Hydrotherapy

This technique is becoming more common for exercising and rehabilitating dogs with joint problems. This is delivered in either purpose built pools or with a hydrotherapy treadmill. Swimming is a low impact form of exercise, which means it will not aggravate your dog’s joints. This makes it a good choice for weight loss and general exercise.

Hydrotherapy treadmills utilise water resistance to help improve muscle mass, making it another low impact form of exercise. The treadmill’s design encourages dogs to hold a correct gait, and the tank’s clear sides allow observation of the patient’s movements. The treadmill is computer-controlled which means the temperature, speed, depth and direction can all be tailored precisely to the patient’s needs. Performed in warm water, hydrotherapy on a treadmill is a good choice for physiotherapy and rehabilitation of most conditions. We are excited that our premises on Liverpool Road, Penwortham has a dedicated hydrotherapy treadmill. This enables us to internally refer patients to the qualified hydrotherapist team who will plan individual programmes for each patient. Although most patients seen are dogs, we have successfully introduced several cats to the concept of walking in water and all have accepted the treatment and progressed following injury.

Physiotherapy

Ephie Nash from North Western Vet Physio holds a clinic weekly on Wednesday at our Penwortham branch. We treat a wide variety of canine and feline patients from neurological conditions, post-operative cases, soft tissue injuries and performance issues. Physiotherapy is a holistic approach with a combination of treatment techniques from manual therapies such as massage to electrotherapies such as LASER and NMES. All treatments and techniques are based on research, and we use our knowledge and expertise to clinically evaluate the best possible techniques for each dog. Your dog’s treatment is individual and bespoke to you.

All animals receive a full assessment where Ephie will watch the animal standing and moving, before performing a hands on assessment. Following the assessment Ephie will discuss her findings with you before explaining the treatment plan. After your appointment you will receive an individual exercise plan tailored to your dog/cat via email with videos of your exercises. Ephie is also available to clients to contact between appointments via email.

If you have any questions or would like to begin physiotherapy for your dog/cat please speak to a member of our team or email our team on rehab-team@ribblevets.co.uk.