Physiotherapy can sit well alongside medicine for a senior dog with arthritis, but it helps most when the therapist knows exactly which joints are worst, what she already takes, and how she moves on a tired day rather than a good one. Going in with focused questions turns a general chat into a plan shaped around her body and her home routine.
What to ask about goals for her specific joints
Start by asking which joints the therapist would target first and why. Arthritis in elbows asks for different handling than arthritis in hips or knees, and a senior girl who bunches her weight forward needs a different starting point than one whose back legs have lost muscle. Ask what improvement is realistic for her: easier rising from her bed, steadier turns, or simply holding the mobility she has for longer. A clear, modest goal for her case makes it easier to judge whether the work is helping.
How sessions fit around her current medicine
Ask directly how the therapy timing should sit alongside the medicine she already takes. Some dogs move more comfortably when a session is planned for the part of the day when they are loosest, while others tire quickly and do better with shorter work. Ask whether any exercise should be avoided on days she seems sore, and whether heat, cold, or hands-on work is appropriate for her at all. You are not asking the therapist to change her prescription — that stays with her vet — but you do need the two approaches to support each other rather than pull in opposite directions.
What you will do at home between visits
Most of the benefit for an arthritic senior happens in the small work you repeat at home, so ask for demonstrations, not just names. Ask how to guide her through gentle bending and straightening without forcing a stiff joint, how to set up a non-slip surface for standing exercises, and how long each home routine should last before she rests. Ask how to tell the difference between mild effort and too much: a dog who settles happily afterwards is different from one who pants, licks a joint, or struggles to lie down that evening. Write the home steps down in the order you will actually do them, in the room where you will do them.
How progress and setbacks will be judged
Ask what you should track week to week for her in particular. Useful markers are concrete: whether she rises without rocking first, whether she manages the back step without help, how far she walks before her hind legs scuff, and how quickly she recovers after a session. Ask when the plan should be reviewed, what a flare looks like in her case, and at what point you should contact her vet rather than simply easing off the exercises — for example if she refuses to bear weight, cries when a joint is touched, or suddenly cannot get up. That threshold, agreed in advance, stops a bad few days from becoming guesswork.
Bringing her full picture to the appointment
Arrive with a short video of her walking away from you, turning, and getting up from rest, because therapists learn a lot from how she moves when she is not performing for a new room. Note which days she is stiffest, whether mornings or evenings are harder, and what floors and steps she deals with at home. Having her medicine list, past imaging notes, and these observations gathered in her KinsLe Pet Passport lets the therapist start from her real history instead of reconstructing it from memory in the room.