Dog Hydrotherapy

One of the best things for joint problems is dog hydrotherapy.

For many years, humans have been discovering the benefits of swimming as exercise for damaged joints. In recent years it has been found that dogs can benefit just as much, if not more.

Hydrotherapy is often included in your dog's insurance, so check carefully. An insurance company may have a list of approved hydrotherapists which you will need to stick to if you want them to pay.

A lot of hydrotherapists will not see your dog without a referral from your vet, but all of them will want your vet to sign a form to say that the dog is healthy enough to swim.

In the UK they will be full members of the Canine Hydrotherapy Association. Just as not everyone can walk a dog efficiently, not everyone can swim a dog efficiently!

This is Joshua having his weekly swimming lesson! You would not believe he is a water rescue dog with webbed feet, the fuss he makes!

He squeaks a lot in the pool, but he is never reluctant to go in, so I believe he likes it really. All I know is that hydrotherapy has got him walking like a proper dog again, and has done more for his joints than anything else I have tried.

A few weeks before we started, I was wondering how much longer I would have him, his legs were so bad. Now he is walking properly, though not far, and obviously feels better. He is doing all the naughty things he never did before!

This video was taken at the Cambridge Hydrotherapy Centre

Find out more about Canine Hydrotherapy by visiting Out And About With Your Dog.