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Vets pool resources to help dogs get fit again
Published Date: 23 July 2008
By GARETH EDWARDS
IT has long been used by the world's top athletes as they fight back to fitness, and prize-winning racehorses recovering from an injury.
Now canines who've been under the scalpel in the Capital can be unleashed in the city's first hydrotherapy facility for dogs.
Recently opened at the Oak Tree Vet Centre in Barnton, the purpose-built complex features the very latest in
state-of-the art pet rehabilitation.
The centre has a 12-foot swimming pool with a harness designed to help lift heavy or immobile pets and is the only facility in Scotland to feature an underwater treadmill designed specifically for dogs.
Vet Alistair Marks, 48, who set up the centre, said: "The primary use for this is to help dogs recover from surgery.
"The results really are very impressive."
"It's great exercise and so it's a good treatment for obesity. Often it's an owner looking to get their dog in peak condition for a show."
The centre has already been used to treat pets following operations, with hydrotherapy thought to produce faster, stronger recovery from injuries.
Mr Marks added: "It can help an animal get back into training fairly quickly after surgery and so they do not lose as much of the muscle tissue from not using their legs.
"It is also helpful for dogs with muscle problems such as arthritis or those recovering from orthopaedic and spinal surgery.
"We have already had dozens of animals using it in the few weeks we have been open.
"I have been quite surprised that we have had a few owners just looking to help their pets get into shape."
Hydrotherapy has long been used to treat people for muscle injuries, particularly in sport.
The effort of pushing through water makes the muscles work much harder than ordinary exercise, but it doesn't put as much strain on the joints.
It is only in recent years that the techniques have been transferred to pets and while the treatment has become widely available in the US, the new Edinburgh centre is the only one in the Lothians offering access to animal hydrotherapy.
While the centre is primarily for dogs, Mr Marks said it could in theory be used for other animals too – although he had yet to try it out.
"I wouldn't really want to try and put a cat in there, as I don't think they would take to it very well," he said.
"The dogs quite like it. There is some initial apprehension, but the water is warm and once they get started they really relish the exercise."
Dr Dylan Clements, senior lecturer in small animal orthopaedics at Edinburgh University, said: "The limited evidence published to date supports the use of hydrotherapy for dogs in certain situations, such as after spinal surgery and following selected types of orthopaedic surgery."
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