Companion animals with a wide variety of conditions can realize the benefits of rehabilitation practices. Most commonly, rehabilitation patients have orthopedic or neurologic concerns or injuries.

Orthopedic
Patients usually will improve the rate of recovery and maximize functional outcome following bone or joint surgery when rehabilitation practices are used. Rehabilitation assists pets that have undergone bone fracture repair, joint stabilization/replacement, arthroscopy, or tendon repairs following severe lacerations. Following orthopedic operations, patient guardians are instructed on ways to enhance recovery. Also, patients recovering from a prior surgery more slowly than expected may improve with rehabilitative therapies.

Rehabilitation also offers a conservative option for animal guardians considering joint surgery for injuries or other diseases. Some orthopedic surgeries may be avoided or delayed through successful rehabilitation. For instance, patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis or pets with soft tissue injuries, such as tendonitis and ligament, muscle, or joint strains, may benefit from treatment.

Neurologic
As with orthopedics, patients usually will benefit substantially with rehabilitation following neurologic surgeries, such as decompression of intervertebral disk lesions, vertebral fracture repair, or vertebral fusions. Patients with other neurologic problems or deficits frequently make significant gains in abilities with rehabilitation practices. Even pets using appendages inappropriately, with significant gait abnormalities, or with appendage disuse following neurologic injury often can be helped with rehabilitative efforts.