What makes us unique?
Canine rehabilitation is still a very unknown field, for both pet parents and veterinarians. Pet parents don’t even know that it exists, and veterinarians, although they likely have heard of it at this point, do not learn about it in veterinary school and don’t fully understand what we have to offer. Most people think of physical therapy as something we do after surgery for recovery, which is not wrong, but there is much more to what we do, and senior dogs in particular can reap tremendous benefits from rehabilitation.
Here is a common scenario: our aging dog starts to show a decline in their ability to get around the house, go for walks, go up/down stairs, and overall is just not as energetic as they used to be. We take them to the veterinary clinic, they do radiographs, find arthritis in their joints, and prescribe some medication and tell you take it slow with your pup. Have you had that happen to you? Did you wonder at that time if there was anything else out there that could help your senior pup?
Around the summer of 2018, just 9 months after opening TheK9PT, I had achieved my dream of starting and growing a sustainable business in canine rehab. But I started to wonder: What else can I do? How can I serve senior dogs and pet parents at a level that has not been done before?
Along the journey of opening and running a business we realized that the traditional veterinary medicine model vastly under serves senior dogs, and we had the knowledge and skills necessary to help them and their parents. We became obsessed with educating about arthritis and senior dogs as much as we could. The reality is that arthritis is a normal aging process. We all go through it. Our pups go through it. But what makes a difference is how you manage it. We shifted our focus to educate pet parents and help as many senior dogs as possible in our brand new clinic in Chicago. Yes, medication and rest can be used in the very short-term to help them feel better, but it is not the long-term solution. We need to get them moving, help them build strength, and help them establish a regular exercise routine that involves more than just walks.
That is now our goal with TheK9PT: help senior dogs in Chicago and across the world to improve their independence in everyday life, empowering their parents along the way, so they can live their golden years without the need of pain medications.
Dr. Francisco Maia, PT, DPT, CCRT
Born and raised in Brazil, Francisco moved to the United States in 2005. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Exercise Science from IUPUI in 2009, earning highest distinction and an accolade of awards, including Top 10 Male Student and the Michael Carroll Student Award, given to the top student-athlete each year. He then moved to Pittsburgh and graduated with his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from The University of Pittsburgh in 2012, ranked the top Physical Therapy program in the country according to U.S. News & World. While in Pittsburgh, he adopted his first dog (Ringo) along with his wife.
After working in orthopedics and sports medicine rehabilitation, he decided to combine his knowledge in Physical Therapy with his passion for animals, and in 2015 he finished his certification in canine rehabilitation at the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. Upon finishing his certification, they moved to Chicago where he started working in canine rehabilitation while still seeing some of his human patients in a home health setting. As the time went by, he realized that a subset of the canine population was missing the benefits of canine rehabilitation due to a variety of reasons. These included difficulty going to a clinic due to pet owners’ busy schedule, difficulty with transportation, or a decline in pet’s mobility. In 2017, he decided to combine his experience in home health physical therapy with canine rehabilitation, and TheK9PT opened for business. For the first 2 years TheK9PT was a mobile business, and sessions were done at the clients’ homes. But, in January of 2020 the business expanded into a hybrid model with house calls and in-clinic sessions in their brand new facility in Irving Park.
He is also very active in the profession and advocates for the advancement of canine physical therapy. He is a well-known speaker in the field of canine rehabilitation and has a 2nd business where he mentors other canine therapists into successfully transitioning from humans to canines while opening and operating a successful canine rehabilitation business. In 2016 he joined the faculty team at the Canine Rehabilitation Institute, teaching courses in canine rehabilitation to physical therapists and veterinarians going through their certification. He is also active with professional organizations, currently serving as the President for the American Physical Therapy Association – Animal Physical Therapy Special Interest Group, as well as Assembly Representative for the Illinois Physical Therapy Association.
Dr. Michelle Wesley, DVM, CCRP, CVA, CVSMT
Dr. Wesley was born and raised in Chicago. She received her Bachelors and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Upon completion, she worked in general practice around Chicagoland. Here, she realized her true passions were working with special needs pets, seniors, and the dedicated owners that cared for them. Dr. Wesley completed her rehabilitation certification in 2016 through University of Tennessee. Wanting to offer her patients more treatment options, she became a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist in 2018 through Chi Institute and certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulation in 2020 through Healing Oasis. When not in the clinic, Dr. Wesley enjoys hiking, traveling, crafting, and spending time with her family. She shares her home with her husband, Chris, their toddler, Theo, and senior Jack Russell, Moose.
Dr. Alexander Vercellone, PT, DPT, CCRT
Alexander is a licensed Physical Therapist who completed his BS degree in Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota in 2019 and his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Northwestern University 2022. Before finishing physical therapy school, he knew that he wanted to use his rehabilitation knowledge to help care for animals and improve their quality of life. He got his canine rehab certificate at the canine rehab institute in 2023 to help further his knowledge to do rehabilitation with animals. Alexander grew up in Virginia where he helped care for his family dogs, Sadie and Spud. Currently, he parents two guinea pigs, Princess Buttercup and Peanut, as well as a Pomeranian named Panda. When not helping rehabilitate clients’ dogs at TheK9PT, Alexander likes to dog sit, weightlift and try new restaurants.
Dr. Eric Silcroft, PT, DPT, CCAT
Dr. Silcroft is a licensed Physical Therapist who completed his CCAT in 2023 through NC State’s Veterinarian Medicine Program. He earned his DPT from Midwestern University in 2018 and received his BS in Kinesiology from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2015. Dr. Eric provides PT care for the people at Team Rehabilitation Physical Therapy – River West clinic, but is thrilled to enter the canine rehab space! Eric is from the Northern Suburbs of Chicago but enjoys traveling on adventures with his wife Brooke and dogs Khaya and Luna. Our favorite family activity is going “biking and blading” along the river walk trail. Other than playing basketball, doing yoga, and weight lifting, you can find Eric strolling around to local coffeeshops, dives and breweries.
Dr. Maddie Edokobi, PT, DPT, CCRT
Maddie is a licensed Physical Therapist who completed her BS degree in Kinesiology at the University of Michigan in 2018 and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Northwestern University 2021. She discovered canine rehabilitation field during PT school and knew that was her dream job. Combining her passion of wholistic, restorative wellness and working with animals to reach the best quality of life is the complete package! She completed the canine rehab certificate at the Canine Rehab Institute in 2023 to pursue this dream.
Maddie grew up in south east Michigan, but spent her early PT career in Boston. In her free time, she enjoys going for walks and sampling bakeries with her husband, Nnamdi, and their two dogs, Skye and Yzma. You could also find her running miles around Chicago, bingeing reality tv, or reading a book!
Megan VanParis
Operations Manager
Megan joined the team at The K9PT in June of 2020 after working for over 12 years in the veterinary industry in every capacity from client services to veterinary technician. Megan is a Fear Free Certified professional and on the Fear Free National Advisory Committee. In her free time she volunteers, fosters, and is a member of the Associate Board for One Tail at a Time Dog rescue. She specializes in fostering puppies and kittens but also regularly rehabilitates feral animals with abuse backgrounds. She has four rescue dogs, (Charlie, Penny, Georgia, and Martha) and dog sits regularly with her husband in their Rogers Park home.
Emma Orgen
Client Manager
Emma joined TheK9PT team in July of 2021, and she’s the first face you’ll see when you walk in the door. She has always had a deep love for dogs and is excited to be part of a team that helps pups of all shapes, sizes, and personalities. Outside of work, she has two rescue dogs, Daisy and Lulu. Daisy is a 60lb hound mix with big ears and a bigger personality who found her way to Emma through The Anti-Cruelty Society. Lulu, a feisty Chihuahua mix from One Tail at a Time, was her first foster pet. She ended up finding her forever home with Emma and loves long naps on the couch. Emma also enjoys cooking, long walks to the dog park, and binge watching reality TV.
Alex Rogers
Client Experience Specialist
Alex was born in Guatemala and came to the United States when she was two years old. She grew up near the North Park area in Chicago, but currently resides near O’Hare Airport with her two senior dogs and her husband. Since she was a child, she always wanted to work with animals, particularly dogs. This passion for dogs led Alex to working at a pet resort, and eventually finding her way to TheK9PT where she is excited to help teach owners alternative ways to relieve discomfort in their senior pups and give them the tools to help them live longer, happier lives.
Alex has two senior dogs of her own; Reddit, who was adopted from The Anti-Cruelty Society, and Bernie, who was adopted from Friends of Petraits. As a family, they enjoy exploring different city neighborhoods together. When Alex is not working, she enjoys taking care of her plants and her two fish tanks.