Exercise of the week!
To give an insight into what sort of exercises will be a part of my mobility sessions each week I am going to show a video of the exercise in use with a short description of its uses.
This week is cavaletti poles.
Cavaletti poles can be used at various heights depending on the severity of the dog’s condition.
Some dogs may need to start with the poles on the floor shown in the first video. This is the easiest cavaletti exercise that can be offered to the dog. The poles can then be raised as the dog gets better.
This exercise can also be used at slow walking, walking or even trotting pace.
Cavaletti poles are an excellent way to help improve body awareness, rhythm, stamina, flexibility, and strength.
If you’d like more information message me MOBILITY
#cambridgehydrotherapycentre #fearfreepets #hydrotherapycentre #rehabilitationfordogs #swimming #fearfree #doginjuries #massagefordogs #rehabilitation #dog #arthritis #dogrehab #dogswimming #fitness #hydrotherapyfordogs #caninehydrotherapy #dogs #Hydrotherapy
'my dog loves ball throwing I can't take that away from them'A lot of you know I absolutely HATE ball throwing and most of you have had the speech from me about why you need to stop.Unpredictable actions such as breaking, twisting and landing can result in muscles being put under stresses they aren't designed for. Repeated micro-trauma to muscles and cartilage is a cause of long-term damage.High speeds can double the forces generated in the muscles. The braking is thought to be the most dangerous part of ball chasing and often responsible for shoulder injuries.Joints that are weakened by arthritis will be especially prone to further damage. Even having your dog carrying a ball can shift your dogs weight distribution to their front legs, putting excessive weight through the joints of the front legs.Not only is ball throwing harsh on their joints it can have a huge impact on their mental health. Repetitive ball chasing can lead to prolonged adrenalin release. Cortisol release can lead to frustration, frantic behaviours and even be detrimental to long term health.'I don't want to take it away as they love it so much' is what I hear most. So what can you do as an owner?In this video you can see me showing off some activities that involve the ball but also don't involve harsh braking or jumping.Always ensure your dog has had at least a 15 minute warm up before even getting the ball out this should be slow walking which allows the muscles to get warm and stretch before an intense exercise.Only ever throw the ball a short distance, avoid slippery flooring eg tile or wet grass, only throw the ball below your waist as you can see I am modelling this in the first video.Have fun with alternative exercises like scent work, going on different walks or even playing hide and seek with the ball as I am portraying in the second video.Or take them swimming! An excellent way to keep the ball involved in their life but with low impact exercise is swimming. Swimming allows them to have
Penny swimming her way into the weekend! 🐶
#cambridgehydrotherapycentre #fearfreepets #hydrotherapycentre #rehabilitationfordogs #swimming #fearfree #doginjuries #massagefordogs #rehabilitation #dog #arthritis #dogrehab #dogswimming #fitness #hydrotherapyfordogs #caninehydrotherapy #dogs #Hydrotherapy
The lovely Bruce has just joined me full time.
He did only come to me when he was in the kennels but has just join the CHC team permanently!
As you can see from the video Bruce’s hind limbs are a bit slow at moving during swim so this is something we are going to work on while keeping the muscle he has built.
#cambridgehydrotherapycentre #fearfreepets #hydrotherapycentre #rehabilitationfordogs #swimming #fearfree #doginjuries #massagefordogs #rehabilitation #dog #arthritis #dogrehab #dogswimming #fitness #hydrotherapyfordogs #caninehydrotherapy #dogs #Hydrotherapy
Swimming into the week 🐩
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Go Archie go!
The lovely Archie showing us how you swim calmly 🐶
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Go Ruffles Go!! 🐶
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Buster boy enjoying his weekend swim.
What a busy week it’s been! Hopefully I’ll be better at getting pictures next week 🐶
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I wasn’t going to post this since I’m such a blubbering mess but I thought it would be nice for everyone to see how much I love the centre and how much it means to me 🥰
Big shakes from Maisie Moo! 🐶
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I had the lovely buster in recently. Buster hasn’t been to me for a while due to owner commitments. When his owner came into the centre she had told me he has been lame and sore.
Buster has some lameness that appears after rough play with his sister, Nala. Nala likes to grab buster by the leg and pull him causing him to then be lame.
Here I am massaging Busters back just above the tail. In this video buster doesn’t yelp or bite to indicate he is sore but as you can see he yawns, licks his lips, moves around and then turns around to look at me. These are little indications that Buster is in pain and is politely telling me to stop. I then started to massage a bit further up where I knew he wasn’t in pain and enjoys being touched to keep a positive experience of massage.
Often dogs don’t always show pain by drastic indications eg yelping, biting, crying. A lot of the time they are small indications like limping, moving when being touched, licking lips or yawning.
It is always important look out for your dogs little signs to indicate pain so you as their owner know and are able to put things in place to help them.
If you are concerned then speak to someone from your MDT (multidisciplinary team) eg vet, hydrotherapist, physiotherapist and we can advise on what to do.
#cambridgehydrotherapycentre #fearfreepets #hydrotherapycentre #rehabilitationfordogs #swimming #fearfree #doginjuries #massagefordogs #rehabilitation #dog #arthritis #dogrehab #dogswimming #fitness #hydrotherapyfordogs #caninehydrotherapy #dogs #Hydrotherapy
Our big bear Chester 🐶 Chester comes to me for weight loss and to help ease his hip dysplasia. We’ve managed to get quite a bit of weight off him but he is generally a huge boy!
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Love watching the under water movements of the dogs!
This is something I am going to add more into dogs sessions, this will be a great way for owners to be able to see what they’re dog is doing under the water and for me to explain the movement to them 🐶
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Amazing swimming from Del. Del is progressing so well that even people in the street have stopped to say how well she is doing.
Since tell likes to face her owner and with her being blind we find that back and fourth movement is more comfortable for her than swimming around the pool.
Despite her being blind she still gets super excited to see and absolutely loves the treats she gets after each swim 🐶
#fearfreepets #hydrotherapycentre #rehabilitationfordogs #swimming #fearfree #doginjuries #massagefordogs #rehabilitation #dog #arthritis #dogrehab #dogswimming #fitness #hydrotherapyfordogs #caninehydrotherapy #dogs #Hydrotherapy
The lovely Arnie showing off how well he’s getting on! Arnie is a golden oldie who comes to me to help ease his delicate joints as he gets older. 🐾
#fearfreepets #hydrotherapycentre #rehabilitationfordogs #swimming #fearfree #doginjuries #massagefordogs #rehabilitation #dog #arthritis #dogrehab #dogswimming #fitness #hydrotherapyfordogs #caninehydrotherapy #dogs #Hydrotherapy
Just keep swimming just keep swimming 🐠
Emma was definitely a seal in her previous life!
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The lovely Bridget is a gorgeous Irish Setter who is showing in crufts this year.
To get Bridget ready for crufts she is having twice weekly sessions. In these sessions we are using the jets to make it harder for her. The jets create resistance which helps build her muscles, stamina and cardiovascular system.
If you’re entered into crufts this year and want to help get your dog ready then drop me a message 🐾🐾
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Fear Free Sessions 🐶🐶
This is the lovely Ziggy who is a bit nervous about getting into the pool so help ease his fears we do some fear free exercises.
In the first video we are doing the away come back exercise. In this exercise I am throwing a treat away for him to get them giving him one when he comes back. This exercise is an excellent way to keep Ziggy focused on me, I also throw the treat towards the ramp and near the pool so he gets used to being in that area. As you can see in the video Ziggy acknowledges the pool a couple of times.
In the second video I am getting him to walk up the ramp with treats. As Ziggy has been a couple of times he is an absolute pro at this but usually I’d start with them getting one paw on the ramp then a break then two paws on the ramp away until they are eventually at Ziggy’s level where they can walk up to the top of the ramp.
In the third video you can see Ziggy was getting a toy from the pool! He didn’t fully get in the pool today but having two paws wet is a huge success.
Having sessions like this for Ziggy are excellent as he is quite a sensitive boy so slowly getting used to situations makes them more fun and enjoyable.
As a Fear Free professional I work hard to make sure that each session is taken at their own pace to ensure that the actions that are taken are not fearful for them.
This may mean having multiple sessions where it’s just them doing exercise one. For a dog who is reactive or sensitive like Ziggy these sessions can be so important in their rehabilitation.
If you have put off booking your dog in due to them being reactive or sensitive then please don’t hesitate to drop me a message for further details.
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Look at how amazing Kizzy is doing!
When Kizzy first came to me in 2022 she had torn her right hind ligament. Kizzy was very hesitant to jump on the bed, she was limping and partially weight bearing on the limb.
In 2023 Kizzy unfortunately torn her left cruciate ligament as well. Despite having two torn ligaments this didn’t stop Kizzy. She limped on the left hind slightly but after some rest and hydrotherapy sessions she became almost back to normal.
This video was taken this week. Kizzy is now fully weight bearing on both her hind limbs, she is wanting to go on longer walks and has even tried to jump on the bed.
Well done Kizzy 🐾
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Hector came for his weekly swim today. He was a bit lazy today but will happily kick those legs when a bonio is put in front of him! 🐶
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