About Trish Penick

Trish Penick established Southern California's first K9 Rehab facility in 1999 after completing additional coursework through the APTA in Animal Phsyical Therapy. Trish is considered one of the leading experts in deep water swimming 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 professional and give them the opportunity to hear the most current scientific and clinical info in this exciting field. Trish Penick graduated from the Physical Therapy program at The Medical University of South Carolina in 1988. After working as a staff PT in Florida for four years, she moved to San Diego in 1992 and opened a private practice specializing in sports medicine and orthopedics.

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 allows 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. She completed additional coursework (through the APTA) in animal Physical Therapy. Trish founded Cutting Edge k9 Rehab 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 (Agility/fly ball/obedience and racing ) represent a large number of the clients she works with, but the neurological patients (stroke/spinal cord injury, etc.) and elderly have proven to be a phenomenally rewarding population.

She has built a successful K9 practice based on the same water rehab concepts as in her human practice. Trish 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.

Trish 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) and has been a speaker at the International Symposium on Rehab and Physical Therapy in Veterinary Medicine.

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.