Reason for Hydrotherapy

Impaled on a stick

Willow the Lurcher started to attend Bluewaters Canine Hydrotherapy centre following a traumatic injury where a stick impaled through her right flank and out through the left hind leg. The stick was not being thrown for Willow, it was in the forest where she had been enjoying a run around.

It was decided the underwater treadmill would be best for Willow’s rehabilitation to encourage her to load weight onto her left hind. Willow was a little apprehensive to start with but settled into the session really well. Willow initially lifted her left hind quite high in the treadmill and her movement was quite stiff and laboured, with some abduction of her left hind; she extended her pelvic limbs quite well. Over the following weeks Willow gradually started to extend her hind legs further, helped by the use of the treadmill gradient, and her movement gradually got smoother with less abduction on her left hind. Working within the treadmill Laura occasionally had to place her left hind paw in the treadmill to encourage her to place her left hind straight.

Willow now completes three sets of 2.5 minutes in the treadmill and walks with the belt gradient on to encourage her to extend her pelvic limbs, her movement is now much smoother in her left hind and she doesn’t lift her left hind as much. Her left hind does protract forwards slightly less than her right hind.

Her owner now reports that Willow very rarely abducts her left hind while running unless she has done a lot of exercise and is tiring, Willow has now returned to agility and suffers no stiffness or lameness afterwards. Willow’s muscle mass has increased on all limbs apart from her right fore. She has gained 5cm on her left hind and her muscle mass is now equal on both pelvic limbs.