🐾 Why One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Importance of Tailored Hydrotherapy Plans for Dogs

Hydrotherapy has become a cornerstone in canine rehabilitation, offering a low-impact and highly effective way to improve mobility, rebuild strength, and support recovery. But here’s the catch: no two dogs are the same — and their hydrotherapy sessions shouldn’t be either.

Creating case-specific hydrotherapy programmes is essential to achieving the best possible outcomes for each dog, whether they’re recovering from surgery, managing a chronic condition, or maintaining peak physical fitness.

Understanding the Individual Needs of Each Dog

Every dog brings a unique set of factors to the hydrotherapy treadmill: breed, size, age, sex, weight, personality, and most importantly — their medical condition. Many dogs undergoing hydrotherapy are recovering from injuries or surgery, so understanding the diagnosis, referral notes, and current physical condition is crucial.

A tailored plan helps:

• Optimise recovery

• Prevent re-injury

• Avoid adverse reactions during treatment

According to Geytenbeek (2002), understanding the specific pathology and how it affects the dog’s movement is fundamental to designing effective hydrotherapy sessions.

Tailoring Around Risks and Contraindications

Hydrotherapy isn’t risk-free — particularly for dogs with serious health conditions or post-operative limitations. A personalised programme ensures that any contraindications or precautions are factored in, reducing the chance of injury or stress during the session.

For example:

• A dog with hip dysplasia may need extra buoyancy and restricted ROM to avoid luxation.

• A post-TPLO surgery dog might require closely controlled speed and limb positioning.

A one-size-fits-all approach would overlook these critical details.

Fitness vs. Rehabilitation: Not All Sessions Are the Same

Hydrotherapy isn't just for injury recovery — it's also widely used for fitness and performance maintenance, especially in working dogs or canine athletes. These dogs have vastly different needs than a post-surgical patient.

As Tomlinson (2012) points out, hydrotherapy for fitness must take into account:

• The dog’s profession or sport

• Current fitness level

• Goals of the program (e.g. endurance, strength, or flexibility)

  
  

Motivation Matters: Mindset and Engagement

Hydrotherapy is not just a physical activity — it’s also a mental experience for dogs. A personalised approach considers:

• The dog’s temperament

• Anxiety or confidence levels in water

• How to best motivate and engage them during sessions

  
  

Building trust is key! As Dybczyńska et al. (2022) note, the emotional well-being of the dog significantly affects therapeutic outcomes. When dogs feel safe and supported, they’re more cooperative — and that leads to better progress.

Adapting to Physical Characteristics

When designing a bespoke hydrotherapy plan, therapists must consider factors like:

• Breed-specific conformation

• Body weight and condition

• Secondary compensations or gait abnormalities

• Chronic or age-related complications

  
  

These details inform choices about water depth, treadmill speed, session length, and whether to incorporate additional support or aids during therapy. As Waining et al. (2011) emphasised, each dog’s unique physical makeup must inform how techniques are applied for safe and effective outcomes.

Monitoring Progress & Making Adjustments

Tailored programmes allow for vigilant tracking of a dog’s progress. Regular assessments help determine:

• Which muscles are responding well to treatment

• How the dog’s gait or posture is changing

• When to progress or scale back activity

Ongoing evaluation ensures the plan continues to support recovery or performance — and can be modified as needed for continuous improvement.

Integrating a Holistic Approach

The most effective hydrotherapy programmes often go beyond water work. Integrating complementary therapies like:

• Massage

• Passive Range of Motion (PROM)

• Stretching and Remedial Exercises

... can further support healing by addressing soft tissue restrictions and improving joint mobility if provided by a trained professional (i.e Veterinary Physiotherapist).

Lewis et al. (2019) and Gamble (2022) both advocate for a multimodal approach, allowing for more comprehensive and long-lasting recovery outcomes.

Final Thoughts

A well-devised, case-specific hydrotherapy programme isn’t just about exercise in water — it’s a comprehensive, thoughtful plan tailored to the dog’s medical condition, physical capacity, emotional needs, and rehabilitation goals.

By creating personalised plans, canine hydrotherapists:

• Reduce risk

• Improve engagement

• Accelerate recovery

• And most importantly, support each dog’s journey back to health and happiness.