Upward Dog Rehab & Wellness

It takes a special gift to be able to fully communicate with a being whom can’t use words to express how they feel, but Sarah somehow manages to do this with grace and ease. Watching her interact with my geriatric lab is beyond endearing; her practices have made his life as a 14-year old much more pleasant and pain free. We started our visits with Sarah at a time where an on-set issue made us question whether he would ever walk unassisted again, and now, not only is he walking unassisted, but he’s swimming, playing and living his best ‘old man’ life. Monthly wellness checks keep us on top of our game, help us pick up on potential new issues (ie. arthritis, possible pain etc), and take away any like ‘creeks’ that pop up during the aging process. Working with UpWard Dog has been some of the best money I have ever spent for Coopers well being, we truly can’t recommend her enough for you and your furry best friends.

I cannot say enough good things about Sarah! She helped me and my dog pre and post op (TPLO surgery). We're about 12 weeks post op now and Ruby is back to doing things she loves again. She had a swim and hike today and is happier than she's been in a couple years. I really feel we wouldn't be as far as we are now without Sarahs help, guidance and recovery plan. Thank you so much 💓

Our boy Pud lives for mad dashes and long hikes, but several months ago he started lifting up a back leg after those mad dashes and long hikes. X-rays at the vet showed nothing. Friends recommended Sara and we are so glad they did. She is wonderful with Pud and us ;) Pud is (slightly) thinner, a lot stronger, and increasing the intensity of his exercise with no leg lifting at all. Sara has taught us so much over the last few months. She provides detailed programs with videos and pictures that keep us on track at home. It's a five-woof review from us!

I first called Sarah in a panic for an assessment for my boxer girl, Breah. Breah was limping for a few weeks, then all of a sudden completely walking on three legs. The vet thought Breah had a partially torn cruciate tear and the instruction from the vet was to wait to see the specialist.. 5 months later. Talked to some people who recommended I call Sarah in the meantime. Sarah has been working with Breah for a while now and I am so thankful. I can't imagine just waiting those 5 months, all while the injury getting worse. Breah is back to walking on all 4 legs, and is slowly building muscle and getting stronger while her injury heals (surgery not an option for her). I have and still am learning so much from Sarah. Everything from how dog's bodies work, how important physio is for dogs (esp. senior, just like senior people), signs of pain, exercises to do at home, and so many great resources for nutrition, supplements, massage, rehab tools, etc. Also have to mention her FB support group where she interviews some incredibly knowledgeable people on a wide range of topics.. some of which are very moving! Get the Kleenex out.

Breah can be reactive with strangers sometimes (she needs her bubble space at times) but with Sarah, she was comfortable almost immediately. She now will even snooze through some laser treatments during appointments and starts whining in the car when getting closer to Sarah's. Since the injury, there has been ups and downs, but I've also realized it's not a straight road to recovery and Sarah is there to help us through it. Sarah will even check in with how I'M doing, the human, because she has been through things with her own dog so she knows the feelings we are going through on a more extreme level. Her motto is "it's not over, it's just different" and she is so right. She's basically a physio/massage/friend/life coach for me at this point.. whether she knows it or not (haha)! Can not recommend her enough.

Shortly after rescuing Lucy, our Newfoundland, we discovered that there was a very good chance that she would require an invasive surgery, TPLO. To avoid this we researched alternative methods to ease Lucy's discomfort and made changes to both her diet and her activity level, but that wasn't quite enough. We stumbled upon the Upward Dog Rehab booth at the Dog Expo and after chatting with Sarah we knew this was something we wanted to try for our Lucy. Over the past few months of working with Sarah, she has provided in-home visits, hands on care, advice, and introduced progressive exercises that have strengthened Lucy's joints, increased her activity levels and made her a happy and healthier dog. Three months ago Lucy would go on a 10 minute walk and by the end of her walk she would be slow and her hind leg would be dragging a bit; now Lucy goes for longer walks twice a day and wants to keep going - to the point where she is trotting and pulling us along. She does not drag her leg and she even gets the zoomies occasionally and has no limping or discomfort afterwards. This could not have been possible without Upward Dog Rehab and we are so appreciative of everything Sarah has done for Lucy. We cannot thank you enough!