About KR Holistic Vet
Kirsty Russell is a Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon with a passion for holistic care and chronic pain management. Her journey into integrative veterinary medicine began during her time at the University of Glasgow Veterinary School, where she owned Ben, her childhood dog who suffered from osteoarthritis. Through Ben, Kirsty experienced firsthand the transformative effects of complementary therapies such as physiotherapy and acupuncture. In fact, that’s how she first met Jayne — Ben’s physiotherapist at the time — and witnessed the “super dog” days that followed his treatments. Those moments shaped Kirsty’s commitment to providing the same level of comfort and improved quality of life for her future patients.
Kirsty graduated in 2018 and began her career as a small animal vet in Doune, where she continues to work in general practice. In 2022, she pursued advanced training in Chronic Pain Management and Western Veterinary Acupuncture, earning her CertWVA&CPM in 2024. Her interest in integrative medicine continued to grow, and in late 2025 she was introduced to the world of herbal medicine, quickly becoming inspired by the meaningful improvements she saw in patients receiving personalised herbal blends.
For the past three years, Kirsty has been running dedicated Chronic Pain Management clinics within her general practice, supporting pets with long‑term pain conditions through multimodal, compassionate care. She is now excited to expand her services further and welcome new patients at the JF Vet Physio premises.
Services
PAIN MANAGEMENT
During a pain management assessment, we take the time to explore the full picture of your pet’s life so we can create a bespoke pain management plan, free from the usual time pressures of general practice. Together, we’ll look closely at all the therapeutic options available, talk through any questions or concerns you may have, and decide on the best way forward for you and your pet.
Please note we do not physically stock or dispense any of your pet’s medications at the clinic, but will work with your own vet to facilitate this.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine approach that uses fine needles placed at specific points on the body to encourage a range of beneficial responses. It works by stimulating the body’s natural pain‑relief pathways, essentially “tricking” the system into responding as though an injury has occurred—without causing any actual harm. We utilise acupuncture’s natural pain relieving properties to support a variety of chronic pain conditions such as:
- Osteoarthritis,
- Spondylosis,
- Back pain
- and many others!
Sometimes there simply isn’t a conventional medication that meets your pet’s individual needs — or your pet may be unable to tolerate the one that does exist. Herbal Medicine offers a natural, complementary therapy to help fill these gaps. We look closely at your pet’s medical history and symptoms to create a personalised blend of high quality plant extracts (usually as a tincture) that aims to gently support their conditions and wellbeing.
Conditions that may benefit include:
- Chronic gastrointestinal disease
- Chronic skin conditions
- Chronic Pain
- Anxiety
- Kidney or Liver Disease
- Chronic respiratory conditions
- Cancer
Bespoke Herbal Medicines are dispensed by a trusted external supplier and can take up to one week to arrive.
FAQs
We will initially obtain the dog’s history and information from the owner before assessing the dog both at stance and moving. The movement assessment usually consists of the dog being walked and trotted up in a straight line and asked to turn in both directions. We may also ask for certain postural movements to be carried out, for example, sit to stand. A full hands-on assessment of the dog is then carried out and any problem areas identified. Following this, a physiotherapy treatment will be carried out. After the treatment, a home exercise plan will be tailored to your dog’s requirements where additional recommendations or a future plan may also be discussed. Detailed notes of each visit are kept by JF – Vet Physio and will be communicated to your referring vet where required.
- Dog’s should arrive for their appointment clean and dry and on lead.
- A competent owner/handler should be on hand to assist with the gait analysis – this is where the dog will be walked / trotted up.
- Dog’s should not be actively exercised up to 2 hours before or after an appointment.
- Dog’s should not be fed up to 2 hours before or after an appointment. If your dog has any specific dietary requirements or a set feeding timescale, please let us know at time of booking so this can be accommodated.
- Please bring any treats or toys that your dog is motivated towards or focuses on as this may be beneficial during the session.
Many pet insurance providers now offer cover towards physiotherapy treatment. Each insurance company is different and so it is important to check your own individual policy. Physiotherapy treatment can often be referred to as ‘alternative’ or ‘complimentary’ treatment within insurance policy wording. Insurance cover for physiotherapy treatment will require veterinary referral. Whilst we do not offer direct claims from insurance companies, our team can offer to assist with insurance claim processing. We charge an admin fee to help with insurance claim processing.
The regularity of canine physiotherapy treatment depends greatly on the intensity and type of work being undertaken and any previous injury, illness or disease the dog has had. Some cases may need weekly or twice weekly visits until the injury has healed; Some dog’s require regular visits varying between every 2 to 6 weeks; Competition animals may need monthly visits…
The best way to find out what your dog would require is to get in touch and discuss your dog as an individual.
In short, yes. JF – Vet Physio pride’s itself in working in close collaboration with referring vet practices and therefore whether your physiotherapy treatment is for competition, maintenance or remedial care, veterinary consent is required.
We ask that you contact us as soon as possible if you find yourself in need of changing or cancelling an appointment. Cancellations made with less than 48 hours notice will be charged for the appointment in full. The only exception to this will be at the discretion of JF – Vet Physio.
Our Business Hours are annotated in our ‘Contacts‘ website tab
We kindly ask for an initial appointment to be paid in advance and this can be by either card or BACS.
All subsequent appointments are on a pay-as-you-go basis and are paid at the time of the appointment either by cash, card or BACS.