Dicki Kennedy, DVM, owner and founder of Animal Rehab & Conditioning Center (ARCC), the first veterinary rehab clinic in the Upstate, has partnered with an Upstate non-profit, Carolina Loving Hounds Rescue, to provide advanced rehabilitative veterinary services to rescue dogs. Founded in 2012, Carolina Loving Hounds Rescue (CLHR) takes in dogs primarily from shelters in Upstate, South Carolina and surrounding areas, with a priority for rescuing dogs in 72-hour shelters. CLHR commits to finding long-term adoptive families for almost all of its dogs, and for those that are un-adoptable it provides a life-long, loving sanctuary.
“Dicki has been an incredible partner for our rescue,” said Angela Gschwind, President and founder of CLHR. “Many of our dogs are in dire physical shape and have significant medical and rehabilitative needs. We have a wonderful general veterinary practice that helps our rescue dogs with veterinary care. But sometimes, our rescues need advanced rehabilitative services, and Dicki has been willing to provide that care, often at reduced costs for us or with additional volunteer time.”
“We took in three bulldog puppies that had swimmer puppy syndrome — an extremely debilitating condition that involves a puppy being born with a flat chest and abdomen, very weak hind legs, and inability to walk. Dicki developed a protocol of exercises and conditioning to get them walking, and constructed a variety of special equipment and clothing to help with their balance and conformation. Samuel, our beagle cross, had legs which were deformed at birth, and Dicki managed various vendor resources to help us learn how to provide multiple castings of his front legs so that they could be straightened. Our pitbull Tinkerbell is paralyzed in her rear legs and Dicki helped fit her for a wheelchair, and prepared and strengthened her with a lot of balance exercises, the underwater treadmill, and laser and acupuncture. Our two dachshunds, Sugar and Spice, were both born without front legs. Dicki has provided significant insight and vendor connections in order to help measure and fit them both for wheelchairs. All of these dogs have received the best of care in her hands.”
“CLHR rescues dogs that are in very fragile health or with serious injuries,” said Dicki Kennedy, President and founder of ARCC. “So I do see a variety of difficult conditions when I work with their rescue dogs. I decided when I founded ARCC that I would look for specific ways to volunteer and give back to the Upstate community. Choosing CLHR to partner with has been a good way for me to offer my skills and experience in a worthy cause. I’m not able to provide ‘free services’ to my clients but I am able to provide some services at reduced prices and then volunteer some help for free. Hopefully both ARCC and CLHR are blessed by our work together.”
“Dicki brings our dogs an array of rehab resources and also very broad experience in order to restore their mobility and health,” said Gschwind. “But her greatest strength is her innovative, problem-solving skills. She is creative in her pursuit of solutions for our neediest dogs.”
Kennedy graduated from the University of Georgia with her DVM, then served for five years as chief of staff in a corporate veterinary hospital, and four years as the owner of a general practice veterinary clinic. In 2013 Kennedy founded Animal Rehab & Conditioning Center, the first veterinary rehabilitation facility in the Upstate of South Carolina. The center treats working, sporting, and performance dogs to extend their working or competition life, older dogs that need to recover pain-free mobility, dogs with injuries that don’t warrant surgery but require focused treatment, and dogs that have had surgery and need rehabilitation to return to normal activities.
Those interested in volunteering or serving as a foster home for Carolina Loving Hounds Rescue may learn more at http://www.carolina-loving-hound-rescue.com or https://www.facebook.com/carolinalovinghoundrescue or contact CLHR at info@carolina-loving-hound-rescue.com. Those interested in supporting CLHR financially may mail donations to Carolina Loving Hound Rescue, PO Box 15288, Greenville, SC 29610 or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/CLHRPaypalDonation. Donations are tax-deductible under the 501(c)(3) statute.♦
Located in Simpsonville, SC, Animal Rehab & Conditioning Center offers an array of physical therapy, pain management, and conditioning services for canine athletes, sporting and working dogs, and injured or older pets. Rehabilitative care includes careful evaluations, assessments, and treatment and conditioning plans, along with Class IV laser therapy, ultrasound, pulsed signal therapy, electrical stimulation, massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic. Canine conditioning equipment includes Oasis underwater treadmill, land treadmill, PetSafe Stance Analyzer, and FitPaws options, along with a fenced-in fitness, agility, and obedience field.
For more information on Animal Rehab & Conditioning Center visit http://animalrehabgreenville.com, like https://www.facebook.com/ArccAnimalRehabConditioningCenter,
or contact the facility at 864.962.0101.♦
