dogs to their pain should be taken into account, says Stadler. Because the dog characters are also very different on this point: “While some try to hide pain for as long as possible, there are also those who stand on three legs as soon as a hair is crooked.” In that respect, domestic animals would not be all that different from humans. That is why she only goes so far with her therapy methods as the respective patient feels comfortable. “A frightened look at the massage is enough” – then she knows that this is too uncomfortable for the animal.
“If mum or dad doesn’t participate, it takes three times as long”
The treatment of the four-legged friend should then usually be continued at home: Stadler gives the owners therapy exercises to carry out independently. How quickly the healing process ultimately progresses therefore depends mainly on the customer’s own work. “If mistress or master don’t participate, it takes three times as long,” warns the 33-year-old. A quick recovery can save the customer money and time and the animal further pain.
Speaking of costs: Because of the illnesses in their own dogs, Stadler knows how expensive a veterinary examination or treatment can be. That’s why she tries to accommodate her customers: “I have to be able to live off the money, but I don’t want dog owners to consider perhaps less effective treatment to the detriment of the animal just because it’s cheaper. We owe it to the animals, because they cannot do anything about their pain themselves.” The treatment costs at Ramona Stadler range in price from 65 to 85 euros per hour, but these costs then include a complete package. “It then contains everything the animal needs.” In addition, the practice offers customers who are less financially strong payment in installments, and a more extensive training program for at home is also possible – in order to shorten the treatment time at Stadler himself.
Balancing act: Husky lady Snowy gets a treat for it.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
In general, Ramona Stadler advises all dog owners to contact a veterinarian or physiotherapist as early as possible, because some of their four-legged patients already have secondary diseases that could have been avoided with early treatment. Contrary to the prevailing opinion, a dog does not have to be fully grown to be able to diagnose bone dysplasia, for example, according to Stadler. That’s why she’s toying with the idea of developing a therapy program for puppies in the future in order to be able to preventively treat early signs of possible health problems.
The health problems of her own dog Snowy are not an isolated case. “There is almost no dog that doesn’t have hip problems,” says Ramona Stadler, shaking her head. Malpositions of bones or physical complaints do not only affect certain dog breeds or mixed breeds, but are usually an individual, innate phenomenon. With her trained eye, she can already spot a stiff posture or an unnatural wobbling of the bottom of most four-legged friends on the street, when she goes for a walk.
Snowy herself barks happily in farewell, even if her hips wobble a bit. But with Ramona Stadler, the bitch seems to be in the best hands with her illness.