anyone have experience of canine hydrotherapy?

[PassAFist]

That's it really. Does anyone have any experience with canine hydrotherapy, or any other kind of alternative therapy like massage or chiro?

I am looking into it for my older dog with hip dysplasia, but also as a possible career change.

Thanks.

I refer dogs extensively for hydrotherapy. I find the that the floating treadmill is much better than swimming as it supports/ improves normal walking muscle better than swimming. I refer my patients to someone who is a registered veterinary nurse and holds the advanced veterinary nursing diploma in canine physiotherapy and rehabilitation. So three years study to be an RVN and then another three years for the Dip AVN.

Thanks Lonecat! I am in Canada and we don't really have canine hydrotherapy here, or not as much as in the UK anyway, I can only really think of 4 centres and they are spread all across the country, none close to me which is why I was also thinking of the career change.

I am actually booked onto the next Greyfriars course and now I'm having a bit of a wobble. I would like to be able to do something for my old girl other than metacam though, and the metacam is not enough any more.

I would make sure any course gives a thorough grounding anatomy as this is essential to good hydrotherapy.
I get a pre-therapy report detailing muscle levels, gait and posture analysis. And then a post therapy course report detailing this. Now in the UK floating treadmill is the therapy of choice.
I refer old dogs with HD and arthritis and young dogs post surgery and injury.

Thanks again Lonecat. As far as I can see the Greyfriars course is the best in the world, and it has quite a bit of anatomy in it (and I have a science background so have done anatomy in the past as well). It also covers use of the underwater treadmill.

Do you see much improvement in the hip dysplasia dogs? My girl is relatively mobile still although not as much as she was (she is 10 now, a Bouvier cross so a big girl). I've noticed she has gained some weight in the past 6 months or so so I am now trying to get that off her, I don't imagine it is helping matters. She struggles with stairs and she has hardly any muscle at all in her right hind leg. For a long time we were able to get by with just a half dose of metacam but she is on full dose now.

Metacam and other pharmaceuticals are the only things that have ever been suggested to us as ways to help (she has been on metacam for about 8 years now).

Our darling old girl had arthritis (v elderly greyhound) and hydro on a treadmill gave her a good year of extra QOL. She loved going. We were referred by our vet, and it was part of the overall management of her arthritis. It reversed muscle wastage on her front leg (she had arthritis in her shoulder) and kept her mobile and active. She was still enjoying going at the time of her death (from an unrelated cause). We ha always hoped that she would be able to pass away with arthritis rather than because of it, and the hydro helped us achieve that.

Scuttlebutter, that gives me a lovely warm feeling. Exactly what I want for my old girl, that she dies with hip dysplasia and not because of it. I feel very optimistic now!

Greyfriars is a fantastic place and their courses are second to none. Enjoy your course

Hydro has helped some of my dogs. It has helped to build muscle on a dog with HD and has improved their movement and stamina. It is now hard to remember how much he used to struggle with daily walks but is now loving them again. He also had acupuncture and is off all medication.

It has been fantastic for a young dog with a torn cruciate ligament who had TTA surgery. She is now back competing at agility and moved up a grade this year:)

Worst place ever! Owner Angela is rude and yells, scream at clients for no good reasons! Unsafe pool with dogs going in and out at the same time without supervision! Dogs gets in fights i. And around the pool and she will insult you if you happen to be a bystander trying to escape a dog fight! Zero manners, loud, direspecful bullie!! Should ashamed of herself but instead she brags about being jailed for assaults to police officers shouting how though she is. Disgusting bullie! Shame on her!!!

Canada has really nice facitities, depending where you are, Greyfriar actually rent these places in Canada to give courses. Depending where you are located but BC has 6 ultra large modern well equipped up to date SALT water pools with nice and polite staff; the UK use loads of chlorine enough to make your dog bald!!

Ottawa has also a nice place with really sweet ladies owners.www.caninewaterwellness.com

Don't waste your money going to greyfriar for an outdated pool with rude uncivilized owner, pleanty of nice facilities in Canada!!!

I forgot to mention I toke the fast track courses. they are the OLDEST school not necessary the best in the world!! that was correct in the 80's!!! Since then they changed owner (the vet medical section is now independent of the hydrotherapy!) and the courses are sub par compare to NA schools. The anatomy is for a 5yr old, with crayola and color book asking you to add different colors to parts of the animal! really??!! I wasted time and money when i could of have much better in my own country!! Don't be fooled but the staff's messages and fake positive feedbacks. IT is well knows for how backward it is and how bad the other owner angela is!!!

This thread is 3.5yrs old, Anette did you search for it to deliberately post about how awful Angela is? What an odd thing to do.