Training under water has several advantages.
Buoyancy
The body weight is partly or completely supported by the water. Animals that still experience problems standing up on their own, can be helped with hydrotherapy. Animals that are not allowed to use one of their limbs, can also benefit from hydrotherapy.
Viscosity
This means that there is friction between the particles of water which makes moving under water a lot more difficult than on land. This results in a better training of the muscles in comparison with exercises on land. At the same time dogs will not fall over in water when they can't stand up straight properly on land.
Hydrostatic pressure
Water puts an equal amount of pressure on the entire body. It relieves pain and increases circulation.
Hydrodynamic pressure
The motion of the water makes animals experience moving under water differently than on land. They constantly need to find their balance which requires activation of different muscle groups on the one hand. We can also create an artificial current to make the exercise a bit more difficult on the other hand. The latter is very useful when training sport dogs or obese animals in order to lose weight.
Training under water can be carried out in a swimming pool or on an underwater treadmill. We chose an underwater treadmill because the animal's movement and speed of movement can be best controlled on a treadmill. Thus, the rehabilitation of patients can be gently built up in the water and the level of water can be adjusted individually for each patient.
In addition to rehabilitation, the underwater treadmill can also be used for fitness and muscle training in sporting dogs and sporting domestic dogs.
With the purchase of a 10-turn card for the underwater treadmill, each patient receives a free dog towel.
Indicative price (prices are subject to changes and depend on the specific programme)
Underwater treadmill physio pass (10 sessions): € 475
Universiteit Gent - Faculteit Diergeneeskunde
Salisburylaan 1339820 Merelbeke (Oost-Vlaanderen)België
secretariaat.khd@ugent.be+32 9 264 77 00 (kleine huisdieren)+32 9 264 76 18 (grote huisdieren)
Mo: | 8 - 12h | 12 - 16h |
Tu: | 8 - 12h | 12 - 16h |
We: | 8 - 12h | 12 - 16h |
Th: | 8 - 12h | 12 - 16h |
Fr: | 8 - 12h | 12 - 16h |
Sa: | Closed | Closed |
Su: | Closed | Closed |
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