Taking dogs for a dip in a heated pool can extend their lifespan by a number of years, according to veterinary physiotherapist Rebecca Gatt.

But before rushing with your dog to the nearest heated pool for hydrotherapy – a form of physiotherapy carried out in water – a series of steps are necessary for it to be effective.

“I start by speaking to the dog’s vet, to make sure I have all the information. Then I assess them and get a history of what happened if there had been an injury. Sometimes the dog is simply overweight and needs exercise,” Ms Gatt said.

Through hydrotherapy, animals are able to exercise in a pool which is heated to 28˚C without the stresses caused by motion on hard ground.

Initially, Ms Gatt set out studying human physiotherapy, but she always wanted to work with animals and decided to pursue her Master’s degree at the Royal VeterinaryCollege in London.

Back in Malta, she started off by making home visits, carrying out standard physiotherapy for dogs, cats and even horses, before moving on to hydrotherapy. “When I worked in England, I used to see hydrotherapy used on pets all the time. This was in 2007 and it was not yet available here. I’ve wanted to open a hydrotherapy centre ever since.”

Ms Gatt has been running her canine hydrotherapy centre for the past year and has treated dogs of all sizes, breeds and age.

Yet while hydrotherapy for dogs is a relatively new concept for Malta, the process itself is far from new as most of the sessions are very similar to those designed to help humans. “During the first few sessions, we just swim in the pool. This helps the dog get used to the environment. I then start introducing toys and floaters, which not only helps the dog with using different muscles but it also distracts them, allowing me to treat specific areas.”

Veterinary physiotherapist Rebecca Gatt guides Chloe, whose leg is paralysed, across the custom-built pool used for hydrotherapy session. Photo: Steve Zammit Lupi

Each hydrotherapy session lasts around 30 minutes, with dogs being rinsed before they get into the pool and immediately after. In some cases, Ms Gatt said, she even supplements swimming with physiotherapy outside the pool.

While she recommends regular sessions, Ms Gatt admitted she had seen dogs improve immediately, even after just a single session. She recalled a jubilant owner whose dog was very old and barely able to move. After a single session in the pool, the dog’s mobility improved and within a few weeks, he could move around again.

This was the case with most dogs but owners would have to be willing to follow up the sessions with exercises at home. This could be a struggle at times, especially since not all dogs cooperated in the same way, Ms Gatt said.

“With humans you can get them to exercise by lifting a weight, with a dog you cannot. You have to trick them into it, that’s why swimming is ideal. You need a lot of patience, but it’s very rewarding in the end.”