Max the English Mastiff makes quite a splash at the pool at Pawz for Wellness in Shelton, Connecticut. Weighing in at 180 pounds, when he bobs up and down in the water, waves ripple over the edges of the pool, but when he first came for water therapy he couldn't swim- or walk.
A canine neurologist had said there was nothing that could be done for him and recommended euthanasia. And a physical therapist suggested a cart with wheels to help Max get around. On a trip to order the cart, max's owners, the Katzes were told about Pawz For Wellness.
"We rolled Max out onto the stoop and carried him in," remembers Pawz For Wellness owner Laura Wells, who worked with Max for the first three months, then showed his owners, David and Hazel Katz of Stamford, how to work with him.
Initially Wells uses moist heat with towels that work like a heating pad and does stretching exercises as well as massage in the 86 degree water. The buoyancy of the water keeps weight off the joints.
Time for Healing
"A lot of dogs come to us on NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)," says Wells, who sees them being weaned off them as time progresses. "It takes 4 to 5 weeks to determine if it's the right therapy for the dog and 10 to 12 weeks to really see good results."
After the first session, some of the dogs are totally zonked, but it takes less time to recover after the stress of the new experience wears off. "When a dog does well on a first visit like this one," Wells says, eyeing Abbey, a 13-year-old pug with hip dysplasia being massaged on the pool steps by associate Millie Conkling, "she'll be a brand new dog in 10 to 12 weeks."
A huge percentage of Wells' clients are geriatric and she acknowledges that sometimes she gets them too late to get optimal results. Wells demonstrates exercises for the owner to do with the dog four times a day, starting at a minute and increasing in length as time goes on. Every dog is different and Wells combines therapies such as side-bending exercises in the water if a dog can't swim.
Source of the Problem
Typically as dogs age, they sleep more and move less, and many develop arthritis and other age related mobility problems. Putting them in a non-weight-bearing situation helps them move in a way they haven't for a long time, says Lee Deaton, owner of Natural Healing Whole Dog Wellness in West Chicago, Illinois.
Swimming reduces inflammation and rebuilds muscle mass. Both pools at the facility are equipped with handicap lift platforms that are used to safely and gently lower and lift dogs in and out of the water so there are no ramps or stairs to climb.
Clients start out by resting two or three times as much as they swim and gradually extend swimming time. A veterinary release is required for clients, some of whom may not have been to their vets for a long time or received a definitive diagnosis.
Practice Makes Improvement
Hydrotherapy is contraindicated in dogs with respiratory problems, heart conditions, epilepsy and active infections as well as herniated or ruptured discs, though they may benefit after disc surgery. "Some clients come in twice a week until the end of their lives," says Deaton. "And some do once a week. We work with how much people can do."
"You get to develop a relationship because the dogs come so often. It's very gratifying to see improvement in the dogs and connect with their owners," says Louisa Craviotto, a canine hydrotherapist for The Sams Clinic in Mill Valley, California who plans to open her own recreational pool for dogs later this year.
At The Sams Clinic, dogs swim in the pool or use the underwater treadmill, which can show the gradual improvement in the dog's gait. "Sometimes dogs hate swimming but like the treadmill and vice versa. The veterinarian gives them the option of either," says Craviotto.
Max the English Mastiff still comes for a swim once a week- and walks into the pool area. On vacation with his owners, he went on a two-mile hike. By the time his owners got a call that his cart with wheels was ready, he didn't need it any more.
Health & Home
