What is it & What are the Benefits?

If you’ve ever watched a swimming dogor take them to a beach or lake, then you’ll know how much they enjoy spending time in and around the water. In addition to good exercise for your dog, being in the water can also benefit their health in a number of other ways. Enter aquatic therapy for dogs.

What is hydrotherapy? It’s basically what it sounds like: therapeutic exercises done in water. In addition to the benefits of therapeutic exercise, water buoyancy can help dogs with a number of conditions and goals. Aquatic therapy for dogs can be achieved in a number of different ways, we will explore these with the help of Dr. Gary RichterVeterinarian and Founder Optimal nutrition for pets.

Benefits of Hydrotherapy

Swimming is beneficial for dogs because it can be good for their heart and circulatory system health, among other things. “Swimming is great for dogs,” says Dr. Richter, “it’s good for their heart health. It’s also a good aerobic exercise and the impact is also very low, so it tends not to cause joint pain or, over time, joint damage. And for a lot of dogs, it’s just fun! “

Largely because being in the water has less impact and is easier on the joints, hydrotherapy can be a good way for dogs to deal with health conditions and injuries. Just like with humans, the sense of “weightlessness” we have while in water allows people, dogs and other animals to move in different ways much more easily than on land. This easy move can help older dogs, dogs with arthritis, dogs recovering from injuries, and even help train athletic dogs.

But dropping your dog in the water sounds a bit dangerous; So is hydrotherapy safe? Just like with a child, you should never leave your dog unattended in the water. In fact, Dr. Richter said a veterinary technician is available to assist the dog at his facility. “There is always a hand of the dog. While they were swimming – with the exception of really strong swimmers – they were all wearing a flotation device. “

When and how often you should take your dog to hydrotherapy really depends on the dog and why they’re there, but generally, Dr. Richter doesn’t recommend more than twice a week to avoid fatigue and hurt. “The issue with any kind of therapy for dogs, whether it’s hydrotherapy or anything else, requires the cooperation of the dog,” says Dr. “If I injure myself, and I have to go to a physiotherapist, they will tell me to work through the pain because it is good for me, and I will. You can’t get a dog to do that. If you can’t make it interesting, the dog won’t participate. With that, we’ll end up using more peanut butter! “

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Hydrotherapy for dogs is joint-friendly exercise

The Research by the National Library of Medicine found that swimming gives dogs more range of motion than walking on land, which is why it can be especially beneficial for dogs with arthritis and joint problems.

“Hydrotherapy really helps improve range of motion, which means getting those joints moving past the range they have to move,” says Dr. “Hydrotherapy allows dogs to exercise in a way that doesn’t hurt their joints; it gives them buoyancy, so it doesn’t put as much pressure through their joints and doesn’t cause more problems. “

Good hydrotherapy for overweight dogs

Hydrotherapy is also a potential option to help overweight dogs. Do you remember that feeling of “weightlessness” earlier? This is why an overweight dog may be more likely to go swimming and hydrotherapy than terrestrial solutions. “Sometimes they don’t exercise because they’re too heavy, they can’t – it’s just too hard for them. And when you put them in water, they float, so they don’t have to bear their full weight anymore,” says Dr. “So suddenly, they can do things that they can’t do on land.”

But while buoyancy can make weight-bearing easier, it can still be a considerable undertaking. “We’ve all had experiences at the beach or in the pool, walking in the water,” said Dr. “There’s a lot of resistance involved, much more than just walking in the air.” Ask any fitness trainer, resistance is great for getting in shape because it helps get your heart rate up and builds muscle.

Hydrotherapy can help prevent injury

Hydrotherapy is also preventative and can be a good choice for athlete dogs. After all, the better in shape a sporting dog is, the less likely they are to get injured.

“It is also a way to condition a dog that they are very less likely to get injured during that treatment, because it has so little impact. It just keeps them in better shape. So that way when they’re doing any of their particular activities there’s less of an injury,” says Dr.

Hydrotherapy can help alleviate other conditions

In addition to helping older dogs, dogs with arthritis and joint problems, recovering from surgery or injury, weight problems, conditioning, and injury prevention for active dogs There is another demographic that may also find aquatic therapy beneficial: dogs with neurological problems.

Richter explains that although nerve dysfunction can stem from a number of problems, it often includes a combination of pain and weakness. Using a water treadmill (more than a minute) can help dogs with these problems walk with less pain, and buoyancy makes it easier for them to get up.

In particular, hydrotherapy on an underwater treadmill can be a great option for dogs who are unable to walk normally due to their neurological problems, as they often need gait retraining: That basically means we have to teach them how to walk properly,” Dr. Richter, “and because of the buoyancy and drag, it’s a lot easier to work underwater, because it almost becomes walking in slow motion in a way that you can’t on land.”

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Types of hydrotherapy

There are different types of hydrotherapy, but here are the three most common: an aquatic treadmill, a dog pool, and a whirlpool.

Here are the potential benefits of each type of hydrotherapy for dogs:

• Treadmill: cardiovascular health, build muscle, improve range of motion, do less painful exercises and correct gait.
• Pool: heart health, muscle building, circulatory health, aerobics, fun for dogs and low impact exercise. Richter notes that dogs primarily swim using the front part of their body, so swimming can help with problems dogs have in their front half — but may not be an option. selected for problems in the second half, they move less while swimming.
• Whirlpool: circulation and relaxation of muscles and joints. “Due to the warmth of the water, it delivers blood to the outer surfaces of the body,” says Dr. Richter. This helps promote circulation to the joints and loosens everything up to feel better.

Can you do hydrotherapy at home?

Hydrotherapy sounds like a good practice for your dog and their needs, but what if it’s out of your budget or you’re not near the facility? Can you do hydrotherapy at home? Well, it’s a little bit difficult.

It’s one thing if you have a swimming pool at home where you can get in the pool with your dog in a flotation device, but otherwise, says Dr. hydrotherapy with a kiddie pool. swimming pool, or tub, unless the dog is very young.

Take it

Hydrotherapy is a great option for dogs that need rehabilitation after injury or surgery, as well as dogs with health problems ranging from arthritis to neurological dysfunction. And while, like swimming, it’s good exercise for your dog, it may not be right for your dog or for you, depending on a number of factors from dogs hating water to budget.

If hydrotherapy isn’t an option, you can try other helpful ways. “In general, if the dog has mobility problems, then instead of taking them out for too long walks that can make them tired or painful, the better plan is to take them for shorter but more frequent walks. ,” said Dr. Richter. “So maybe three or four walks a day, but not so long that they don’t get tired. That’s a good way to do it.”

You can also try other types of physical therapy exercises with your dog at home to help build strength. “I would encourage people, even if they don’t have someone in their area, to reach out to someone trained in canine rehabilitation and talk to them about what’s going on. may be right for their dog,” says Dr. Richter, “because, just like when exercising with people, if you do the wrong exercise for your body, you can get injured. Obviously, no one wants to do that to the dog. So you really need a little guidance from the pros.”

However, if hydrotherapy is right for you and your dog, see Canine Water Therapy Association to find a location near you.

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