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What does a walk in the canine treadmill involve.......contd.

The time spent in the treadmill is entirely dependent upon several variables such as the condition being treated, the fitness level of the dog, the speed of the treadmill and the level of the water.

In Ben's case we built up from approximately two minutes to start with to about ten minutes. After these longer sessions he starts to tire purely from the extra work needed to move through relatively deep water (imagine walking through the waves on the beach up to your waste for ten minutes). This has helped build up the muscles in his limbs which in turn assist in stabilising the painful joints in his hips.

Also the extra movement in each joint that we see in the treadmill as opposed to walking on land helps to gently stretch the ligaments and soft tissues around his hips thereby making joint movement less painful in general. This is greatly beneficial when dealing with a dog with arthritis.

At the end of the session the treadmill slows to a halt and the water is removed by in built pump back to the holding to tank to be filtered and maintained at the correct temperature for further use.

Once the water level is low enough the doors are opened and the dog is removed to be dried off and can go home straight away.