Dog Hydrotherapy
As a young dog Lex, my english springer spaniel, had a painful orthopedic condition which affected his left shoulder (humeral head).
He had surgery in 2020 and recovered well.
One day, last summer, after a training session when he had been retrieving over a fence, he was very dejected and off his food.
The vet diagnosed him with a painful shoulder and said as he was such a young dog, we shouldn’t restrict his exercise, instead we should let him do his usual activity and treat him with pain medications if and when required.
He also thought it would be beneficial to do some hydrotherapy to enable him to exercise without impact on the joint and help maintain muscle mass and build fitness.
We had a referral went along to Gem & Evie's Hydrotherapy for dogs in Surrey (gemandevies.co.uk)
What we got from hydrotherapy
Lex is a high drive working springer and he finds everything exciting and the same was true for hydrotherapy!
The way it works is the dog is showered before swimming to warm up the muscles and remove any dirt from the coat to prevent contaminating the pool.
The first few visits, Lex wouldn’t stand on the shower tray so he was showered on mat on the floor.
Siew Lian was very patient and did not rush him.
After showering, Lex had the buoyancy aid put on and he was ready to go.
He loved the water and he loved swimming.
During the course of the sessions, he became much more comfortable with the environment, once he was showered and ready, he was up the slope and into the pool.
He also adjusted to taking short breaks between swimming and began to enjoy staying still while Siew Lian gave him a massage
Hydrotherapy was very beneficial for Lex both in terms of his physical and mental wellbeing.
Your Dog and the Law
I went to a meeting hosted by Croydon Companion Dog Club with Tara Boswell, from the Croydon Council Dog Warden Service
It was a really interesting and informative meeting and I learnt a lot about how the law applies to dog ownership.
Your dog must have a collar and tag
A dog must wear a collar and tag stating the name and address of the owner when in a public place, an owner can be fined up to £5000 (yes, that is correct!) if the dog is found in a public place without a collar and tag with these details.
Your dog must be microchipped
Any dog over the age of 8 weeks should have a microchip. There’s a fine of £500 if a dog doesn’t have a microchip or if the dog is registered on a database that is not on the government’s list.
Remember to keep the details on the chip up to date so that if your dog does go missing there is a better chance of being reunited.
Sometimes the chip can move, it’s a good idea to check the chip every now and then to make sure it’s still in place. A vet, dog warden or dog rescue centre can do this for you.
Read more: Get your dog microchipped
Your dog must be on a lead
Dogs must be on a lead on all roads.
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 applies to all dogs, no matter the breed, and covers a dog’s behaviour in both public spaces and private property including at home and in the garden.
It is a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control, the dog does not need to bite or injure someone to be deemed out of control. It may be that someone is worried it might injure them.
Read more: Dangerous dogs
What is expected of dog owners
It’s good to know what is expected of us as dog owners. Training our dogs to stay close when out and about and to come back when called are great ways to reduce the likelihood of an untoward event.
If you need help with training, please fill in our contact form for a free 15 minute consultation.