Canine hydrotherapy is a form of hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...

 directed at the treatment of chronic

Chronic (medicine)

A chronic disease is a disease or other human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.In medicine, the...

 conditions, post-operative recovery, and pre-operative or general fitness in dog

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

s.

Background

A number of conditions in dogs may be aggravated by or may show slow or no improvement as a result of weight bearing

Weight bearing

In orthopedics, weight-bearing is the amount of weight a patient puts on the leg on which surgery has been performed. In general, it is described as a percentage of the body weight, because each leg of a healthy person carries the full body weight when walking, in an alternating fashion.After...

 exercise. Among these are hip dysplasia and osteochondritis dissecans

Osteochondritis

Osteochondritis is a painful type of osteochondrosis where the cartilage or bone in a joint is inflamed.It often refers to osteochondritis dissecans...

 (OCD), conditions most common in medium to large purebred dogs, such as German Shepherds, Labrador

Labrador

Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...

s or Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...

s; chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy

Canine degenerative myelopathy

Canine degenerative myelopathy is a progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs. The disease has an insidious onset typically between 7 and 14 years of age. It begins with a loss of coordination in the hind limbs...

 (CDRM), a degenerative disease of the spinal cord which causes hind limb problems in German Shepherds; and luxating patella

Luxating patella

Luxating patella is a condition in which the patella, or kneecap, dislocates or moves out of its normal location....

 which is seen predominantly in small and toy breeds

Toy dog

Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small breeds of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various dog types. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include Spaniels, Pinschers and Terriers that have been bred down in size. Not all toy dogs are lapdogs,...

. Injuries to the cruciate ligament

Cruciate ligament

Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...

, or other ligament

Ligament

In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...

s, may also make post-operative weight-bearing exercise in dogs problematic. Obese dogs, while requiring exercise, may aggravate existing conditions or injure themselves due to the weight exerted on their joints if walked normally.

History

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...

 for humans has been used since ancient times, and some attempt at formalizing treatment was made during the 18th century. Similarly, the benefits of sea water for the treatment and prevention of leg injuries in horse

Horse

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

s has been known for centuries. Because of the financial benefits surrounding the treatment of race horses

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

, around the mid-19th century inventors began to produce devices to replicate the benefits of cold sea water immersion for horses. The greyhound racing

Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....

 industry eventually recognized the benefits of the equine treatment, and from there, the therapy was extended to dogs in general.

Pool design

Pool designs for canine hydrotherapy vary, but most have generic elements. The pool tends to be smaller than a human swimming pool

Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

 and is heated, unlike an equine hydrotherapy pool. Horses generate a lot of body heat when swimming, so equine pools use cold water to prevent the animal overheating, whereas a dog's muscles benefit from the warming effects of the heated water. Most pools have a ramp for entry and exit and some have harness

Dog harness

A dog harness is piece of equipment for dogs, generally similar to harness tack for horses. There are various designs depending on the type of use, whether it be for assistance to a disabled person, hauling a cart or sled, or pulling a human being, such as in skijoring or pulka...

es to maintain the dog in position in the water. There may be a manual or electric hoist

Hoist (device)

A hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wraps. It may be manually operated, electrically or pneumatically driven and may use chain, fiber or wire rope as its lifting medium. The load is attached to the hoist by means of a...

 for lifting dogs in out of the water. Water is chlorinated

Chlorination

Chlorination is the process of adding the element chlorine to water as a method of water purification to make it fit for human consumption as drinking water...

 or treated with an alternative chemical. Some have jet

Water jet

Water jet has several meanings including :* Water jet cutter, a tool for cutting virtually any material* Water jet cleaning and surface preparation, a tool for cleaning and surface preparation using ultra-high pressure waterjet...

s to add resistance and make the dog swim more strongly.

Uses

As an alternative or complement to weight-bearing exercise and medication, canine hydrotherapy may speed recovery after operations or slow the progression of degenerative conditions. It may be used as a pre-operative fitness regime in order to allow a dog to maintain condition before an operation if it can not exercise normally. When a congenital condition

Congenital disorder

A congenital disorder, or congenital disease, is a condition existing at birth and often before birth, or that develops during the first month of life , regardless of causation...

is identified in a puppy, it may be the case that surgery is not possible until the animal is physically mature; during the period preceding the surgery, hydrotherapy can be employed to maintain the dog's condition. Spinal injuries or surgery can cause impairment of motor function, which may be treated by allowing the dog to exercise in water; it provides support and allows the dog to continue to exercise its muscles while nerve regeneration is taking place. Degenerative conditions can make normal weight bearing exercise difficult and pressure on joints and limbs may aggravate some conditions, so hydrotherapy can be used in these cases to allow the dog to exercise in an environment where there is no pressure on the affected areas. Obese dogs can build fitness and lose weight as a result of exercise in a hydrotherapy pool without putting excessive weight on their joints. Hydrotherapy may be used as part of a general fitness routine for dogs.