This week Donna chatted with Dr Kiki about rehab, research and life as an animal physio in Germany! Kiki is an incredible vet rehabber with an incredible history.

Donna was thrilled to learn they must have qualified around the same time as they have both been animal physio for around 15 years! It’s been lovely to see the profession evolve. It sounds like that evolution has been very similar in Germany and the UK. 

Donna is passionate about research so took advantage of the fact that Kiki is a keen researcher. Donna hopes to inspire all vet rehabbers to get into the research field and help the science grow. One thing repeatedly said in the veterinary field is “evidence based practice”. This means that if we don’t get the good quality research done, we can’t back up our work with the papers pricing how awesome we are. We know our work is incredible, but it’s always wonderful to prove the point! 

Kiki closed by reminding us that the most important tool for dealing with pain is trying to recognise it and understand it. Pain is incredibly complex, but poor understanding leads to worry for the owner. The most effective pain relief can be achieved if we really read and understand what is going on for our patient first. 

Thank you for a wonderful chat Kiki. Kiki is truly inspirational.

Read her amazing bio below and also remember to click the bell icons on our live posts so you can get alerted and join us on our live chats. You can get involved and ask the questions you want the answers to!

Kiki’s Biography – Kirsten Haeusler is a rehabilitation specialist for animals, from Germany, with over a decade of experience in animal physical therapy. At her clinic in Stuttgart, she sees a lot of orthopaedic and neurologic cases which are referred by various veterinary clinics in and around Stuttgart.

She obtained a degree in Agricultural Biology from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, with a focus on Animal Behavior and Animal Nutrition in 2004. A PhD followed this in Animal Science with a specialisation in the Motivational Behavior of animals from the University of Hohenheim, Germany graduating in 2006.

Growing up, she was always inclined to animal science, veterinary medicine and more recently, animal physical therapy. Her passion came to life when she enrolled in the Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner Class in 2006 and received her Certificate as a CCRP in 2008 from the University of Tennessee, USA.

In 2018 at the IAVRPT World Rehab Summit in Knoxville, Tennessee, she held a workshop on shockwave assisted fascia treatment in animals. That same year she was invited to give a talk at the WVOC in Barcelona about “The Art and Science of Shockwave”.

Part of her research consists of applying, improving and investigating therapies, such as treatment on the underwater treadmill, a regular treadmill, shockwave therapy, pulsed electromagnetic field, etc. to animals for post-illness rehabilitation and recovery treatments. In 2017, she was invited to collaborate with Professor M. Allen at the Surgical Discovery Center at the University of Cambridge, UK, intensifying her studies in both the clinic and the field.

In 2019 she was invited to be part of a study together with Professor Martin Fischer and his team at the University of Jena (also known as “Dogs in Motion”), Germany. The aim of these studies is the evaluation of gait in dogs using biplanar fluoroscopy, force plates and pressure-sensitive treadmills. 

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