Animal Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is the art of using physical manipulations and therapies rather than drugs to relieve pain, enhance healing, and improve function. Our veterinary rehabilitative plans are specially designed for the individual pet and his or her disease process or disability. The ultimate physical rehabilitation goals for your pet are comfort and his or her ability to accomplish daily tasks as normally as possible. The rewards include improved psychological state and quality of life for your pet and your family.

Dr. Cara Blake earned her DVM degree at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. She completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Angell Animal Medical Center in 2008. She then completed a small animal surgical residency in a joint program with Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the Angell Animal Medical Center. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2012.

Dr. Blake was certified as a Canine Rehbilitation Therapist (CCRT) by the Canine Rehabilitation Institute (CRI) in 2014. She has also completed coursework in veterinary acupuncture and food therapy at the Chi Institute. Dr. Blake previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Small Animal Surgery at both the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Veterinary Orthopedic Society and is faculty for both AOVET and CRI, She is currently preparing for boards in the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Blake's areas of clinical interest include working dog and sports medicine, minimally invasive orthopedic surgery, regenerative and rehabilitative therapy, and pain management.

Dr. Andrea Looney earned her degree from the NYS College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1989 and returned there after a short stent in private practice for an instructorship in Community Medicine and Anesthesiology. She finished a residency in Anesthesiology in 1997, and then took a position at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Angell Animal Medical Center in Bostonwhere she served on staff in general medicine, emergency, and intensive care until becoming Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Assistant Professor at Tufts Veterinary Emergency Treatment and Specialties, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Her training and interest in animal welfare, palliative care, and pain management then led her back to Cornell where she started the Pain Management and Rehabilitation Service, the outpatient palliative care branch of the Department of Clinical Sciences. It was through her experiences at MSPCA-Angell and Cornell's pain management service that she became committed to finding unique means, including financially feasible, minimally invasive, symptomatic, and non-surgical mechanisms to treat many common small and large animal diseases and problems. Her main interests lie in provision of quality of life care regardless of financial means, recognition and treatment of animal pain and suffering, spay and neuter as well as symptomatic geriatric care to reduce shelter populations, and teaching of practical anesthesia, pain management techniques. Dr. Looney has authored articles and chapters on these subjects, is boarded in Veterinary Anesthesiology and Pain Management, and is also boarded in Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and is certified in Acupuncture/Veterinary Rehabilitation. Dr. Looney regularly consults on anesthetic and pain management protocols for our highest risk patients.

Dr. MacDonald received her Bachelor of Science from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia and is a graduate of the Atlantic Veterinary College. She completed her veterinary internship at Norwalk Veterinary and Emergency Referral Center. She joined Central Hospital as a Daytime Trauma and Emergency Clinician in 2008. Dr. MacDonald directs the Animal Rehabilitation Department at Central Hospital. She received her certification from the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine’s program of Canine Rehabilitation and is also certified in veterinary acupuncture.

Jill Bruno is a certified veterinary technician. She also has been certified as a canine rehabilitation practitioner from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to her many years of veterinary experience, Jill has also been involved in breeding and showing dogs, agility work and various forms of dog training.