Our Sponsors

Animal Rehab Clinic	Natural Treats Bristol	Paw Vida	Performance Dog
Heidi Benson Physiotherapy

Below you will find the details of our sponsors along with details of their great products and services. If you own your own business and are interested in sponsoring Dark Star Agility then please go to our Contact Us page to get in touch .

Animal Rehab Clinic

The Animal Rehab Clinic is a purpose-built rehab clinic set in the beautiful countryside on the outskirts of Bristol. The Clinic opened in spring 2018 and offers a range of therapeutic and rehabilitation services to include under water treadmill, pool swimming, physiotherapy and acupuncture.

The clinic is operated and owned by Georgina Plummer a veterinary nurse who holds qualifications in small animal hydrotherapy and is currently working towards her diploma in animal physiotherapy. Georgina has previously worked on the surgical and neurological wards of Langford Small Animal Hospital and had worked alongside the rehabilitation team providing nursing care and physiotherapy to intensive post-operative patients.

Georgina also works alongside an ACPAT physiotherapist called Heidi Benson offering physiotherapy treatments for rehabilitation and sports medicine and a veterinary surgeon called Charlotte Grundy offering acupuncture appointments for pain relief and muscle tension.

The Benefits Of Rehabilitation
• Promotes healing
• Reduces pain
• Encourages muscle growth and tone
• Core stability
• Increases range of movement and flexibility
• Reduces sport injuries
• Weight loss aid
• Re-educates gait pattern and proprioception

What To Expect From Your Hydrotherapy Appointment
Qualified and friendly staff
Our staff are not only qualified hydrotherapists and is registered with the Canine Hydrotherapy Association (CHA) but are also qualified veterinary nurses which ensures your pets are in safe hands.

Individual rehabilitation plan
We believe each pet should be treated as an individual and we tailor each rehab plan to your pets needs as this allows us to give the best rehab care.

Communication with your referring vet
As veterinary trained staff we know how important it is to ensue your vet is kept up to date with your pets progress. We work together with your vet by sending up to date reports, videos and pictures and will discuss any concerns directly to your vet.

A calm but fun environment to allow your pets to enjoy their session
It’s important your pet is able to experience a calm but playful atmosphere, we work hard to create a place where the animals feel relaxed and enjoy their time with us and therefore enabling them to get the best out of their treatment.

Clean and safe water
The water is tested and maintained with a soft sanitizer which ensures your pet is swimming in clean and safe water.

Natural Treats Bristol

Natural Treats Bristol is local and family-run business by Martin & Eva. As a small business they’re dedicated to offering the best products and customer service. Natural Treats Bristol work with carefully chosen British and EU producers (not wholesalers) to ensure you get great products for the right price.

• Healthy treats for any size dog/puppy.
• Great selection of natural treats, dried chews, dried fish skins, training treats, dried sausages and much more.
• Best quality British dog food (gluten and grain free K9 Instinct dry dog food and also raw dog food minces).
• Great selection of hypoallergenic products.

So whether you are looking for something a bit special, you’ll find a great selection with the comfort of knowing that all their treats and chews are of the highest quality…enjoy. Visit one of their shops in either Chipping Sodbury, Hatherell’s Yard (behind Coffee #1), or in Warmley, behind the Kingswood Heritage Museum.

As part of the sponsorship new and existing Dark Star Agility club members will also receive a 10% discount on all products purchased from Natural Treats Bristol online, in store and at events.

Paw Vida Holistic Therapies

Paw Vida provides Clinical Canine Massage, a results-driven, physical therapy which helps to rehabilitate soft tissue and muscular injuries and support common orthopaedic conditions such as arthritis. And the beauty of Paw Vida is that we come to you, because home is where your dog is always most comfortable. Although primarily working across the Bristol, Chew Valley and Bath areas, we’re also available for large group clinics further afield.

What is Clinical Canine Massage and how can it help?
Combining a deep understanding of canine anatomy and physiology, we use an integrated blend of 4 disciplines of massage – Myofascial Release, Sports, Deep Tissue and Swedish – with the exclusive Lenton Method®, a 3-tired approach to evaluation, treatment, and re-evaluation. The application of these various techniques helps to release tight and sore muscles, remove debilitating ‘knots’ or trigger points that cause referred pain, and rehabilitate soft tissue injuries by breaking down restrictive scar tissue. And we expect to see measurable results in your dog within 1 to 3 sessions, whether that be improved mobility or performance, a return to activities of daily living that may have previously stopped, such as jumping on and off of the furniture, or simply an improved emotional state. In fact, recent ground-breaking clinical trials with Winchester University found that 95% of dogs responded positively to the Lenton Method® and Clinical Canine Massage.

Who is Paw Vida?
Paw Vida is owned and run by Lindsay Cope who qualified as a Clinical Canine Massage therapist in 2015. She primarily works with agility dogs, dogs with orthopaedic conditions and soft tissue injuries, as well as older dogs with reduced mobility. Lindsay also holds qualifications in Companion Animal Behaviour and Veterinary Thermography and by combining her knowledge from these disciplines with her degree in Psychology, she now has a particular interest in pain-driven behavioural and performance changes within her Canine Massage work.

And as a small, independently owned business, Lindsay prides herself on being able to offer the personal touch to every single dog, caring for your beloved companion as if they were her own. She understands that nobody knows your dog like you do, so she takes time to listen carefully to your thoughts and things you’ve spotted and will tailor the massage therapy session accordingly.

So, whether you’re looking for enhanced mobility or sporting performance, improved pain management, or simply a better quality of life for your dog, Lindsay will work closely with you to achieve your goals. And what’s more, she’s also a Clinical Massage Therapist for people so can often be found massaging the whole family, two- and four-legged varieties included! Please do get in touch to find out more.

Performance Dog

Performance Dog offers Britain’s best selection of positive dog training books, interactive dog toys and training supplies. Our books include titles from top authors across the globe, covering a wide range of topics from dog sports, training, behaviour and fitness and rehab. We have a huge collection of toys, including real and faux fur tug toys, food toys, flirt poles, chasers and more, suiting every dog from the tough tugger to the reluctant player. For the dog, we stock a range of coats, harnesses and leads, that have been carefully selected for their superior quality, practicality and comfort.

Alongside this we also have a comprehensive range of training supplies including bait bags, ready treats, fitness and rehab equipment and high quality clothing.  Our friendly and dedicated team are committed to delivering top quality customer service, and are always happy to offer advice on any of our products. Visit the website now – www.performancedog.co.uk

Heidi Benson Physiotherapy

About Heidi
Heidi Benson qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist from the University of the West of England, Bristol in 2003 and is registered with CSP and HCPC. In 2005 Heidi then went on to study at The Royal Veterinary College, London, where she qualified with a Master’s Degree as a Veterinary Physiotherapist and is able to treat dogs, horses and people!

Heidi is registered with ACPAT (Association of Chartered Physiotherapist’s in Animal Therapy) and RAMP (Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners) and is fully insured, so you can be sure your animal will receive the highest standard of care, to restore and maintain mobility, function and performance.

In addition to clinical practice, Heidi spent a few years working in Higher Education as External Examiner for Nottingham Trent University and as Associate Lecturer for Hartpury College, UWE on both their MSc Veterinary Physiotherapy courses, however, she now focuses solely on clinical practice.

Heidi has extensive experience as a musculoskeletal practitioner treating all dogs, from companions through to elite competition. Offering preventative, maintenance, pre and post competition physiotherapy for the working and athletic dog, Heidi also provides remedial physiotherapy and rehabilitation following injury and post-surgery.

As a Chartered Physiotherapist, Heidi is highly trained in biomechanical assessment which includes gait analysis, assessment of neuromuscular control and movement evaluation during rehabilitation from either injury or disease.

When Heidi isn’t working, she enjoys walking her Border Collie and competing her Blue Cross rescue horse!

What is Canine Physiotherapy
Canine Physiotherapy is a beneficial part of your dog’s routine health care programme and can help by:

⦁ Enhancing sports performance and fitness in the athletic dog with pre and post event regimes
⦁ Providing routine maintenance checks
⦁ Providing rehabilitation programmes post injury or surgery to restore joint range of movement, muscle strength and function
⦁ Managing osteoarthritic conditions, e.g. symptoms of joint stiffness and inflammation
⦁ Providing expert advice

What does a canine physiotherapy session entail?
A full and thorough assessment will be carried out and the findings of this will be used to specifically tailor the physiotherapy treatment session to your dog. Veterinary Consent will be required for remedial/post-surgical physiotherapy.

The assessment process includes:

⦁ Gait analysis
⦁ Postural assessment
⦁ Assessment of spinal and limb joint range of movement
⦁ Assessment of soft tissues (muscle, fascia, tendons and ligaments)

The treatment process includes:

⦁ Soft tissue and myofascial release techniques
⦁ Spinal and limb joint mobilisations
⦁ Facilitation of normal movement patterns
⦁ Use of electrotherapies e.g. LASER, PEMFT
⦁ Rehabilitation programmes, home exercise programmes

For further information please contact Heidi on 07815108679, or visit www.facebook.com/HeidiBensonPhysiotherapy