Trish Penick
After receiving her Physical Therapy degree in 1988 at The Medical University of South Carolina,Trish Penick began her career in Florida and moved to San Diego in 1992, where she opened two private practices specializing in sports medicine. She has worked with the America’s Cup sailing teams, Olympic track and field athletes and the X-Games along with athletes of all levels.
To reduce recovery time and maintain fitness, Trish developed an innovative water rehab program that allowed her patients to train through their injuries and return to competition. With her extensive background in human PT and water rehab, Trish was eager to offer these services to our four-legged friends.
After completing specialized coursework offered through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in animal physical therapy, Trish established Southern California's first K9 Rehab facility in 1999; and began building a professional network that offers complete healthcare for animals.
Trish’s love of sports medicine has carried over into the K9 population. Competitive dogs participating in dog sports like Agility, Fly Ball, Obedience and Rally, represent a large number of the clients she works with. Like humans, dogs can develop injuries and need to maintain their bodies for a long and healthy life. Beyond serving competitive dogs, working with pet patients suffering with neurological disorders, recovering from stroke, spinal cord injuries and elderly has proven to be especially rewarding.
Trish Penick is considered one of the leading experts in animal rehab and has been a speaker at the International Symposium on Rehab and Physical Therapy in Veterinary Medicine. The symposium highlights the collaborative relationship between veterinary and physical therapy professionals. She contributed to one of the 1st textbooks published on canine rehab "Canine Rehab & Physical Therapy”, Editors Darryl Millis, MS, DVM, DACVS, CCRP; David Levine, PT, PhD, DABPTS, CCRP; and Robert Taylor, MS, DVM, DACVS, CCRP.
Cutting Edge K9 Rehab receives referrals from vets throughout San Diego, L.A. and surrounding counties and believes the Vet/PT relationship is the core of success for future development in this area of expertise. Cutting Edge K9 Rehab has been featured on local and national news, radio and a number of local papers and magazine articles. Trish is very active in the community speaking at numerous animal events stressing the importance of preventive medicine and fitness training as well as educating people on rehab services available. In her spare time, Trish competes with her yellow lab Catori in the dog sports Agility and Flyball.