Will swimming help my dog?

Swimming is absolutely unique in the benefits it can offer your dog. From January, our brand new super hospital will be bringing these benefits right to our front door! Haven’t heard about our brand new hospital? Click here to find out all about it!

Why is swimming great for my dog?

Swimming is a low impact exercise. This is what makes swimming gold, it essentially means that during swimming there is very little pressure being forced through the joints. This is because your dog is floating, and allows them to rebuild their strength without hurting any sore or recovering joints and bones. Pain-free exercise? Yes please!

So yeah, the physical benefits are great – but what about the emotional benefits of swimming? Lots of dogs absolutely love swimming, afterall it might literally be in their DNA – we’re looking at you, golden retrievers! Lots of our patients who really benefit from swimming are pets recovering from major orthopaedic surgery. These dogs are confined to a crate during their recovery so as not to damage the slow and fragile healing bones. 

Can you imagine how difficult it is to confine a 4 year old staffy in a crate for 8 weeks? If you can’t, I guess you’ve not spent much time with staffies! 

Swimming gives these dogs an opportunity to be out of their recovery bed and experiencing what they love, with their family by their side, all the while rebuilding their muscle, strength and stamina.

Is swimming at the beach going to help my dog as much as the pool?

Short answer here: No. 

The long answer needs you to have a read of the paragraph above. The benefit of swimming comes from the floating, this is what takes away the pain and gives your pet the freedom and comfort to move normally. You’re not going to get this depth running through the surf, and if you do… it sounds super dangerous.

The beach is also exceptionally exciting – this worries me that your dog will be doing lots of uncontrolled exercise, running up and down the sand, and rubbing themselves through washed up jellyfish and the rest. This is the opposite of what we want – uncontrolled, high-impact activity which will cripple sore joints. 

What health problems in dogs are helped by swimming therapy?

There are so many conditions that can be improved by swimming, and if you’ve got questions about your own pet, we’d love to hear from you. 

Dogs recovering from major orthopaedic and neurological surgery have the most to gain from swimming. These recoveries involve lots of rest and confinement, which in turn means the muscles grow weaker during the recovery. Swimming builds or maintains those muscles without causing your dog any pain. When it comes to recovery from spinal surgeries, swimming literally helps your dog to learn to walk again – giving them an opportunity to use their legs to their maximum ability without collapsing and injuring their back any further.

Swim therapy can help dogs recover from;

• Spinal surgery
• Cruciate knee surgery
• Fracture repair
• Replacement of dislocated hips and elbows
• Total hip replacement
  Limb amputation
• And so much more

Swimming isn’t just for surgery patients – older dogs suffering with arthritis can feel young again in the pool. Giving them the mental enrichment of exercise, whilst rebuilding muscle that they have lost as a result of their pain stopping them from moving as much as they ever used to.

How often does my dog need to go swimming? How long should my dog be swimming?

Relax, we’ve got you – a certified hydrotherapist will tailor a physical therapy swimming plan especially for your dog, depending on what their body is asking for, and what they are capable of – both emotionally and physically. 

Is the swimming pool right for your fur baby? Heck, come and see us, let us meet your fur baby and decide how we can help you best.

Book an Appointment with Us

Booking an appointment with your veterinarian has never been easier. Use the form below to search for our available practitioners at a time that best suits you.

If you have an emergency, we urge you not to book a vet appointment using this booking form and instead contact us at (03) 8595 6655 so that we can organise to see you as soon as possible.

Dr. Vicky Wade

Veterinarian