FAQ's

---

Hydrotherapy is applied, controlled clinical interventions in an aquatic environment.  It can be in a hydrotherapy pool, or an underwater treadmill and be static or dynamic in nature, its not 'just swimming!' Jess and Jenny are qualified hydrotherapists, working together with Nicky Wreford who is a qualified physiotherapist, (and also trained in Galen Myotherapy to offer land-based treatments and massage therapy) plus Emily who is also a qualified physiotherpist and hydrotherpist.

Although there are many dogs that love nothing more than a good swim in the river/lake or sea, there are also many dogs that hate water! My own dogs avoid puddles when out on a walk, and would not dream of taking a swim on our river walk. Well, hydrotherapy is VERY different to a dip in the ocean! Firstly the water is WARM! The warmth of the water has huge benefits to blood flow and muscles, helping to reduce inflammation and therefore reduce pain. Secondly, we do not just put them straight in the pool or treadmill! We take pride in the fact we provide a canine centred care approach to everything we do. No two dogs are the same, just like us! We will work with you and your dog to build their confidence around water, this may take a few sessions but we will give them all the time they need to feel comfortable and at ease in and around water. Thirdly hydrotherapy is a controlled form of physiotherapy within water, qualified therapists will be in the water at all times to support, control and monitor movements.

ALL DOGS CAN SWIM! Unlike people who need to learn to swim as children/adults, dogs have it inbuilt... isn't that amazing?!  We've all seen those videos where a dog is held over a bath, and it starts to swim..... it's a reflex. Some dogs may not be as graceful as others when it comes to swimming, however we provide floatation jackets and ear proctors if needed to help them. Splashing dogs tend to be the ones that panic, we provide extended time to those dogs that might not be as confident as others. 

YES absolutely! 35% of dogs over the age of 1 years old have arthritis, 80% of dogs over 8 years old have arthritis but only 20% of dogs show signs. This is a HUGE welfare issue and one of the leading causes of elective euthanasia (CAM) We provide a weight loss programme, and can give your nutritional advice to help reduce the weight of your dog. We can work with your veterinary team to provide weight loss goals and manage the arthritis to allow your dog to live a longer more enjoyable life. 

Hydrotherapy can benefit many dogs, not only those who are injured or rehabilitating after surgery, but for conditioning sports or service dogs too. There are many sports that dogs enjoy doing, flyball, agility, hoopers, cani-cross to name just a few. All these dogs require body conditioning to be able to compete and reduce the chance of injury, this can be via land based physiotherapy exercises and/or hydrotherapy treatments.  Service dogs are needed 7 days a week so again need to be in great working condition. 

All patients require veterinary consent to be seen for hydrotherapy or physiotherapy here at Wren. Obtaining consent is easy via our downloadable consent form which can be sent to your vet, or we can contact them on your behalf.  We pride ourselves on working closely with your vet to provide a multidisciplinary team to enable the best possible care of your pet. We provide reports to your vet on progress, and will always recommend going back to your vet if we feel there is a new issue.