Community Highlights: Meet Lauryn Harker of Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauryn Harker.

Hi Lauryn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
After years working as a Registered Veterinary Technician in management, emergency medicine, and small animal care in pet hospitals throughout Orange County, I found that while patients could generally get diagnosed and begin treatment for their ailments easily, there was a huge gap between diagnosis and recovery. For conditions that could not be cured, such as osteoarthritis or age-related changes, a key element was missing to help maximize length and quality of life for those patients. I found Veterinary Physical Rehabilitation and knew it was not only what Orange County’s pets needed, but also an aspect of Veterinary Medicine that would allow me to truly know and bond with my patients and their families, building long term relationships full of trust and healing. I graduated from University Of Tennessee School Of Veterinary Medicine Canine Rehabilitation Program to become a Certified Canine Physical Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP) and opened Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County in 2014, operating out of a small building in Newport Beach. As more and more senior, injured, overweight, neurological, or otherwise compromised patients recovered with my help and even more were clamoring to begin therapy, that facility quickly became too small for the number of patients in need, even as my medical team began to grow.

In 2020, I upgraded to a 4,000sqft facility in Santa Ana, designed to offer state of the art Veterinary Medical Physical Rehabilitation Therapy without the stress and fear typically associated with veterinary clinic visits. Complete with two Underwater Treadmills, two Therapeutic Lasers, Therapeutic Ultrasound, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, a large obstacle course designed for patients to safely participate in Target Exercises, and a medical team with extensive Veterinary Medical experience and education, the new cage-free facility allows me and my medical team to help dogs feel better, move easier, and be safer by relieving pain, restoring range of motion, preventing injuries, and expanding the physical potential of every patient. Rather than the cold hospital feel, I aim to provide a more comfortable experience to help patients feel safe, so my team doesn’t wear scrubs or white coats and 17 Big Barker orthopedic memory foam dog beds are provided for patients to relax on while their Thermotherapy, Cryotherapy, Therapeutic Massage, Prescribed Stretching, and Veterinary Medical Acupuncture is performed.

In 2024, I earned my Certification as a Companion Animal Rehabilitation Therapist from the North Carolina State University, making me among the first in the nation to become double certified in Veterinary Physical Rehabilitation. Since then, 4 other team members have graduated from the same program, making me and my team the most experienced and credentialed Rehab Specialists in the area. Today, Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County continues to help and heal thousands of animals and their families, allowing them to enjoy life to the fullest and has become known nationwide as a resource for Veterinarians to reach out for assistance with their most challenging cases.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey to success was not without challenges. In the beginning, after a Veterinarian completed the exams and prescribed treatment plans, I performed all treatments, cleaning, maintenance, client communications, and scheduling on my own with limited resources and space while also teaching aspiring Registered Veterinary Technician students at Heritage College. In 2019, the Newport Beach property was sold out from under me and I was forced to temporarily close, then quickly find a new location. While it took only a few months to find the new facility, many of my patients declined significantly without Rehab to support them and required euthanasia before I could reopen. This was a heartbreaking situation, but it also reinforced the vital nature of my work.

Fortunately, I found the perfect new location, but there was a catch! My unique practice didn’t fit into the property’s zoning and would thus require a difficult to attain permit from the city of Santa Ana, which could take months if it was even granted at all. In the meantime, I still had to take a leap of faith and commit to leasing the building and renovating it in preparation for the patients I hoped to welcome within its walls. Multiple local veterinarians and clients that believed in my cause sent letters and spoke at city council hearings to advocate for Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County’s reopening in the new facility, sharing evidence and their experience to show the huge, positive impact it would have for the community. After months of waiting and hoping, the permit was granted!

I opened the new facility in Santa Ana in February 2020, right in time for COVID lock downs to temporarily close it down just a couple weeks later. Fortunately, I was able to prove that Veterinary Medical Physical Rehabilitation was essential to the wellbeing of Orange County’s pets and therefore essential for the wellbeing of families quarantining at home, where social isolation heavily impacted us all. Since then, besides the usual speed bumps expected with small business ownership, my practice has continued to grow and thrive while allowing me to share my expertise with local organizations, ultimately benefiting exponentially more pets, families, and veterinary professionals.

We’ve been impressed with Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
While other practices may wish to offer as many therapies as possible, Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County is founded on scientifically proven veterinary medicine that complements the work of local general practice and specialty Veterinarians. For this reason, I choose to exclusively offer treatments that have peer-reviewed evidence of their efficacy and safety. I view every patient as my own furry family member, so I value their quality of care and outcome over any financial gain that offering less substantiated modalities, like chiropractics, might offer. I have taken great care to hire highly experienced and formally educated veterinary medical professionals, with heavy emphasis on state licensure and continued education, to ensure that even the most fragile patient will be handled with the delicate skill their condition requires and pet owners can trust that the information and recommendations they receive can be trusted as medically accurate and appropriate for their pet.

As part of my quest to help improve the lives of as many patients as possible, I structured my practice with affordable, flat fee pricing based on overall time a patient receives treatment, rather than force owners to choose potentially less helpful therapies a la carte due to financial constraints or lack of medical understanding. This method allows my medical team to design each patient’s therapy session with whatever treatment modalities would best address their pain or deficiencies on the day of their visit, resulting in a perfectly customized treatment plan that maximizes pain relief and recovery without pet families having to worry about what each visit might cost or if they’re choosing the best treatment for their pet. No “cooking by recipe”, no wasting time and money on therapies that don’t work, and no surprise bills.

In addition, Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County exclusively practices “closed” Rehab, meaning that pet owners are not present for their pet’s treatments, because it has been proven to result in faster recoveries and better patient outcome than “open” Rehab with owners present. By practicing in this way, the medical team takes on the responsibility of gaining each patient’s trust so that they can heal the injured, weakened, and/or painful parts of their bodies that are often guarded most. Physical Rehabilitation frequently involves physical touch, equipment, and exercises that pets have never experienced before, so learning that it’s safe to participate in the activity asked of them and that the medical team would never do anything to hurt them is imperative to the process. While it is understandable that pet owners would want to participate with their pets, their presence prevents formation of the vital relationship between medical team and patient, thereby hampering their pet’s recovery and potentially incurring the additional expense of extra therapy sessions that can be avoided with “closed” Rehab.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I founded my practice with the invaluable help of Dr. Tara Haddad and Dr. Rebecca Ringwald. They supported my dream by providing space to perform treatments, contributing their medical expertise, assisting with the acquisition of the best and safest medical equipment, and always being staunch advocates for my work. Certified Animal Massage Therapist, Liz Kramer, was the first to join me in patient care, client communications, scheduling, and facility maintenance which allowed me to take on more patients and start fine tuning my practice. Registered Veterinary Technician, Tiffany Downing, soon joined us and thrust Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County into the spotlight with her branding, marketing, and management skills, thus introducing the magic of my Rehabilitation Medicine to local pet owners and Veterinarians alike while also streamlining in-clinic tasks so that patient care can always remain at the forefront.

I would like to thank Mary Beth Gram, Walt & Jan Harriman, and Dr. Tony Cambridge for advocating on my behalf during the practice relocation and zoning permitting process in 2020. Without their help, Canine Rehabilitation of Orange County may not have been able to reopen and thousands of pets would have gone without the care that is essential to their comfort, mobility, and longevity.

From day one, my husband, Kevin, and my daughter, AJ, have been at my side, helping me with every and any aspect of building and running the practice that they could, being patient while I tackled the things they couldn’t help with, and hugging me after work every day, even when I’m covered in dog hair. Last but not least, I’d like to express my endless gratitude for all of the veterinary professionals that have gifted me and my patients with their incredible talent and compassion.

Pricing:

• 2hr Physical Rehabilitation Consultation + First Treatment $240
• 1hr Basic Physical Rehabilitation Therapy Session $120
• 2hr Advanced Physical Rehabilitation Therapy Session $185
• Veterinary Medical Acupuncture Session $60
• Progress Exam $75

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caninerehaboc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caninerehaboc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caninerehaboc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@caninerehabilitationoc
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HKWA4U3GFkLUQq4e6

Image Credits
The Canine Rehab OC Team