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Equine and Canine Hydrotherapy

Animal Hydrotherapy

What is Hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy can take several forms in treating your animal, eg -

Cold water hosing is useful in treating new injuries such as - a kick, bruise or bump or where you can feel heat at the point of injury. The cold water helps to reduce inflammation and thus reduces the level of pain that your horse (or dog) may experience.  Ice may be used also (there are numerous icepacks available for animals) - however, these should be used with care as if applied for too long ice can damage the tissues, (use approximately for 15 minutes at 2 hourly intervals).  

If your horse has an open wound, only apply cold therapy until the swelling subsides or the formation of tissue to close the wound may be retarded.  For best results cold water therapy is beneficial on new injuries.  

Hot water helps to increase the blood flow to the site of injury.  However, you should not apply heat to an injury which is still warm to the touch - this means that inflammation is present and applying more heat could worsen the inflammation and cause more pain to the animal.  

Swimming is increasing in popularity for treatment of both horses and dogs.  Animal swimming pools are generally either circular or long and straight in appearance with the handler either standing in the middle (of a circular pool) or walking alongside a long pool to ensure that the animal is completely safe at all times.  

Swimming helps to challenge the musculoskeletal system without concussing the injury however, as horses are not naturally strong swimmers it is important not to overdo any swimming therapy - one reason being that swimming does exert pressure on the chest which is unnatural for horses.  Equine swimming is popular though with the rehabilitation and fitness of racehorses as swimming is a strenuous excercise and also is great resistance training for a sound horse.  Swimming should be considered as 1 element of a fitness programme as concussion on limbs is a natural part of the healing process and should not be avoided completely.  

Equine Spas use the beneficial effects of sea water to promote healing of leg injuries in horses.  Cold salinated water combined with the spa's bubbles are used in a specially designed spa.  The horse simply stands inside the spa unit (which isn't unlike a small trailer - without the roof!) and the water is then added.  The bubbles have a massaging effect and the salinated water can have a 'poulticing' effect drawing out any fluid.

Copyright Taranet October 2001

U.K. Animal Therapy Swimming Pools, etc

Greendale Farm - Canine (Buckinghamshire)

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