Rehabilitation veterinarians unite to launch association, meeting

Twin Cities, Minn. - 2/12/08 - Roughly 40 veterinarians working in animal rehabilitation created a new group and annual meeting.

The American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians' (AARV) mission is to promote the advancement of rehabilitation in the profession and increase public awareness concerning the role of veterinary rehabilitation in advanced medicine.

The group's first meeting is scheduled Aug. 15 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis. It will coincide with the 5th International Symposium on Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy in Veterinary Medicine.

Rehabilitation is a growing business that involves practitioners as well as non-veterinarians, member Dr. Julia Tomlinson says in a news release issued today.

"The AARV was formed in order to allow rehabilitation veterinarians to communicate and to collaborate on research and to further the cause of rehab in the veterinary world," she says. "Providing rehabilitation as part of mainstream veterinary practice allows veterinarians to play a central role in case management and to monitor patients carefully for concurrent disease. Thus, whole-body care is provided at modern medical standards."

AARV is registered as a nonprofit organization.

An AARV Web site is in the works, officials say. For more information, e-mail Drjulia@tcrehab.com.