Canine Athletes - Whether your dog is a weekend
warrior or an elite athlete, athletic dogs can benefit from a conditioning
program including swimming, land treadmill and specific strengthening
exercises.
Rehabilitation - Often dogs are able to swim
before they are able to walk. This is where the pool plays a critical
role in the rehabilitation of your best friend!
Just Plain Fun - What a great reward for your
best friend! No need to worry about the weather, if the water is
clean and safe, or about putting a muddy dog in your car—just
come to Aqua Dog and let your dog have fun, fun, fun!
Underwater Treadmill
Have you ever tried walking in the water? Depending on how high
the water is, you have a very different experience. If the water
is up to your knees, it's very challenging to walk through the water.
But, if the water is up to your shoulders, you are almost floating…
and it's easier to walk.
With the underwater treadmill we are able to strengthen the patient's
muscles and increase endurance with minimal compression on the joints
due to the buoyancy of the water. For certain post-surgical and
neurological patients we find this is a wonderful preliminary step
towards regaining a normal gait pattern. We use warm water in the
underwater treadmill which increases flexibility, mobility, and
contractility of the muscles, as well as improves circulation.
For conditioning the canine athlete, the water level can be adjusted
to provide the maximum amount of resistance. In addition, the water
level can be raised so that the dog is actually swimming. The underwater
treadmill has jets which can create resistance thereby making the
workout more challenging; or it can provide an underwater massage
at the end of the workout. Additionally, we can control variables
such as water level, speed and resistance allowing for a truly individualized,
client specific rehabilitation program.
The underwater treadmill is beneficial for a number of conditions
including:
Neurological
Orthopedic
Post-surgical Strengthening
of the muscles surrounding painful joints in arthritic patients
Weight Loss
Conditioning
Land Treadmill
At Aqua Dog we have the Jog A Dog land treadmill fabricated specifically
for dogs. The treadmill is an invaluable tool for gait training
(especially with neurological and post-surgical patients). While
on the treadmill, we can manually assist dogs that are not walking
independently. The treadmill is often used in later stages of recovery.
Because we can control the time, speed, resistance, and elevation
of the treadmill, a tailored program can be developed for each individual
client and their specific needs. The treadmill is also an important
part of a well rounded conditioning program for healthy canine athletes.
Therapeutic Massage
After a long, stressful day at work nothing feels quite like a neck
massage. At Aqua Dog we use a variety of therapeutic massage techniques
to address musculoskeletal dysfunction. The benefits of therapeutic
massage include pain reduction, improved circulation, and a reduction
in muscle knots and spasms. In addition, therapeutic massage decreases
stress and has a calming affect on patients.
Therapeutic
Exercise
At Aqua Dog we teach our clients strengthening, endurance and proprioceptive
(knowing where the body is in space) exercises. We offer a wide
variety of exercise equipment including balance boards, physioballs,
physiorolls and cavaletti poles. We believe that you, the owner,
are the most important member of your best friend's rehabilitation
team.
We will always develop a customized home exercise program to enhance
your dog's recovery. We pride ourselves on providing personalized
exercise programs which are easy to follow, will easily fit into
your daily routine and will speed your best friend's recovery time.
Low Level Laser Therapy (a/k/a Cold Laser)
Lasers emit energy in the form of photons. Photons activate enzymes
within cells to trigger chemical reactions that: increase tissue
repair; stimulate cell growth; increase wound healing; decrease
scar formation; improve circulation; increase metabolic activity;
improve nerve function; are anti-inflammatory and analgesic (decrease
pain). Lasers are beneficial for a wide variety of conditions including:
arthritis; muscle/ligament/tendon injuries; sprains and strains;
post-surgical and soft tissue trauma and ulcerated and open wounds.
Electrical Stimulation
At Aqua Dog we use two forms of electrical stimulation:
TENS: Many of us have been prescribed
a TENS machine by a health care provider to help manage pain.
A TENS machine uses electric current to stimulate specific nerve
pathways which block pain signals. TENS primary benefit is to
provide pain relief. It is often used post-surgically and with
chronic conditions to manage pain.
NMES: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
("NMES") uses a low level electrical current to cause muscle
contractions. NMES is used to prevent muscle atrophy with paretic
dogs, post-surgery, in non-weightbearing limbs and for muscle
re-education.
Ultrasound
We already know that heat feels great and provides many benefits
to tissues. Ultrasound consists of mechanical vibrations (sound
waves) which results in heating of deeper tissues. The benefits
of ultrasound include pain relief, reducing muscle spasms, promoting
healing, and increasing elasticity of joint capsules, ligaments,
tendons and scars.
Cryotherapy (Cold Therapy)
You slip, fall and land on your knee. What is the first thing everyone
tells you to do? Grab an ice pack! Cryotherapy has been proven to
decrease swelling, inflammation, and the perception of pain. Cold
therapy has the best results when applied to an acute injury or
immediately after surgery (within the first 72 hours). Cryotherapy
can be applied in the form of ice packs or ice massage.
Heat Therapy
We all know how good it feels to apply a hot pack to sore muscles!!
Therapeutic heat has multiple benefits including: increased elasticity
of tissues, increased blood flow, decreased pain, increased enzyme
activity to promote healing and increased muscle contractility.
Heat therapy is recommended 72 hours after injury or surgery. Heat
therapy can be applied in the form of hot packs or moist towels.
Hydrotherapy in the Canine Swimming Pool
Swim, swim, swim equals fun, fun, fun! In addition to its therapeutic
qualities, swimming is just plain old fun—the dogs LOVE it!
Our pool is 15.5 feet long, and will be maintained at a therapeutic
temperature of 84-86 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmth is relaxing,
promotes blood flow, and decreases pain in muscles and joints. The
hydrostatic pressure of water helps reduce swelling during exercise,
while the buoyancy of water reduces the strain on joints. It also
provides assistance to dogs that have difficulty walking on land
due to weakness, poor balance/ coordination, painful joints, neurological
conditions and/or post-surgery.
Puppy Paddlers - Teach your puppy to swim in
a safe, controlled environment making his first experience with
water fun and exciting.
Senior Swimmers - Geriatric dogs benefit from
the heating effects of the water, buoyancy of the water and exercising
without concussion on the joints.
Therapeutic
Exercise
