EAST YORKS MUM REALISES CHILDHOOD DREAM BY LAUNCHING NEW BUSINESS HELPING INJURED ANIMALS
An East Yorkshire mum has realised her childhood ambition by launching her own business helping injured animals.
Gemma Coates gave up her job as Park Manager at her family’s holiday park business to go back to college to re-train as an animal physiotherapist.
Now the mother-of-two is fulfilling her dreams by dedicating herself to healing injured animals.
Gemma,36, who is based at Welton near Hull, is now a fully qualified and registered animal physiotherapist after completing two and half years training at the College of Animal Physiotherapy at Aylesbury.
Gemma, whose business covers East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, said: “It was lovely to be working in the family business but in my heart I longed to have a career working with animals.
“I have owned ponies and horses since I was a little girl and always had dogs and I just had such a strong ambition to work with animals.
“My new skills enable me to provide a healing service to animals large and small, often working alongside veterinary practitioners.
“I use natural therapies to reduce pain and inflammation and provide exercise plans to help injured animals build strength and develop healthy joints thereby increasing their range of movements.”
Gemma qualified from college with a Distinction in Animal Physiotherapy. She is also a member of the International Association of Animal Therapists and Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners which is regarded as the gold standard for the profession.
“Most of my work involves horses and dogs but I am able to treat a range of other animals”, said Gemma.
“Our pets are often our best friends and I get so much satisfaction in helping owners to ensure their animals are able to enjoy the best quality of life possible.
“Conditions such as arthritis are very common in animals but there is so much I can do to help relieve the pain and discomfort.
“Horses, in particular, can be prone to injury but I can ensure treatment is geared towards their use, for example, dressage or show jumping or an injury that has occurred which is impacting on their performance.
“So often I am looking at muscle tightness, lack of symmetry, muscle imbalance, identifying why those things might have occurred and prescribing exercises to build strength to avoid injuries happening again.”