Hi Guys!

I'm a long time lurker on here so I thought I'd take the plunge and ask for some of your opinions

I have a 11 year old bedlington terrier, who has injured his ACL (knee ligament) After discussing it with two different vets, I decided to go with conservative treatment rather than surgical intervention. This involves restricting his movement to only walking about the house and garden and stopping him from using stairs etc. He has anti-inflammatories and ice treatment as directed by the vet. So far he has been progressing well, gradually taking more weight through his leg.
After six weeks of conservative movement he has lost a bit of muscle tone in his injured leg, so I'm looking into taking him for hydrotherapy to build the muscle back up.
Has anyone on here took their dog for hydrotherapy? Did you find it beneficial?

My Daisy had a suspected ACL injury and we went to hydrotherapy for a few months, it certainly helps with strength and fitness, definitely worth a go.

Only down side is that not all dogs take to it, Daisy HATES it lol

Oh Dear - poor daisy!

How are the therapists? Are they understanding and patient with getting her used to the water?

I don't think my dog will enjoy it, but he does just tend to go along with things (albeit with a long face lol)

Is Daisy recovered from her injury now, or does it still cause problems?

The therapists were great, still are, very patient, talk you through everything and show all the progress.

Daisy's injury is 99% better now but she still sometimes overdoes things and gets a bit stiff, but she's only three years old and so still a bit nutty!

It's definitely worth trying, it really helped build up the muscle where it was starting to waste and that in turn helped her become more active again

Hydrotherapy is excellent for dogs with leg and knee injuries, because being suspended in the water means they can move around and improve the muscle without putting pressure on limbs and joints. Swimming is a brilliant way to keep a dog fit in itself as it really builds muscle tone and has all around good benefits for the body jus like for humans. I'd say go for it, and look about because some hydro pools will let you be in the water with your dog, encouraging him to enjoy it more!

I will absolutely recommend it, my late Rosie Chihuahua had terrible knees she definitely extended her life with hydrotherapy as it improved her movement and made her much less stiff, helped with pain and although you would never call her a water baby she seemed to know it was for her own good and stoically accepted it LOL

Big fan of hydrotherapy, 3 of my 4 dogs have had it for various things. Just make sure its a properly registered one and you're happy with the place. If it's a pool rather than a treadmill the best ones have someone in the water with the dog rather than them just having the harness attached to lines and poles and the therapist on the pool side. Take plenty of tiny tasty treats for bribery and a coat to keep him warm while he's still damp afterwards.
Ours are always very tired afterwards. If you're insured most insurances pay as long as it's a properly registered place.
Good luck!

http://www.canine-hydrotherapy.org/
http://www.narch.org.uk/

Thank you all for your replies!

I phoned up my local branch of www.canine-hydrotherapy.org and they said I just need a referral from my vet to say his heart is fit and they he has no skin complaints. Hopefully then I'll get an introductory session sometime next week.

Excited now! I think it's going to be really good for him