Rupert the Brindle Staffie

I met Rupert at Fidos of Fitzrovia, the new wellness centre for dogs in central London for an initial wellness consultation. He is 15 years old and one of the first ‘brindle’ Staffies that charity All Dogs’ Matter ever rehomed. Rupert was only about a year old when he was found tethered to a lamp post, confused and emaciated.

I’m an Ambassador for All Dogs Matter, and it’s been brilliant the Photizo UK team has kindly donated two Photizo Vetcare devices to the charity to help rehabilitate some of
the charity’s new arrivals both at their kennels, and in foster. Plus, to their
re-homed dogs needing a bit of extra help from ’red light’ therapy.

Stef Marsh, the proud owner of Rupert explained: “Rupert took a year or so to recover from his abandonment trauma, slowly but surely, he transformed into the best dog I could ever have wanted to share my life with. Staffies have huge personalities and a good sense of humour, and Rupert certainly is no exception!”. 

“Over the years, we’ve had lots of fun, got plenty of memorable moments to talk about, but I want to make his senior years as good as they can be. He finds the stairs harder to go up and down. Our walks are shorter, he enjoys lying on his orthopeadic dog bed soaking up the sun through our front window as I’m working on the laptop rather than demanding my attention."

Rupert, recieving natural healing

When I met Rupert he was and still is in very good condition for a senior. He’s been a fed a raw balanced and complete diet, and been given appropriate supplements including Green Lipped Mussel and Devil’s Claw .I wanted to show Stef how we could reduce his stiffness, help him get up easier, stay out on walks longer by integrating the Photizo Vetcare.



I provided Steph with some simple massage techniques to integrate and focus on some key acupressure points to support his digestion, immune system, liver and kidneys. I explained how the Photizo Vetcare would help relieve stiffness in all his joints including his hips, knees, and ankles with improved mobility and reduction of inflammation, this would help Rupert become stronger on all fours.

After a month using Photizo, Stef's commented: ”the Vetcare is really simple to use, especially because of the timed doses.  It’s ergonomically very satisfying to hold in the hand and also really simple to get the hang of.  Following the advice from Anna I focussed on some key areas on Rupert - his shoulders, his hips, his thighs and knees - as these were the most obvious problem areas."

"Rupert doesn’t mind the Vetcare but he does get irritated with it being held in one spot, so I do short treatments of about 5-10 minutes several times a day. To help ensure that I wasn’t imagining any improvement in Rupert, and because Rupert can’t speak and give me his own verbal feedback, I also used the Vetcare on my slightly arthritic neck.

It’s been a month and Rupert has been much more robust. He is much less tentative on stairs and jumps on the bed with no problem. He is also less tight in the muscles either side of his upper
spine.  Although he is visibly an older
dog now, two friends who are dog owners themselves recently observed that he
has a healthier carriage and is more sprightly when he comes to greet them. "

"Again, to help make sure I wasn’t imagining any improvement, I did a lot of research on the what red-light therapy is and learned that you really have to make sure you are using a high quality device*. There are lots of low cost, inferior quality red light therapy devices out there. Photizo is made to medical device regulation. I read, particularly, on horse forums how the Vetcare had made a big difference to horses with arthritis.

My own neck, meanwhile, has massively improved and I can feel the improvement the next day if I have used it the night before. This is in line with what I have observed in Rupert - that the effects in reduces inflammation, at least, are fairly rapidly noticeable. Having now bought one for my sister, I read that a lot of people who buy a “human version” do so after initially having bought one for their pet. This seems to say it all and mirrors my experience.

I think the Vetcare has been a fantastic tool in our toolkit to improve his quality of living on a day -by-day basis."

*Where the dose or output spec is clear to see before you buy*

About the Author

Broadcaster, Nutrition and Behaviour expert. Anna contributes to TV and Radio nationally including BBC Radio London's 'The Barking Hour'.As a pet expert, I’ve contributed to ITV1's Titchmarsh show, Channel 5's Gabby Logan show, and SKY1's 'dogumentary' A Different Breed.

As an expert I also contribute regularly across national radio including Talk Radio, Radio 2, Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio London and more!

In my Podcast, A Dog’s Life, I investigate all aspects of modern dog ownership, bringing to life why every dog is extraordinary, talking to scientists and experts who have changed, and are changing, our understanding of dogs.