Dr. Carrie Adrian, PT, PhD, tCPT, Fellow of the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, is the owner and founder of CanineIQ. CanineIQ is an educational platform focused on helping physical therapists and other professionals develop expertise in canine physical therapy rehabilitation. Her work combines clinical practice, education, research, and entrepreneurship in a way that is truly unique within our profession."

Carrie has spent more than 25 years at the intersection of physical therapy, veterinary medicine, biomechanics, education, and animal physical therapy rehabilitation. Her career has included serving as Director of Physical Therapy at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, Director of Physical Therapy at Veterinary Specialists of Northern Colorado, and National Director of Rehabilitation Services for VCA Animal Hospitals, a position she actually created within VCA.

Carrie has also been deeply involved in advancing the field of animal physical therapy through education and research. She has taught veterinarians, physical therapists, veterinary technicians, and physical therapist assistants, contributed to multiple textbooks, served in leadership roles within the APTA’s Animal Physical Therapy Special Interest Group, and has presented nationally and internationally on topics ranging from canine biomechanics and sports medicine to physical therapy rehabilitation and orthotics.

In 2021, Carrie was voted Veterinary Rehabilitation Therapist of the Year by her peers through the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, an honor given to only a handful of physical therapists worldwide. She was also named a Fellow of the organization in 2016.

Website: www.CanineIQ.net
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/99452429/admin/dashboard/ (CanineIQ Education) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-adrian/
Facebook: Canine IQ Education (https://www.facebook.com/CanineIQPTEducation/)
Instagram: canineiqeducation (https://www.instagram.com/canineiqeducation/)

🔍 Why Listen?

Host Derek Lee sits down with Dr. Carrie Adrian, one of the first physical therapists in private veterinary practice. Carrie wanted to be a veterinarian from the age of five. After applying to vet school three times, she ended up in PT school instead, and a single equine rehab course changed where her career went. She talks about building a brand-new department with no roadmap, getting a cease-and-desist letter from the veterinary board as a new grad, spending four years helping change Colorado's practice act, and leaving corporate life to launch Canine IQ. If you've ever wondered whether PTs belong in animal care, or how to build something in a field that barely exists yet, this conversation is a masterclass in "feel the fear and do it anyway."

🧠 What You'll Learn

• How a missed day of PT school and a flyer from a friend launched a 26-year career in animal physical therapy
• What it took to earn veterinarians' trust as the first PT in a veterinary hospital
• How Carrie handled a cease-and-desist letter and helped change Colorado's PT practice act
• Why your human PT knowledge carries over to four-legged patients, and where the gaps are
• Why Carrie built Canine IQ as an affordable program designed specifically for physical therapists
• The three biggest barriers keeping PTs out of canine practice, and how they're being addressed

💡 Key Takeaways

• Follow the pull, even when it's off the plan. Carrie's path changed because of small choices: signing up for an equine course, volunteering at a conference to save money, and starting a conversation on a sidewalk with the man who became her boss.
• Your foundation is your advantage. With no established protocols, Carrie relied on what every PT knows: bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, healing and functional movement. "So what if it has a little extra fur and two extra legs?"
• Gray areas don't have to stop you; change the rules. Only five states have codified language for animal PT. Carrie worked within the law while advocates spent four years updating Colorado's practice act to cover animal patients.
• Collaboration is the job. Building referral relationships with veterinarians, and learning from vets and vet techs about pathologies, diagnostics and patient care, is central to success in this field.
• Entrepreneurship is one bite at a time. Websites, attorneys, privacy policies, Instagram reels: Carrie took them on one step at a time and leaned on family, friends and colleagues who offered to help.

🎙 Memorable Soundbites

• "Feel the fear and do it anyway."
• "You're a movement expert. And so what if it has a little extra fur and, you know, two extra legs, right?"
• "Take the comma out and move forward. Change the rules, change the practice act."
• "The similarity between peds and animals: they poop, they pee and they bite."
• "Tackle your elephants."
• "We belong in animal care, and it's a natural progression for us to treat an animal."

🚀 Actionable Tips

1. Get in the room. Attend (or volunteer at) conferences and events in the niche you're curious about. That's where opportunities and mentors show up.
2. Build trust one relationship at a time. Join rounds, work cases side by side and show referral partners exactly how you can help their patients.
3. Know your state's practice act. Understand what your license allows, and get involved in legislative efforts to clarify it, instead of letting fear keep you out.
4. Fill the gaps, not the basics. Look for education that builds on your PT training rather than repeating it, especially if cost is a barrier.
5. Prioritize daily and ask for help. Hold your own "board meeting" each morning, focus on the next step, and lean on your network for skills you don't have.

💭 Conversation Starter

Have you ever thought about using your PT skills outside of human care? What would it take for you to "feel the fear and do it anyway" and pursue a niche that excites you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!