What is Canine Physical Therapy?
Therapy starts with a comprehensive 90 minute evaluation. During the evaluation we assess your dog’s gait, posture, joint mobility, muscle balance and comfort level to uncover the true source of pain or weakness. From there we customize a treatment plan and home exercise program (HEP) to help your dog recover safely and gain more movement.
All treatment sessions are 60 minutes and performed one on one with a canine certified physical therapist. This ensures that treatments are always customized to meet the changing needs of your dog.
Treatments will be comprised from the services described below:
L&B Pet PT Services
Therapeutic Exercise
Goal: Improve Range of Motion ,Strength, Mobility and Coordination
- Strengthening
- Flexibility
- Endurance
- Balance and Proprioception
- Return to Work Exercise
Manual Therapy
Goal: Reduce Pain, Inflammation and Improve ROM
- Joint Mobilizations
- Traction
- Passive Range of Motion
- Stretching
- Soft Tissue Techniques
Adaptive Equipment
Goal: Improve Mobility, Maintain PROM, and Protect Joints
- Cart Measuring/Fitting
- Custom Splints
- Prosthetic Training
- Consultation on Bracing
- Adaptive Equipment for Home
Therapeutic Modalities
Goal: Reduce Pain and Inflammation
- Cold Laser Therapy/Photobiomodulation
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
- Neuromuscular Electrical Nerve Stimulation (NMES)
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)
Neuromuscular Therapy
Goal: Improve Balance, Proprioception, Transitions and
Functional Mobility
Goal: Instruct owners in how to take care of their newly paralyzed pet with
conservative care or after surgery
- How to set up space at home for crate rest
- Bowel and bladder training
- Neurodevelopmental Sequencing
- Facility and Inhibitory Techniques for Tone
- Postural Management
- Gait Retraining
- Preventative Positioning
Our journey was inspired by our Maltese, Gracie, who was diagnosed with Atlantoaxial Luxation (AA)—a congenital spinal instability causing severe pain and paralysis. Witnessing her struggle ignited our mission: to help families navigate difficult diagnoses and mobility challenges. We strive to provide the expert guidance and compassionate care we once sought for our own beloved Gracie.
About Us
At L&B Pet PT, our mission is to empower pet parents with the knowledge and compassionate support they need to help their dogs thrive. Through specialized physical therapy, we focus on reducing pain, restoring natural movement, and rebuilding the strength your dog needs to enjoy a full, active life by your side.
Lisa McHale, MPT, CCRT
Bob McHale
Bob retired from the Chicago Police Department in 2021 after 30 years of dedicated service. Bob's love of dogs and unending patience has led him to easily transition into the world of canine rehabilitation.
Bob and Lisa currently have 5 small dogs that have a variety of special needs. They understand how devastating it is when your dog starts to have trouble moving around or is in pain and because of this they are passionate about helping other dogs and their owners.
Lisa McHale earned her Master’s in Physical Therapy from Washington University in 1994. With over 20 years of experience as a pediatric physical therapist, she has worked at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Advocate Children's Hospital, and SPEED Academy. Lisa possesses extensive knowledge in neuro-rehabilitation, prosthetics, and splint fabrication. In 2021, she transitioned into canine rehabilitation, becoming a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist through CRI.
Why Choose L&B Pet PT?
Home Health Canine PT
We come to you. We show you how to make your home more functional for your dog. We can show you what crate rest should look like and how to set it up with things you already have in your home. We show you how to use things in your environment to carry out the HEP we create for you to help your dog recover.
Customized Treatment
Every pet is unique. We develop tailored rehabilitation strategies including specialized home exercise programs that target your pet’s specific goals and limits.
Flexible Scheduling
We understand the demands of a busy pet parent. We offer varied appointment times throughout the week to help you stay consistent with your pet’s care path.
We specialize in treating canines recovering from injuries or surgeries, the geriatric dog who is suffering from mobility or pain issues or the overweight canine looking to shed a few pounds.
Let's talk about your pet
We understand that your pet is family. Reach out today to discuss how canine rehabilitation can help your dog.
Contact Info
Tell us about your pet
L&B Pet PT
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What Pet Parents Are Saying
Hear how our specialized rehabilitation is helping local pets regain their mobility and joy through compassionate, expert care that treats every pet like family.
After my dog's surgery, we were left heartbroken. The precedure
was expensive, brutal, and had a terrible outcome. Auggie was in awful shape, and I felt helpless-- until we found Lisa and Bob.
I can't put into words how much they've done for us. Lisa is incredibly knowledgeable, compassionate, and truly dedicated to the animals she helps. She doesn't just treat the symptoms - she cares for the whole dog, and she cares deeply.
If you're considering surgery, please, please talk to Lisa and Bob first. They may save you from going through what we did. And if your dog has already had surgery, I cannot recommend them highly enough for recovery and rehabilitation.
Ashley
Pet Parent to Auggie
Lisa and her husband gave us time with our Rottweiler Bear. He doesn't use his back legs well anymore and our family wanted to try one last thing before making a hard decision for quality of life. Lisa came to our home and spent hours with Bear and us teaching us different techniques and gave us many tools to work with him. That was back in the beginning of September 2025. It's now February 2026 and we still have our pup Bear and he's turning 13 this March and just took his first walk in his cart for the spring time. I recommend Lisa to anyone who loves their pet. She and her husband have so much compassion and love for animals as well as knowledge about them they truly are a dream team. Our family is so thankful for them.
Kayla
Pet Parent to Bear
Lisa and Bob are the best. They helped me to understand my pets needs after he had a stroke. They showed me things I can do with him to help him. Lisa is always available to give insight when needed. Without them I am not sure I would have been able to handle the stuff that came with Thor's diagnosis. Their help was invaluable to me. I will attribute so much to them helping me and him make his recovery and help me understand his new changing needs through his recovery.
Kim
Pet Parent to Thor