Dog Hydrotherapy

The Owners guide to hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy has been used for hundreds of years in human medicine due to the healing properties of water. This has become popular more recently in the canine world.  Canine hydrotherapy can be used to get dogs in shape, stay active, or recover from accidents, illness, or surgery. Dogs of all ages and sizes have gotten stronger, decreased lameness, loosened tight muscles, increased coordination, improved balance, hastened healing, and increased stamina and flexibility with the use of canine hydrotherapy.

Hydrotherapy works because water makes exercise weightless. Swimming or walking in water exercises joints and muscles without the jarring effects of gravity and hard surfaces. Many patients with arthritis, hip or elbow dysplasia, joint pain, cruciate ligament ruptures, fractures and muscular injuries have made significant improvements thanks to canine hydrotherapy. So have patients with neurological disorders such as degenerative myelopathy, FCE (fibrocartilaginous embolism) or after spinal surgery were there was a loss of mobility.

Benefits from Hydrotherapy

Canine hydrotherapy has a number of benefits; the benefits depend very much on how the hydrotherapy programme is carried out. Some dogs enjoy just floating in the water and this alone can reduce inflammation and relieve pain. For other dogs a more strenuous exercise programme is used for increasing the use of limbs, increasing muscle bulk and tone and strengthening the support for the joints. Water can also be used for support in a non weight bearing environment to allow movements that would not be possible on land.

Benefits your dog could get from hydrotherapy:

·         Increases Muscle mass and strength

·         Increased Cardiovascular fitness

·         Increased joint range of motion

·         Provides relaxation

·         Prevents atrophy (muscle wastage)

·         Reduces Muscle spasm

·         Increases soft tissue extensibility

·         Reduces inflammation

·         Reduces pain in joints associated with Arthritis

·         Allows exercise to continue while land based exercise is restricted

What Conditions can be treated using Hydrotherapy

There are a number of conditions that can be treated with hydrotherapy:

· Arthritis

· Cruciate Ligament Damage and  Post- Operative Recovery

· Elbow and Hip Dysplasia

· Intervertebral Disc Disease

· Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease

· Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD)

· Spinal Injuries

· Patella Luxation

· Panosteitis

· Obesity

· Relief of pain, swelling and stiffness

· Relaxation of muscle spasms

· Muscle strengthening, maintenance and restoration

· Mental Well Being

The Hydrotherapy pool

Hydrotherapy pools for dogs can come in all different shapes and sizes some have jets and resting platforms. Dog hydrotherapy pools operate at a higher temperature to normal swimming pools or the sea. A hydrotherapy pool runs at 27-31 degrees Celsius, the warmth of the water allows the muscles to relax and this also eases the pain in the joints. As dogs are in the pool the water also supports the dog’s weight, which also helps to relieve pain and you can get the benefit of an increased range of motion in the joints. As dogs swim and are continuously moving the water creates resistance to the moving joints, by pushing the legs against the water you can improve muscle strength.

Swimming dogs should be as stress free as possible so luring a dog into the pool with a ball, toy or treat sometimes works well. A hydrotherapist should be in the pool with the dogs carrying out a specific programme. Some dogs may need to swim doing movements such as figures of eight, turns or straight swimming depending upon the needs of the dog. In some neurological dogs we may need to pinch the dogs toes in the rhythm of walking or swimming to establish patterns that treat ataxia, which is lack of coordination.

The Underwater Treadmill

Most dogs use their front limbs significantly more than their rear limbs while swimming, and since a lot of dogs come to a hydrotherapy centre with hind limb issues, walking on an underwater treadmill is an effective therapy for a lot of dogs rather than swimming.

At the beginning of a treadmill session, the dog enters an empty glass chamber and stand on the belt, just like a dry treadmill. The hydrotherapist will be in the chamber with the dog to control movements and assist were needed. The speed is set to accommodate the dog’s size and condition. Warm water can either come from a separate tank or in our centre comes from the large heated dog hydrotherapy pool and the water is at 27 to 31 degrees Celsius. Once the dog enters the chamber we can fill the water to the correct level and the dog is soon walking in water. The level is adjusted to whatever the dog requires, such as shoulder-high for extra buoyancy after surgery or to relieve joint pain, or knee-high for a more vigorous workout.

Some underwater treadmill systems include adjustable hydrotherapy water jets, a reversible treadmill, or adjustable ramp angles that alter weight distribution or target specific muscles.

At Pool4Paws most dogs start out with three exercise sets, each lasting anywhere between 30 seconds - 2 minutes, depending on how they tolerate the activity and depending upon the condition we are treating. We build this up each session to be longer sets or more sets.

Can any dog have hydrotherapy?

Despite its exceptional benefits, hydrotherapy isn’t for every dog, some dogs have other medical conditions/behavioural issues that could be worsened by doing hydrotherapy such as; cardiovascular issues, infected wounds, or aggression can be a problem as well.

Just because a dog has never shown an interest in swimming doesn’t mean he or she won’t benefit. Many dogs have learned, with the help of a good coach, that swimming can be fun.

The final thing to discuss is Veterinary referral. In the UK the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act 1966, states that canine hydrotherapy can be carried out by a qualified person providing they are working under a veterinary referral. Veterinary referral is a legal requirement for all registered canine hydrotherapists/physiotherapists, this safeguards your dog by ensuring both the vets and the hydrotherapists have all the information needed to provide the most appropriate treatment programme for your dog. We keep in touch with the referring vets and provide regular progress reports to promote clear lines of communication to the benefit of the canine patient.