News

> What’s a Water Treadmill?  
Simply put, it’s an easy-access tank filled with water,
with a treadmill in the bottom. It’s a form of hydrotherapy
which helps decreases pain and weight bearing stressors, 
offers muscle relaxation in warm water, challenges co-
ordination and balance, increasing strength and stamina.   

> How does it used?
Essentially water provides extra resistance, however it
can also provide support by reducing the weight of a dog’s
body ie. the amount of support/buoyancy depends on the
depth of the water. As the depth increases, weight-bearing
decreases reducing the load on a dog’s legs. As the depth
reduces, the load increases and the dog is forced to raise
its legs out of the water more and more increasing the
walking intensity. Making fine adjustments to the water
depth helps to target specific muscle groups, allowing the
dog to recover as efficiently as possible.

> When is it used?
The new thinking is that using a Water Treadmill is
significantly better in that the dog is being treated ‘under
load’ and therefore in it’s natural walking state, regardless
of whether it is supported by the water or not. It’s the
tendency now to use the Therapy Pool only when the dog
cannot actually support itself.

> How can it help?
It can be used to help in the recovery of most orthopaedic 
and neurologic conditions, and is generally useful post-
operatively. It can also be used for conditions that do not
require surgery and is especially good for weight loss.