Veterinary Hydrotherapist Claire discusses why we routinely do a full veterinary physiotherapy assessment on all dogs that come to us for fun/fitness swims
Why a Physiotherapy Assessment Is Important Before Starting Canine Hydrotherapy
Before commencing hydrotherapy, a physiotherapy assessment is essential. This ensures that hydrotherapy is appropriate, targeted, and safe for your dog’s individual needs.
Hydrotherapy is a powerful rehabilitation tool, but it works best when guided by clinical assessment and clear functional goals.
Physiotherapy: Setting the Foundation for Safe Hydrotherapy
A physiotherapy assessment provides a detailed understanding of how your dog is moving now, not just what their diagnosis says on paper. Veterinary physiotherapists assess:
-Gait and movement quality
-Joint range of motion
-Muscle strength, symmetry and atrophy
-Pain, compensatory patterns and posture
-Neurological function where relevant
Veterinary rehabilitation literature highlights that movement dysfunction and compensatory gait patterns can persist even after tissue healing, making assessment essential before introducing exercise-based therapies (Millis & Levine, 2014).
Why Hydrotherapy Needs Physiotherapy Guidance
Hydrotherapy alters buoyancy, resistance and joint loading. These properties make it excellent for rehabilitation, but also mean that incorrect exercise selection can reinforce abnormal movement patterns.
Research shows that water-based exercise significantly changes joint kinematics and muscle recruitment (Marsolais et al., 2002). If a dog enters hydrotherapy without prior physiotherapy input, they may:
-Overuse compensatory muscles
-Avoid loading a weak or painful limb
-Develop asymmetrical swimming or walking patterns
-Progress too quickly or at the wrong intensity
Working Together: Physiotherapy + Hydrotherapy
Physiotherapy and hydrotherapy are most effective when they work together, not in isolation. A physiotherapist can:
-Identify clear rehabilitation goals
-Advise on appropriate water depth, duration and progression
-Highlight precautions or contraindication
-Monitor functional changes over time
-Adjust land-based exercises to complement hydrotherapy
Veterinary rehabilitation texts emphasise that multimodal, coordinated rehabilitation plans lead to better functional outcomes than single-modality treatment (Levine et al., 2010).
This collaboration ensures hydrotherapy supports, rather than conflicts with the wider rehabilitation plan.
Not Just for Rehabilitation: Fitness and Maintenance Dogs Too
Even dogs attending hydrotherapy for fitness, conditioning or maintenance benefit from a physiotherapy assessment. Many apparently healthy dogs may have:
-Subclinical joint disease
-Reduced core strength
-Previous injuries affecting movement
Physiotherapy screening helps identify these issues early and ensures hydrotherapy remains safe and beneficial, rather than inadvertently increasing strain.
Early identification of dysfunction is widely recognised in veterinary rehabilitation as key to injury prevention and long-term musculoskeletal health (Millis & Levine, 2014).
References
Marsolais GS, McLean S, Derrick T, Conzemius MG. (2002)
Kinematic analysis of the hind limb during swimming and walking in healthy dogs.
American Journal of Veterinary Research, 63(4), 567–573.
Levine D, Millis DL, Flocker J. (2010)
Principles of canine rehabilitation.
Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 40(3), 635–649.
Millis DL, Levine D. (2014)
Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy. 2nd ed.
Elsevier Saunders.