(Janice McConnell during an acupuncture treatment with long-time patient Barry | Photos courtesy of Stride Canine Rehabilitation & Fitness Center)
Helping to provide comprehensive care by employing the latest recovery and preventative therapy programs for your beloved canine companions, Stride Canine Rehabilitation & Fitness Center in Bend has become a vital partner in Central Oregon’s comprehensive veterinary community.
Founded in 2017 by Janice McConnell, DVM, CCRT, cVMA and Kristin Wolter, CVT, CCRA, CCFT, Stride’s genesis was spawned from a dedicated mission to deliver cutting-edge rehab services for the region’s tail-wagging residents. After taking over Bend Veterinary Specialists’ canine rehabilitation enterprise known as Pawsitive Strides, the business was rebranded as Stride Canine Rehabilitation & Fitness Center.
“All we do here is canine physical rehabilitation as our practice is built around helping dogs recover from surgery or injury or just deal with aging-related issues,” McConnell tells CBN. “We’re the only full-service rehab facility where that’s basically all we do here. We’re here to help dogs that have had an orthopedic surgery or either a neurologic surgery to recover and get back to full activity. We treat a lot of non-surgical issues as well, such as muscle and other soft tissue injuries, arthritis, and we see senior dogs that have a plethora of issues like multiple joint arthritis, along with some neurologic changes. So we can help manage all those dogs and keep them going for longer and keep them comfortable.”
McConnell and her full and part-time staff are devoted to their movement-based services and exercises that aid in functional strength and to optimize canine mobility and quality of life.
“We also offer services to help dogs that need a little bit more support with assisted device fittings such as carts or orthotics,” she adds. “So if the dog needs a custom-made brace to help stabilize a joint, we can organize that process as well and teach the dog to wear it.”
Starting in 2019, Stride relocated from an 800-square-foot headquarters into a larger 2,400-square-foot space and ramped up their qualified team while introducing more cutting-edge wellness methods and processes to maximize dogs’ quality of life. These include, but are not limited to, hydrotherapy using an underwater treadmill, therapeutic exercises, a canine fitness regimen that extends beyond neighborhood walks and dog park playtime, pain management, laser therapy for tendons and muscles, Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES), Electrocorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), and traditional acupuncture techniques.
A more detailed explanation of all these various services can be found at their official website at stridecaninerehab.com.
“We develop amazing relationships with the clients, sometimes over the course of several years, and we’ll be working with the same client and patient,” notes McConnell. “Most of the dogs learn to absolutely love coming to rehab so it’s a really fun place for them to be, which makes it fun for us. And it’s incredible to see the dogs get better week to week when they’re recovering from an injury or surgery. We get to see them move better and feel better, and see that in their attitude. It’s a super satisfying field for those of us who are in the veterinary industry.”
Stride Canine Rehabilitation & Fitness Center is located at 19550 Amber Meadow Drive, Suite 170 in Bend. They can be reached at info@stridecaninerehab.com or call 541-241-6664.
