Winner of the Best Presentation Award – Animal Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Conference 2024
07/10/2024 by McTimoney Animal
in Dog
Matilda Wild, McTimoney Animal Chiropractor, and Veterinary Physiotherapist was delighted to be awarded the Winner of the Best Presentation at the Animal Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Conference 2024
Tilly qualified in her MSc Animal Manipulation in 2023 having already achieved a Level 3 Canine Hydrotherapy in 2021 and her BSc(Hons) Veterinary Physiotherapy from Harper Adams University in 2019. Living in Rossendale, Lancashire, Tilly runs a mobile practice across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, alongside working at Canine Therapies in Preston, as an in-house Veterinary Physiotherapist, Hydrotherapist and McTimoney Animal Chiropractor. Tilly also recently presented her research into joint range of motion (ROM) and static weight distribution (SWD) of flyball dogs, at the recent Animal Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Conference at the McTimoney College of Chiropractic and won the Best Presentation Award!
Tilly explains, “My topic investigated joint range of motion (ROM) and static weight distribution (SWD) of flyball dogs, in relation to their trained turning direction when competing and training in flyball. I chose this topic as I work with a lot of sporting dogs, many of which compete in flyball, and noticed during my hands-on assessments that some dogs presented with apparent asymmetries between their forelimbs. The flyball dog owners that I work with are very dedicated to their dog’s well-being and performance, and considering the lack of current research into flyball and how it may influence the musculoskeletal system, I thought this would be a fascinating area to investigate.”
Tilly studied 16 flyball dogs in a competitive team of different ages and breeds typical of this sport. Flyball is a fast and exciting sport where dogs run up over a series of four hurdles, press down on a box which releases a ball for them to catch, then turn and return to their handler as fast as they can back over the hurdles. Dogs run in teams of four and the winning team is the fastest. The dogs enjoy it immensely and often have a preference for turning either left or right when returning to the handler.
The results of Tilly’s study showed that there was no significant difference in the range of motion of the carpus, elbow or shoulder between limbs for all dogs meaning that all the dogs could flex and extend their front limbs in a similar way. There was however a significant difference in the way the dogs distributed their weight. Tilly found that those dogs who turned left when returning with the ball, distributed more weight through the left forelimb. The same was not true though for dogs classed as right turners. This could explain the asymmetry that Tilly had been seeing in her practice and shows that it is important to understand the effects of a sport on the animals that compete.
Tilly says she enjoyed carrying out the research, “finding myself a wonderful team of willing participants; I was lucky enough to be put in contact with a flyball team in the northwest who were happy to help and were very interested in my research. The hard part for me was data analysis and statistics! Give me a dog to assess, or a literature review to write any day, but give me a page of numbers and I’m less enthusiastic! There were also challenges during data collection, mostly due to behavioural challenges such as anxious or excitable dogs, but overall it went very well.”
Tilly treats many canine patients but has a rapidly growing equine client base too since completing her McTimoney Animal Chiropractic qualification. Tilly says, “I love treating both species, and I am seeing the benefits of combining both physio and chiro treatments (and hydro for the canine side) amongst my patients, with excellent results.”
When asked what insights Tilly can share from her experiences, she states, “In my practice so far, I have learned a lot about behaviour and its significance to pain presentation and overall well-being; I work with a number of anxious dogs and often receive referrals from a behavioural veterinary specialist, and I am seeing great results from using McTimoney Animal Chiropractic treatments in dogs that are touch sensitive and struggle to tolerate other manual treatments.”
For more information and to book an appointment for your animal with Tilly, please contact via WhatsApp on 07568309221, or via Facebook page @Lancashire Vet Physio.
