Maggie started to attend Bluewaters Canine Hydrotherapy Centre in December 2018, Maggie was suffering with ongoing lameness issues on her left forelimb; elbow dysplasia was diagnosed. Maggie underwent an arthroscopy to remove a loose fragment of bone and other necrotic bone. On Maggie’s first session we discussed her history with her owners, they reported that Maggie was very stiff through her left forelimb and limped the majority of the time, especially when rising from rest and after exercise. As with all dogs swimming for rehabilitation, we took muscle mass measurements from all four limbs along with a waist measurement.

We decided to conduct Maggie’s treatment in the hydrotherapy pool as she is a sensitive, nervous dog and we all felt the enclosed nature of the underwater treadmill would be too much for her. Maggie was apprehensive to start with but soon settled into her sessions nicely as we went really steadily with her. Maggie’s range of movement was generally quite good through her forelimbs although she did sometimes splash with her forelimbs, lifting them out of the water so we worked hard on adjusting her swimming position to correct this. There was minimal hind limb extension to start with and both hind limbs abducted (kicked outward) but her extension improved by the end of the first session. As Maggie has progressed through her sessions she has really settled and swims level now instead of dropping her bottom and splashing with her forelimbs. The extension and flexion are generally good through both forelimbs although there is slightly less extension from her left elbow. Her extension is good through her hindlimbs. Maggie’s owners have been delighted with Maggie’s progress and report she isn’t limping at all now; her demeanour has greatly improved and she seems back to her normal self. When we re-measured her muscle mass it was great to see that her measurements have increased.