We’re changing a few of our services to provide more meaningful treatment times and all inclusive treatment options that maximise recovery and reduce pain.

Below we’ve outlined the changes to the historic Hydrotherapy services at Hydrotherapy Four Paws:

• General Session Times – Our general session times are extending to 45 minutes from 30 minutes
• Clinical Assessment – The 45 minute sessions allows more time to assess your dog and specifically target treatments each time
• Pre-Session Showers – We’ve explained below why this is really important
• Fixed Fee – Regardless of Treadmill, Pool or Physio there is no change in pricing so your dog gets what it needs
  
  

There are of course variances to a ‘typical’ programme and our therapists are empowered to make the most appropriate suggestions for treatments for your dog. We’ve set out a section below in “What service is best for my dog” which explains more.

In addition to these service changes for Hydrotherapy we are adding more treatment options:

• Physiotherapy – Our new dedicated treatment room is perfect for non-aquatic treatments and home exercise planning
• Extended Treatment Times – You can book 60 minute sessions which combine physiotherapy and hydrotherapy
• Bracing & Orthotics – Our Clinical Director is specially trained in fitting custom braces to support joints
• More Assessment Tools – We’re investing in state of the art equipment to provide objective stance and gait analysis
• More Treatment Tools – We’re also investing in the latest treatment tools to deliver better options for your dogs

Physical Changes

We’ve completed the first phase of internal remodelling which has enabled us to introduce our Physiotherapy options. Next, we will focus on safety and energy efficiency measures in the practice. And then, we are looking at the best ways to remodel the Hydrotherapy areas to provide privacy for even the most nervous of dogs. Eventually we’ll be adding to upstairs an educational suite to provide specialist training for the next generation, our own staff and for clients.

Service Changes

There are no planned additional changes to services beyond those descibed above.

Effective from the 1st April 2024 will be a revised cancellation policy. We know life can throw lemons so it allows for reasonable cancellations due to ill health in humans and animals but does mean that late cancellations for matters such as work changes or forgetting an appointment will be chargeable at full rate. Our policy can be seen here: www.thecaninefitnesscentre.co.uk/terms-of-service/ 

Your dog’s therapist will work in conjunction with yourself to recommend the most effective treatment model to yield the best results.

For most dog’s a 45 minute treatment session is appropriate:

• Hydrotherapy Sessions include assessment, pre and post session showers, complimentary treats and grooming products, insurance claims as required, veterinary reporting and time to discuss your dog’s ongoing treatment needs
• Physiotherapy Sessions include assessment, land-based treatments of any recommended modality, home care advice, treats, insurance claims as required, veterinary reports and time to discuss your dog’s ongoing treatment needs
  
  

There are however cases that don’t fit the mould. That’s okay we’ve got options for that:

• Express Sessions are shorter 30 minute sessions where for behavioural, clinical condition (elderly and infirm), or for infant patients mean we adjust the content of the treatment plan to remove elements that might impact your dog – it might be assessment due to fear aggression, or length of time in the pool due to age.
• Extended Sessions are longer 60 minute sessions where for varying reasons your dog would benefit for more clinical time. This might be to allow for multiple treatments together like Laser Treatment and Hydrotherapy, but equally it might be because your dog is nervous and needs more time.
  
  

And, then there are of course fun and fitness dogs where there is no underlying health condition (with the exception being weight management) and they just want a bit of fun in a controlled environment. We call that a ‘guided swimming session’ as there will always be a therapist with them for safety. 

We have a legal and moral responsibility for the safety of your dog and our staff. Dog’s bring fresh contaminants into the clinic every day and these contaminants can spread in water based environments. By showering your dog in fresh water before hand we reduce the risk of contamination.

We have our water externally tested in a laboratory each month. In January, February and March 2024 the process that estimates the total numbers of microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeast or mould species in both the pool and Underwater Treadmill were out of the acceptable ranges for a clinical environment. As such we are requiring all dogs to be showered beforehand to reduce risks to our staff and dogs.

As with all situations this is our standard rule and there may be exceptions to the rule for behavioural cases.

It is a requirement of both our insurance and governing bodies that each and every time we see a patient we clinically reason the treatments we are providing. Without assessing your dog it’s impossible to know the risk factors for treatment. It’s like going to the dentist, they’ll check your teeth before giving a filling – we’ll check your dog’s general health and musculoskeletal condition before providing hydrotherapy treatments.

This should be a minimum standard for any qualified practice.

As with showering there may be exceptions to this rule, for example a dog who is behaviourally challenging to handle may be better clinically assessed in the water than on land.

Absolutely! We provide guided swimming sessions for dogs without clinical conditions. These are charged at a slightly lower rate of £43 for a 40 minute session to reflect the shorter time, less experience required and less paperwork required.

There are two routes for multi-dog swims:

• Split sessions allow for 45 minutes or 60 minutes total session time with the pool time split at your request between the dogs of the same household.
• Multi dog sessions allow for the same treatment times as general or extended sessions but receive a time based discount due to service efficiencies.
  
  

Due to restrictions on our insurance policy and safe working practices set out by our governing bodies we are unable to allow two dogs or more in the pool at the same time unless there is exceptional circumstance and appropriate staff are available.