Pawmotion rehabilitation

11/06/2026

Hydrotherapy isn’t always about swimming! 🐾

When people think of canine hydrotherapy, they often picture dogs paddling laps in the pool. While swimming can be fantastic for many dogs, for our elderly patients and those living with arthritis, sometimes the greatest benefits come from simply floating.

Supported floating in warm water allows dogs to experience the therapeutic effects of buoyancy without the effort of swimming. The water helps reduce the load on painful joints, eases muscle tension, improves circulation, and encourages gentle movement in a safe, comfortable environment.

For some dogs, especially seniors a relaxed float can help them feel more comfortable, move more freely, and enjoy being active without pain or fatigue.

Every dog is different, which is why we tailor our hydrotherapy sessions to their individual needs. Sometimes the most beneficial session isn’t about how far they swim it’s about giving their body the support it needs to feel its best.

🐾 Have you ever seen your dog completely relax in the water? We’d love to hear about it below!

Contact us today!

📩 [email protected]
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10/06/2026

Recent Review! 🐾
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10/06/2026

09/06/2026

🐾 Meet Mochi 🐾

This gorgeous little Jack Russell Terrier is looking for his forever home through Wood Green.

Mochi has been coming to see me for the past couple of weeks following FHME surgery, and I am so pleased to say that he has been doing incredibly well. He has recovered brilliantly and has really flourished in foster care.

From what his foster carers have shared, Mochi is a very sweet, loving little dog with all the energy and personality you would expect from a Jack Russell Terrier! He enjoys company, loves affection, and has been getting on well with his foster family.

Mochi has had some interactions with other dogs while in foster care, but any potential home with another dog would need to be discussed with Wood Green to ensure the best match.

Sadly, very little is known about Mochi’s life before coming into care. He was found as a stray and brought into WoodGreen by the dog warden, so his past remains a mystery. What we do know is that since being with his foster carers, he has come on in leaps and bounds and shown everyone what a wonderful little dog he is.

Mochi would make an amazing companion for someone willing to give him the love, time and understanding he deserves.

If you think you could offer Mochi the forever home he’s been waiting for, please contact Wood Green and take a look at his profile here:

https://woodgreen.org.uk/pets/mochi-terrier-dog/

Please share to help Mochi find his perfect family 🐾
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08/06/2026

Recent Review 🐾
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04/06/2026

Recent Review 🐾
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01/06/2026

Hyperextension is an important consideration in canine hydrotherapy and it’s something good therapists should always think about.

One concern sometimes raised about swimming is that it may encourage excessive joint movement or “uncontrolled” extension.

But interestingly, research examining underwater treadmill gait has also demonstrated increased joint extension and altered limb kinematics compared with normal land locomotion.

In underwater treadmills, dogs move in a repetitive sagittal plane stepping pattern against a moving belt. Depending on water height, speed, posture and fatigue, this may contribute to increased extension demands through the limbs.

Swimming, when properly supported and supervised, allows dogs to generate active voluntary movement patterns with buoyancy assisted control and dynamic muscular stabilisation.

This is why assessment and exercise selection matter so much.

Neither swimming nor treadmill work is automatically “safe” or “unsafe.”

The key question is:
➡️ Is this exercise appropriate for this dog, at this stage of rehabilitation, with this clinical goal?

Well managed hydrotherapy should always be:
✔️ purposeful
✔️ progressive
✔️ monitored
✔️ individually adapted

That applies whether a dog is in a treadmill or a pool.
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References:
Bliss et al. (2022) Limbs kinematics of dogs exercising at different water levels on the underwater treadmill
Bertocci et al. (2017)
Millis & Levine – Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy

28/05/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about canine swimming is that it’s simply “free movement” without control.

Good hydrotherapy swimming should never be uncontrolled.

A skilled hydrotherapist is constantly monitoring:
• posture
• fatigue
• symmetry
• limb use
• spinal movement
• buoyancy support
• pacing and intensity

When appropriately guided, swimming creates active, voluntary propulsion using coordinated muscle chains throughout the body.

This includes significant engagement of the hip and pelvic musculature, including:
✔️ gluteus medius
✔️ superficial and deep gluteals
✔️ biceps femoris
✔️ semitendinosus
✔️ semimembranosus
✔️ tensor fasciae latae
✔️ quadriceps group
✔️ iliopsoas

These muscles contribute to propulsion, hip extension, stabilisation and limb recovery during the swim cycle.

In underwater treadmill work, movement is more controlled and repetitive, which can be very useful for gait retraining. However, treadmill walking may recruit a more limited range of dynamic pelvic movement compared with swimming propulsion.

This is why different hydrotherapy modalities can serve different rehabilitation goals.

Swimming is not “less clinical” when done correctly it is skilled, progressive rehabilitation requiring careful assessment and handling throughout.
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References:
Millis & Levine – Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Levine et al. – canine aquatic therapy research
Hodgson et al. (2023) Veterinary Medicine and Science

27/05/2026

After today’s hydrotherapy session, I tried out the new Puddle Pups absorbing chamois towel and I’m genuinely impressed! Soft, super absorbent, easy to use, and it made drying off so much quicker and easier. It worked brilliantly and has officially replaced my old towel already As a canine rehab therapist, finding products that are practical and actually work makes all the difference!
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