Daisy

Daisy is an 8 year old Labrador Retriever who suffered severe pain in her hips and elbows. She was unable to walk very far, could not go up and down stairs or on and off her bed. Her hips and elbows were xrayed and this showed osteoarthritis in these joints. She was stared on a course of hydrotherapy were she swan on a lead. She is a strong swimmer and has progressed spectacularly. She is pain free, very active and lively and goes for 2 mile walks every day without signs of stiffness or discomfort. Her owner is thrilled “I cannot believe how well she is doing considering she could barely walk before. At 8 years old she is still quite young with many years of life ahead of her and the hydrotherapy is helping her brilliantly.”

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Sheba

Sheba is a 7 year old German Shepard Dog. She was significantly overweight weighing 55kg which was approximately 20kg over her ideal weight. As a result of this she developed a degenerate condition in her right carpal joint (her wrist joint equivalent). The referring veterinary surgeon was proposing a surgery to fuse the joint to stabilise the problem but could not operate with the dog so overweight. This created problems for the general anaesthetic and increased the chances of complications in recovery from the surgery. Sheba was put on a diet and had regular hydrotherapy sessions. She progressed very well and lost 20kg of weight. In addition, the weight loss improved the condition of the carpal joint so significantly that she no longer needs surgery.

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Tansy

Tansy is a 9 year old Labrador Retriever. She has the inherited conditions hip dyplasia and elbow dysplasia, both common conditions in this breed which lead to osteoarthritis and chronic pain and lameness. She has been swimming for several years and she comes for a session once a fortnight. The hydrotherapy keeps her very fit, in fact she is one of the fittest and best swimmer dogs we see. She swims for 20 minutes against the full power jets. The swimming maintains her muscle mass and so the support of her joints, maintains a good range of movement in all her joints, maintains good physical power and keeps her bodyweight in normal limits. All this provides her with a pain free lifestyle and excellent quality of life, she is the happiest dog. “Thanks to the hydrotherapy we hardly ever have to give her painkiller tablets”

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Byron

Byron is a 12 month old Burnese Mountain Dog who is suffering from a common inherited condition, hip dysplasia. This condition caused him hip pain, weakness and collapsing of his back legs. He has been coming for regular swims and has improved dramatically. He has significant increase in his muscle mass, he does not collapse through weakness in his legs anymore and he is a much happier dog with improved quality of life.

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Gilly

Gilly is a 6 year old cocker spaniel who suffered from a fibrocartilaginous  embolism. This is a condition where a clot forms in the blood supply to part of the spinal cord and renders the dog paralysed in the hind limbs. Gilly was unable to use her hind limbs, she had no motor function at all. She had intensive therapy in the hydropool and in 10 sessions she had 80% of her normal hind limb function back. The hydrotherapy is invaluable in treating this type of condition as it encourages much more movement in the limbs earlier than without it. “It is wonderful to see her back to her old energetic self”

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Amber

Amber is a 7 year old mastiff who ruptured both her cruciate ligaments. She needed surgery to repair both ligaments. She came for a course of hydrotherapy post op to rebuild her muscle bulk and strength and improved mobility in the knee joints. Mastiffs are a very large breed of dog and recovery from one cruciate surgery can be problem enough due to the dog’s size. She however made superb progress and went on to make a full recovery and is now a fit and active dog. Her owner said “We never thought she would ever walk properly ever again. She is walking so well, better than we ever thought she would.”

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Winston

Winston is a 12 year old Border Terrier who suffered an intervertebral disc prolapse. This is a condition where the disc in the spine ruptures and this causes pressure on the spinal cord causing paralysis. This condition rendered Winston paralysed from the waist down. He had surgery to remove the prolapsed disc and to release the pressure from the spine. This causes bruising of the spine and it takes a long time for the nerves to regain function. Hydrotherapy was used to speed up his recovery as the muscle stimulation and movement in the weightless environment of the pool encourages this. He began his therapy in the pool. After several sessions his muscle power and coordination improved such that he could support his own body weight again. He was then moved into the water walker to improve his coordination and strength further. He is now able to walk on land unsupported and is continuing to improve.

This was kindly written for us by Mrs Owen, Winstons owner
Following spinal surgery earlier this year, Winston was unable to walk on his back legs. A few weeks after his operation he started intensive treatment at the Wye Valley Hydrotherapy Clinic and four months later he is now able to go out on walks. He attends the clinic once a week using the water walker treadmill to strengthen his muscles.
I wish to thank everyone at the clinic for their help and guidance in getting Winston on all four legs. Thank you!!

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Flint

Flint is a 3 year old German Shepard Dog who was in police dog training when he stretched his cruciate ligament which forced him to suspend his training. He came for twice weekly hydrotherapy sessions and responded so well that he was able to commence training during the later part of his course. He has now completed his training and is in full police dog work. His trainer commented “I was convinced Flint’s career would have been over. Thanks to you we are now an operational team”.

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Ffion

This case history has been kindly written by Mrs Sharp

I am the owner of an Old English Mastiff (Ffion) who became less willing to walk as she grew. By six months old she had to be helped to her feet. I was referred by my vet to an orthopaedic consultant who confirmed my worst fears. There was a problem with all four legs – hip dysplasia, both hips affected and disunited anconeal process in both elbows. The consultant operated on the elbows and recommended hydrotherapy.

I telephoned Wye Valley Hydrotherapy and had a long chat with a vet there who explained exactly what would happen to my dog and the qualifications of the nurses who would be supervising my animal.

Then the swimming started. The atmosphere in the hydrotherapy pool is one of calm, relaxed efficiency. Ffion is an outgoing affectionate animal and there is always time for a kiss and cuddle before swimming. These nurses are dedicated to not only improving the health of my dog in a gentle and fun way but also to hygiene and safety. Owners are encouraged to be as hands on as they wish during a hydrotherapy session. Ffion will continue to swim at least once a week as the difference it has made to my dog is phenomenal.

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