Kent Canine Rehabilitation Ltd

01/12/2024

27/11/2024

Interesting read and something I hadn’t considered. It is interesting to think how other conformational problems may influence behaviour.

I often post about little easy things that you can do to make your dog’s life a bit less stressful (covering slippery floors, taking collars off at the end of the day etc).

However, what about the things we can’t change and that many guardians don’t even realise could be an issue for your dog. I’m talking about how your dog is put together: their confirmation.

Some of our smaller companion dogs, such as pugs, shih tzus, chihuahuas, have been bred to have larger eyes. This is because humans have a bias to large eyes and it was thought that we would make some breeds ‘more attractive’.

To make eyes bigger the dogs have been bred to have shallower eye sockets. So the dogs have normals sized eyeballs that don’t completely fit into the eye socket, meaning that the majority of the eye is protruding and exposed to the elements.

Large bulging eyes are more susceptible to eye injuries, there is a risk of prolapse (which is what Flea had a few years ago which was extremely painful & distressing for him), infections, corneal ulcers, cherry eye to name a few. Some eyes protrude so much that the dog can’t fully blink and are therefore even more sensitive to windy, rainy, cold and hot weather. Eyes can become dry in some places but can also often weep. Tears, mucous, skin cells can gather in the corner of the eyes which can be uncomfortable.

Yet another example of breeding without considering the welfare of the dog.

So next time your small dog doesn’t want to go out, could it be because they have sensitive eyes?

Big, ‘bug eyes’ are extremely common but by no means normal.👀

26/11/2024

Morgana has had a hair cut so now we can see her beautiful happy face.
Her lovely family have also brought her a drying coat for after her hydrotherapy. Her tail was so happy it is blurred.
If you think that your dog could be a happy hydro hound give us a 😁

25/11/2024

Did you know that for hydrotherapy we have to maintain the water temperature between 28 and 32 degrees centigrade?
This temperature range has many benefits for the dog including pain relief, increased oxygen supply to the muscles, removal of toxins from the muscles, reduced muscle spasms and increased cellular metabolism.
When dogs swim in cold water the cold causes the blood vessels to constrict reducing blood flow to the skin and muscles. Due to the reduced blood flow there is an increased risk of damage to the muscles.
During the hydrotherapy session we regularly rest and monitor the dogs to make sure they are not getting too hot especially if they are heavy coated or very active dogs.

20/11/2024

As most of you know we love working with dogs and for most of the time we have the best job in the world. The downside is the admin. Luckily today I had Barley to help me.

18/11/2024

It was great to meet some new dogs yesterday for our first Sunday swim day.
Our next Sunday swim day is 15th December so put it in your diary and type ‘Sunday’ in the comments so we can contact you to make sure that your dog does not miss out on this special offer.

17/11/2024

Cute puppy alert!

Little Finn came to watch big brother Nuri swimming. When he is a bit older Finn can have a go so we took the opportunity to familiarise him with a floatation jacket.

Hydrotherapy is a safe way to introduce young dogs to water. It is useful to know that your puppy can swim incase they accidentally fall into water.

If you have a puppy or are thinking about getting a puppy and would like to make their first experience of swimming a positive one then contact us on 07837570173

10/11/2024

It was good to see Reggie in his poppy collar yesterday.

07/11/2024

Now that the weather is getting colder and wetter it is time to talk coats and also to appreciate how cute Ben looks in his Ruff and Tumble coat.

Dogs natural coats vary a lot depending on where they originate from and what they were bred for. An obvious example would be the difference between a Newfoundland which originates from Canada and was used by the fishermen in cold wet conditions and a greyhound thought to originate from ancient Egypt and used for hunting and racing.

So if dogs have their natural coats do we need to put coats on them? This is not a simple yes or no answer and a more appropriate question might be why are we putting a coat on? Generally if a dog is single coated (doesn’t have an undercoat) and is lean they probably need a coat when walking if the weather is cold or wet.

Other occasions when a dog may need a coat for walking is if they are elderly and are not moving around enough to keep warm, have had surgery where they have metal implants that can make their joints feel cold, have had a large area of fur clipped or if they are underweight.

A dogs normal body temperature is 38.3 to 39.2 degrees Celsius compared to 36.9 for humans so care must be taken to make sure that if a dog is wearing a coat it does not overheat. This can be a problem when coats are put on young, healthy active dogs.

Another time that a dog may benefit from a coat is when they are wet as they will lose more heat and the heat loss will be more rapid. This can be a problem especially after exercise as blood flow to the muscles will be reduced to maintain the core body temperature. Reduced blood flow to the muscles leads to muscle stiffness and pain. We do recommend a coat after hydrotherapy treatment.

So what coats would we recommend? Equafleece coats are good for walks as they are light weight, breathable, come in lots of colours and are non restrictive. Some of the styles with legs can be difficult to put on especially if the dog has joint issues but a zip can be put in on request.

Ruff and tumble are great drying coats for after a wet walk or hydrotherapy they are a bit pricy but very good quality (top tip if the Velcro is done up when not in use it will last longer). A cheaper version is available from dogrobes. Web addresses are listed below.

Please let us know your recommendations.

www.equafleece.co.uk
www.ruffandtumbledogcoats.com
www.dogrobes.co.uk

05/11/2024

Morgana did really well in the water treadmill today. It was very rewarding to see her so happy, confident and moving well.

03/11/2024

A bit of fun, supporting local business and a chance to win some great treats for your dog

📣 does your dog fancy some treats? 📣

All you have to do is:
🐶 Tag 3 people in this post
🐶 Share this post
🐶 Post an autumnal picture of your dog!
(You will need to collect from Newchurch near Ashford)

I’ve joined up with Romney Raw and they are offering this box of goodies to one of my followers!
Don’t forget to tag, share and post a pic!

Let’s see who gets the goodies next weekend!

03/11/2024

Wow another week is over. Time really does fly when you are having fun.
Here we have Barley, Benji, Dutch, Rhyme, Rosie, Jessica, Wilbur, Sam and Reggie enjoying the pool. Sorry to the dogs that we didn’t manage to get photos of.

01/11/2024

It’s official. Charlene is now a qualified physiotherapist.
She will be putting her physiotherapy skills into practice during hydrotherapy treatments as well as being able to advise on home exercise programs.

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween everyone.
If you are dressing your dog up then send us some photos 😁

30/10/2024

WINTER SWIM OFFER!

With the days getting darker and colder it can be harder to give our dogs as much exercise. For dogs that would normally swim in the sea or lakes the water might be starting to get a bit chilly.
But we have a solution. Once a month we will be offering recreational/ fitness swims. At a discounted price of £40.50 (a saving of 10%!). Although we hope the dogs enjoy their swims they are not ‘fun swims’. A qualified hydrotherapist will be in the water with the dogs at all times and owners are not allowed in the pool.
These swims are only for dogs who do not have any pre diagnosed conditions.

Our first winter swim day is Sunday 17th November.

If you would like to book a place or talk to us to see if it would be suitable for your dog then send us a PM, give us a call 07837570173 or drop us an email [email protected]

27/10/2024

Little Gizmo has been doing really well with his rehabilitation so we have been able to reduce the frequency of his treatments.

25/10/2024

This seemed appropriate for this week with the clocks changing at the weekend.

21/10/2024

Thank you to Jo from Kent Animal Physio for helping with Riddles swim.
Due to his condition he needed two hydrotherapist in the pool.