Somewhere to bring dog swimming - South Dublin

tmcw

I was wondering if anyone here knew of anywhere I could bring my dog swimming. She had surgery last year, nearly 10 weeks ago, so is at the stage where I don't have to confine her as much, and need to be getting her leg healthy as much as possible again.

I had her back at my folks in Bundoran earlier in the week, and she was swimming nearly every day in one of the sea-pools there, and absolutely loved it. So I'm looking for something similar, somewhere deep enough for her to be swimming, and isolated from the waves.

She is beginning to use her leg more and more, I can feel it getting stronger when I flex it for her daily physio, but about the house will still carry it (and fear the vet will think the recovery is slow) - may be more a confidence thing at this stage, but I'm sure after so many weeks off it and the trauma, it's bound to be a bit weaker compared to her other legs. I'm sure that being able to bring her somewhere a few times a week to swim can only be helpful for her, so would be grateful for any suggestions.

tk123

tmcw wrote: »

She is beginning to use her leg more and more, I can feel it getting stronger when I flex it for her daily physio, but about the house will still carry it (and fear the vet will think the recovery is slow)

This is fine though - she might just need more time and the vet will be able to advise you on what excercises to do? Try not to get caught up on timeframes etc - this is what I did with my guy and felt at times that he could have done with rest but took him for a walk anyway because I thought I should be encouraging him to use his leg. After a couple of weeks he'd overdone it and had to go back on crate rest for a week and a half while his xrays were reviewed. He was brand new after the rest though and it was an eye opener for me so from then on if he looked tired we stopped, if he was ok we'd add 5 mins to the walk and we'd go at his pace. I've only let my guy swim again in the last week or so since he's been allowed to go off the lead.
Not much help to you because we're on the north side but my guy swims in the tolka - it runs thru the park beside us. Also depending on your dogs surgery I'd check with the vet if she's ok to swim in the sea etc or would eg hydrotherapy in dcu be a better idea - could the cold water do more harm than good at this stage in her recovery?

tmcw

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, the vet recommended bringing her swimming when she was in 3 weeks ago (that was about 6 weeks after the surgery). We have an appointment tomorrow morning and will ask the vet about bringing her for hydrotherapy sessions. The water wasn't really all that cold, I was in myself, although in a wet-suit (but she has a fur coat!). On a sunny day, and a few hours of the water being static in the pool, the water can become quite pleasant. Though I have read that the cold can restrict blood flow, as long as they are swimming vigorously, I feel the bigger problem is making sure they get warm and dry after coming out (like ourselves).

She's funny though, when she's moving slowly, she'll carry the leg, but yesterday when I opened the back door to bring her outside, she got away from me, and was planting her bad leg like there was nothing wrong with it. From what I understand from what was done with the surgery, there was some re-alignment of her bones, so maybe she just needs a little more time to get used to the adjustment, and walking affects how that feels to her more than running.

Anyway, thanks again for sharing your experience. Hopefully she just needs a bit more R&R and exercises to help her along.

Irish-Lass

My dog goes to hydrotheraphy weekly but unfortunately its on the Northside - the girl is brillant as my dog is quiet nervous - if you can't find anywhere drop me a pm - she will arrange the swimming around you and opens late etc

tk123

tmcw wrote: »

From what I understand from what was done with the surgery, there was some re-alignment of her bones, so maybe she just needs a little more time to get used to the adjustment, and walking affects how that feels to her more than running.

Yep my guy was the same! He has a hock deformity so his legs curve out - had one leg straightened so a wedge of bone cut out and the bone was realigned with a plate and pins. He's really strong on the leg now and hasn't carried it since december. Is your dog on any pain killers or supplements? I saw a real improvement in my guy with bearing weight when he was out of the crate and I started giving him is supplements again - he was off the pain killers at this stage. When he was on crate rest I played it safe and only fed him canned RC sensitivity in his kongs - the last thing we needed was an upset tummy. I give him Flexicose and also Luposan Pellets - I get the pellets from zooplus.

I heard the same thing about cold water restricting blood flow etc but my guy hasn't showed any signs of discomfort when he's had a swim. I make sure to dry him off with the hairdryer if I need to so he's not sitting with damp fur.

Irish Lash can I ask where you do the hydrotherapy?

Lizard Queen

Leixlip beside the firestation lovely big park with a large deep enough lake

Sassy58

My dog does the hydrotherapy in Coolock - the girl is called Alisha and she is lovely - she has a pool and a water treadmill - our dog has been going 2 1/2 years and the difference is amazing - she went from being a dog they didn't think we would get her over her 1st birthday to a dog that loves going for walks.

In relation to Lizard Queens comment about the lake in Leixlip - that is a great idea except for some dogs the cold water would actually do more harm then good - hydrotherapy is done in a heater pool or thread mill.

olaola

Holly regularly hops in the canal, well... probably 3 times a day. During the summer she'll swim alongside as we'll walk down the tow-path. Great exercise, and good to mix it up for her so she's not running/walking all the time.

One tip! Cheapo thin towels in Ikea - great to keep in the car and you can wash the hell out of them too. These or bigger.