One of the first people to adopt the modality of INDIBA in pets was the veterinarian and rehabilitation specialist Margarita López Pérez-Pellón. As director of the Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Service of the Veterinary Hospital Nacho Menes in Gijón, Spain, she did not hesitate to incorporate INDIBA into her service. In this interview, she tells us about her experience.
How did you learn about INDIBA Animal Health?
For many years I heard speakers I admire at international congresses speaking about INDIBA and its great benefits and versatility. And in my hospital, I was given the opportunity to start using this therapy and INDIBA was a great chance.
What are the most common/frequent cases you see on your day-to-day?
I think we were one of the first centers of small animals to use INDIBA Animal Health in Spain and the truth is that during these years we have had the opportunity to treat all kinds of orthopedic and neurological pathologies. For example, anterior cruciate ligament rupture, osteoarthritis secondary to hip or elbow dysplasia, tendinopathies, herniated discs; and disabling as they are, the volume of cases coming to the rehabilitation service is very high. We have also been able to treat seromas, edema due to venous return problems, or skin scarring. Perhaps it is interesting to note that we have also used it in preoperative rehabilitation or in the immediate postoperative period.
Recovery of a post-surgical wound after 4 weeks of treatment (8 sessions) – Download this case here (available in Spanish)
How do you integrate INDIBA into your rehabilitation protocols? What benefits do you find that you can’t find in other modalities?
When I trained in rehabilitation in 2009, I remember being told that there are no recipes. And that’s the way it is, we have to make a functional assessment and a rehabilitation plan adapted to each patient. And the truth is that it is very easy to integrate INDIBA in each session, I even have very good experience with feline patients, it is a very pleasant therapy and very well tolerated.
You are responsible for the rehabilitation service in a hospital of great importance, such as the Veterinary Hospital Nacho Menes (Gijon, Spain). What is the relevance of offering a rehabilitation service, whether it is on your own hospital or referred?
Nowadays pets are part of the family and caregivers seek the best care and attention for their animals. Rehabilitation helps our patients to early functional recovery and the service is increasingly demanded by both caregivers and veterinary colleagues, allowing the approach of the cases from a multidisciplinary point of view.
Finally, how important is rehabilitation in improving the quality of life of animals?
Many of the pathologies we face, as I explained before, are highly disabling and the rehabilitation treatment is part of a multimodal therapy that allows our patients to perform their daily activities normally and many times our main objective is to reduce pain, thus improving both the quality of life of our patients and their caregivers, which are also a fundamental part of the rehabilitation plan.
