Water Therapy for Dogs
As dog owners, we’ve all been there—the day you notice your dog having a hard time getting out of bed, the day you notice her legs seem a little stiff that one morning walk.
I’d like to share a little bit about Bella and Bebe, two border collies that have been in the Dog Trots family for over a decade. I’ve known Bebe (red border collie) since shortly after my dear friend Rita adopted her. I started taking Bella to the dog park nine years ago and she still joins us three times a week. Rita treats her dogs like family because they are. Since Bebe and Bella are getting up there in years Rita has begun taking them to Aqua Dog Therapy with Gretchen Dietz (aquadogspa.com). I was invited to join them yesterday afternoon and watch them get massaged and swim their way into a more comfortable state.
Since Bebe has been going for the past year or more, I’ve seen major improvements in her mobility and behavior. If you have a senior dog you who needs sweet relief, I would recommend giving water therapy a splash.
ChasetheSheltie
says:Beautiful pictures! That life jacket looks like a similar if not exact same one that Chase uses to go paddleboarding! 🙂
Chase has osteoarthritis and elbow dysplasia, water therapy is something I would love to do for him! Unfortunately, we have zero water therapy locations for dogs in our area 🙁 I’m hoping to figure something out on my own in the next few years (probably will just end up installing a pool when I buy a house or buying a house with a pool).
Great blog by the way, glad to come across it!
https://chasethesheltie.wordpress.com/
Dog Trots
says:Hi,
Thank you for following me and for your kind comments! Where do you reside? I’ve heard of people taking massage/therapy classes to expand their knowledge while in the pet industry but also for everyday dog owners who want to just help their personal dog (like yourself). I know of a great one here in Seattle that you might be able to take a weekend course or something. Might be worth looking into. You never know. I wish you the best with Chase, he’s adorable!
ChasetheSheltie
says:I’m in Atlantic Canada, so pretty far from Seattle 😉 Taking classes is definitely something I know I will need to look into in a few years (and will likely have to travel to the USA to do it, since it is not as popular in Canada), thankfully Chase is doing very well on all natural joint medication right now!
Thanks 🙂