As of now, there are no schools offering a major in Animal Physical Therapy that I know of, but the APTA is working on putting requirements together. Since the laws governing this vary from state to state, contact your state education board to check the laws in your state. Dogs with such diagnoses as ligament repair, spinal surgery, fractures and nerve injuries have been my patients. Treatments are similar to those used in human physical therapy but are specifically adapted to animals. Animal rehabilitation is a rapidly growing field which offers veterinarians and pet owners more options for their animals who have had surgery or those with injuries.
Exercise can help decrease pain, speed healing, and return animals to normal function.