Hydrotherapy, "hydro", swimming, underwater treadmill, UWTM, water walking...

By any other name it is NOT the same. 

Several years ago when clinics started getting into (buying) underwater treadmills, there was a lot of internet marketing going on, which was understandable because not only would one want to promote the fact that they have the machine but these devices are HELLA expensive (more than a lot of cars). 

So I was contacted by prospective clients on the daily, inquiring if I had an underwater treadmill for their pet's condition or illness. They'd read about *it* online and wanted it for their pet. 

In general, aquatic therapy is great for the same principles (once again, as you'll read throughout my blog) as it is for humans; the principles of water therapy don't change with the species or being. 
Water provides buoyancy which can be great to decrease weight in some needed circumstances - PLUS you have hydrostatic pressure, viscosity, warmth, resistance...all good things! 

In a very tiny "nutshell", because I could write a report or guidebook alone on hydrotherapy, (traditional) swimming and the underwater treadmill are NOT the same; each have benefits for certain conditions. 

I tend to choose "swimming" activities during the rehabilitative process for pets that have little to no active motion. They are, for all intents and purposes, paraplegic or paralyzed. (Think neurologic)

I will choose treadmill activities for weakness and for pets that need help with walking post-operatively or with arthritis...or even with athletic conditioning and obesity! (Think orthopedic)

That is NOT to say that I won't switch the modalities or activities depending on the client. 

There really is no "cookbook". 

With pets that need help walking or strengthening, the underwater treadmill is great because you get more "bang for your buck"; several minutes in the treadmill equal 1 minute on land. You can assist the pet with better walking habits in the treadmill and those habits tend to eventually carry over onto land treadmill or over ground walking. But...it has to be something, if you're using it for weight loss or conditioning, that you're going to continue with. You don't join a gym to use the treadmill for 2 months to learn to walk better and then just simply stop, do you?

But for this reason, plus whether or not it's appropriate for your pet's condition, and several other reasons it does NOT make the "UWTM" something that is the gold standard or necessary in all conditions. 

Swimming tends to elicit a primitive behavior of moving the legs. It may not happen instantaneously and care needs to be taken to make sure that the cardiovascular system isn't overly taxed; it's a VERY fatiguing activity. 

Benefits:

• Warmth, in general, is beneficial to arthritic conditions
• Altering the level of water can facilitate (or hinder) motion at a particular joint(s)
• Some animals really like water
• The intervention is efficient
• Some dogs can mobilize themselves, either by water walking or swimming, that cannot do so on land
• If you have access to water (i.e., your own pool or a lake), long-term management or treatment can be cost-effective

 
Here are some con’s:

• The warmth may NOT be beneficial to some conditions. Furthermore, some skin diseases and immediate post-surgical conditions cannot be in the water
• Some dogs (& YES, even some labs) really do not like water and will “stress out”, which will negatively impact their healing and rehab
• The treatment itself is not time intensive, per above but  the treatment isn’t (or shouldn’t be) “time” intensive; the activity is intensive because the environment (water) is very taxing to a dog’s cardiovascular system, which is something to keep in mind if your dog has any chronic or systemic issues or has been under anesthesia
• Some dogs that are mobile in the water are never able to translate those gains to land (or your home).
• If you are enduring clinic-based treatments, this can turn out to be quite costly
• It’s not exactly practical or functional

All this to say...

Water therapy has its place but NOT to the exclusion of other types of activities and techniques. 
MOST PETS (dogs, cats, bunnies, horses, goats...) can be rehabbed and improve their condition and function WITHOUT the use of any hydrotherapy! 
And again, it may not be indicated for your particular pet. 

Doing, say, 3 months solid of any physical activity, and then stopping, will most likely result in a loss of those small percentage gains that you, or your animal, may have achieved.

So be realistic. Pick something, after a thorough evaluation, that you can continue with longterm ...and makes sense.

Remember: Animal rehab & health means LIFE-long management.

There is a lot more I am happy to discuss about hydrotherapy. 
LET'S DISCUSS!
What are YOUR questions? 

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This post is in tribute to m client, the beautiful "Blossy" (pictured) who recently passed over the rainbow bridge. 
She is beautiful, isn't she?!
And very loved. And missed. 

We've received an outPURRing of love and support this week. 

And at the same time, a lot of questions, or comments rather, wondering about how blind cats manage. 

ANSWER: They manage GREAT!

They are fearless and quite adaptable to their surroundings. 

Yes, of course, they depend on you to make sure their area is relatively safe (i.e., they can't fall from a 2nd story or pull on something from a shelf that would drop on them, etc.)!

Yes, it's almost if their hearing is SUPER keyed in! But what this also means is that many types of regular noises may *seem* dangerous & therefore scare these kittens;  once when they direct their attention to the sound, they can't tell (visually) that it's innocuous!

My own $0.02:
We know how grateful rescue pets are, right? It's almost as if they know. Well, pets with special needs? ESPECIALLY SO!
And furthermore, pets that are sight-impaired should have voice or clicker training! Not only will it increase the bond and provide physical activity and mental stimulation, but for safety reasons as well; if your dog or cat gets out and cannot see, it could be traumatic if they don't know what to do or how to come when called to.

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Click down below to DOWNLOAD (for free!) a .pdf about blind cats from Milos Sanctuary! Or you can see it on their website.
​Milos is a rescue group for cats & kittens with special needs and not only are they phenomenal but that's where our Greyson came from!
​

If you didn't read about him on Facebook or Instagram (and WHY NOT? jk) or even if you DID, here's the scoop: 

From our Facebook: "Greyson (Teddy Bear) was found hungry & blind in the streets of Mexico the week of Halloween.

He was less than 2mos old at the time. He was rescued ( <3 ) and brought to Milo's Sanctuary, Inc. where he received medical attention ( & LOVE ). 
Enter in Oskar the Blind Cat & Klaus who together with the rescue, sponsored a naming contest on Instagram that together had over 15k "likes" and comments!
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I have always been inspired by my clients with special needs (fur and non-fur) and in particular, have wanted a sight-impaired furchild.
I entered the contest and while I didn't win the naming, I threw my proverbial "hat" into the ring with the tons of other applicants for this cutey patootey, and "won" him.
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Through my work and political advocacy, my motto has always been "be voice for those that have no voice". I hope that Greyson and I can further raise awareness about all beings with special needs and inspire ALL beings toward better health. And love. 
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He'll be making an appearance at Tuesday night's class (which...has come to be like a "kittens and Z" class theme) & otherwise, I would love to have you meet him. He's a SPAZ, loves to LOVE on you and just doesn't shut up or rest...kinda like mommy. 
(Oh & YogiBear couldn't be more pissed off at the moment so... #goodtimes )"

Instagram @animalrehabnews (also linked on the RIGHT ->) :

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"I can see you with my heart. I don't need eyes."*
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*quote by me ;-) 

You can find Greyson and his big sister over at @yogiandteddy 

DID YOU KNOW:
A cat that weighs 15 pounds is the equivalent of a 5'4" woman weighing about 218 pounds? 

Pet obesity is at epidemic levels! 
You know this. 

It's 2nd only to dental disease (and the recent studies were out of 2015, so it may have surpassed that by now...)*.

When our pets are heavier it leads to increased diseases, increased costs (for you), increased pain and decreased quality (and length) of life! 

Here are some "Fat Cat Strategies":

• No treats! Brush them instead
  
• Use toys and games like Laser pointers, feathers, balls to chase (or homemade ones with foil).
  
• Put meals in different places throughout the house (i.e., up stairs, on top of risers, etc).
  
• Get an outdoor pen
• Don’t overfeed!
• Use creative ways and cat’s natural instincts to get them to prowl for food
• Feed wet food over dry.
  
• Feed 2-4x a day vs. "free feeding"

*Reference: Rowe E, et al. 2015