Improve your dog's mobility through hydrotherapy

I was in Baldwin Park last week, and I noticed a woman walking an older Cocker Spaniel. I watched for a moment and observed how stiff and slowly the dog was walking. He reminded me of a Cocker we've been working with for about five months now, who was in a similar situation, and he's really improved to the point where he can trot around his backyard.

Don't know if you know this, but Rocky's Retreat has the only indoor hydrotherapy pool for dogs in Florida. In opening our facility, our focus was and is on the health and well-being of dogs. Hydrotherapy is a proven form of exercise that can help build muscle mass, speed recovery from injury or surgery, promote weight loss, help alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, slow the progression of degenerative diseases, and more. We've seen miraculous results, such as dogs who couldn't walk at all running around our backyard. We've given people additional years of quality life with their beloved pets, and that's what drives us to want to spread the word about this miraculous therapy.

When we built our facility, we spared no expense because we wanted the best for your dog. Our indoor pool is in a climate controlled room, where the pool is maintained at a constant 91/92 degrees, ideal for therapeutic swimming, and the ambient air temperature is 85 degrees year round. We never have to worry about dogs getting into a pool that's too cold for therapy (anything below 90 degrees) or having them get out of a pool in cold weather. We can schedule appointments without regard to whether it will be raining or lightening, because our facility is completely grounded and protected. We don't have to rinse dogs off after they get out of the pool because our pool is sanitized with ozone instead of chlorine. Chlorine can cause skin problems, adversely affect the immune system, and it's now also being linked to cancer in children. Sanitizing with ozone was an expensive option, but we knew we didn't want dogs in chlorine. We have a drying room where our clients can thoroughly dry their dogs so the dog never has to leave the facility wet, unless mom or dad decides to do so.

Even if your dog hates water or you have your own pool, hydrotherapy sessions with a trained and certified therapist, which ours are, is well worth the expense. Certified hydrotherapists know how to structure sessions for maximum benefit. They can teach dogs to swim, help dogs overcome their fear of water, work the back legs of a dog who isn’t moving them, and more. So if you have a dog who is getting older and beginning to have trouble moving around, one that’s recovering from surgery or injury, or who may be overweight, do them a favor and schedule some hydrotherapy sessions. Giving your dog a good quality of life for as long as possible is priceless.

Sherri Cappabianca, an expert in the field of canine health and fitness, is the author of two books on canine health, and co-owner of Rocky’s Retreat, an intimate and personal boarding, daycare, hydrotherapy and fitness center, and Barking Dog Fitness, a Gym for Dogs, both located in Orlando. For more information, visit rockysretreat.com or barkingdogfitness.com.