Dogs With Arthritis: Hydrotherapy

Dogs that are crippled with arthritis end up sitting or lying most of the time, not exercising. The result is weight gain and immobility. This exacerbates their condition, worsening the pain of arthritis.

Exercise and a healthy diet with the proper nutrients are keys to managing arthritis. While you can monitor what they eat, it's not easy to make a hurting dog get up and moving. If the arthritis is severe, a great option to consider is hydrotherapy.

Hydrotherapy puts your dog in a water tank with a treadmill below them. The hydrotherapy technician can monitor your dog and adjust the tank conditions to give them the optimum amount of exercise to build up their muscles.

Benefits listed from dogasaur:

• When the water level changes, specific joints or muscles receive the proper resistance.

• Canine hydrotherapy builds up endurance.

• Dogs are able to exercise with little or no pain.

• The water temperature is adjustable, and this helps with the rehabilitation process because the dog is more relaxed.

• Weak and arthritic dogs are able to move around freely without falling down.

• Not only can underwater treadmills assist in rehabilitating a dog, but they can also be used for weight loss purposes.

It's not exactly a spa, but the results on larger breed dogs have been fantastic. Dogs with hip dysplasia have particularly found hydrotherapy beneficial.

Check out Canine Hydrotherapy Australia in Queensland or Aquapaws in Melbourne.

~The Get Up and Go! Team