How To Be Proactive with Your Dog’s Health | Canine Hydrotherapy Orlando
How Hydrotherapy Can Change Your Dog's Life for the Better
Not long ago, new client of ours came to us interested in hydrotherapy for her dog. Her 10 year old senior dog was beginning to slow down quite a bit . She was having trouble getting up from lying down and unable to go up steps anymore. She is a Labrador retriever mix with a little bit of extra weight, which makes mobility even harder. The owner was also having trouble getting around herself, making her unable to exercise her dogenough to keep her hind leg muscles strong and her mood light. She also told us she had noticed some problems in her eating habits and energy levels, resulting in her dog lying around majority of the time and not being her normal self. The owner figured she might have the beginning stages of severe arthritis which motivated her to give hydrotherapy a try and to be proactive in keeping her dog's quality of life good. She also wanted to explore outside of mainstream treatments such as pain medication or possible surgeries.
To be honest, during the course of a dog’s life going into their senior years, it is almost certain that he or she will develop arthritis at some point in time.
In the past, arthritis clients came to us because their dogs were already arthritic and could barely walk. Often, these dogs were seniors, possibly overweight and did not get much exercise. These combinations make it difficult to see quick results using hydrotherapy and sometimes can be too late.
Fortunately, most of our clients are dog owners who choose hydrotherapy because they intend to be proactive with their dog’s overall health and wellness both physically AND mentally. Dog owners like this know, that by keeping their dog fit physically and mentally, they are in fact adding quality years to their dog’s life and are potentially saving thousands of dollars in medical procedures and/or prescription medication.
Even for humans, hydrotherapy has been used since the early Greek and Roman periods as an integral part of traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases. It’s still very much used today to help relievepain from arthritis, surgery and injury recovery/rehab and provide a means safe/effective exercise for those who cannot exercise on land.
What is Canine Hydrotherapy?
It is the use of water to treat different conditions in dogs. Hydrotherapy exercise uses the element of water and it’s principles for benefits:
Buoyancy, which alters the exercise intensity and reduces stress on weight bearing joints
Warm temperature and hydrostatic pressure to increase circulation, flexibility, and decrease swelling
Turbulence and surface area to increase exercise difficulty and increase resistance
Canine Hydrotherapy Versus Swimming
Water in a hydrotherapy pool is warmer than in a traditional pool. For example, we keep the temperature of our indoor dog hydrotherapy pool set at 92 degrees year round.Hydrotherapy exercises are very specific to the condition being treated, making it different from just swimming. These exercises focus on building muscle, improving range of motion, building endurance much and more.
What Are The Benefits of Canine Hydrotherapy?
Pain relief
Reduce inflammation
Reduce anxiety
Increased range of motion
Strengthening weak muscles
Improved mood
Increased endurance and cardiovascular health
Improved circulation
Improved balance and coordination
Retraining of muscles for correct movement.
Holistic Supplements: CBD Oil
Dog owners who inquire about CBD oil have all different types of reasons for doing so. Most of these paw parents are searching for a holistic approach to help and heal their pet. CBD oil is known to be the main ingredient in many treatment options that provide internal as well as external care for pets. It is also available in many different forms such as edibles, tincture, oils or even creams. Conditions That Benefit From CBD Oil:
Arthritis
Aggressiveness/Temper
Seizures
Cancer Symptoms
Appetite Loss
General Anxiety
Separation Anxiety
Inflammation After Surgery
Managing Pain
Depression
High Stress
Overall, Canine Hydrotherapy and CBD Oil are alternative forms of treatment to help with arthritis, disease and injury. Warm water hydrotherapy is a way to exercise a dog in a completely safe environment and 100% non-weight bearing. When dogs start to become older, arthritic or develop a degenerative disease, they begin to experience pain and discomfort. This makes it so that the dog typically doesn’t want to exercise, which begins a downward spiral of muscle loss and increased difficulty getting around. Hydrotherapy helps to keep a dog’s entire body strong, mostly the hind end muscles. These specific muscles weaken and atrophy long before other muscles in the body which is why it is vital to start your dog EARLY ON. Our clients often report that through regular hydrotherapy sessions, their senior or aging dogs often become puppy like again and positively turn around their health and energy levels! By being proactive and starting your dog on their hydrotherapy journey when they’re young, will add quality years to your dog’s life, which is SO worth it, don’t you think?