MICK Murphy set up the Canine Country Club in Sallins, Co Kildare in 1995. The business has grown year on year and is now established as one of the country’s leading boarding kennels and cattery. But, not only does Murphy run a boarding kennels he also runs the largest, purpose-built canine hydrotherapy and rehabilitation centre in the country.

The facility has a large, heated, indoor pool, an underwater treadmill, physiotherapy clinic and grooming parlour.

The idea of a canine hydrotherapy centre came about when Murphy began to see a lot of dogs coming into the boarding kennels with problems and only having anti-inflammatories and rest as remedies for their ailments.

Murphy could see that all of these dogs would benefit from hydrotherapy and decided to build a centre complete with a large swimming pool and underwater treadmill to go alongside the boarding kennels.

HYDROTHERAPY

The pool is 11x5 metres in size and 1.2 metres deep allowing resident hydrotherapist, Anne Stewart, to enter into the water with the dog she is treating.

By being in the water with your dog, Stewart is able to combine gentle warm water massage with swimming and ensure full range of motion is achieved.

“As swimming in a pool is non-weight bearing, compared to underwater treadmills where there is still contact with a surface. Using the injured limb in the pool helps dogs to regain the confidence to use the limb on land,” Stewart explains.

Clients also have access to the underwater treadmill, which is an important piece of equipment in the treatment of certain conditions.

“The underwater treadmill plays a particularly important role in the rehabilitation of dogs with spinal and orthopaedic conditions, speeding up recovery times in most patients.

“It is also of benefit in the treatment of soft tissue injuries and early stage degenerative conditions.

“We have also seen great results when using this tool as part of weight management and fitness training for all dogs.

“We have the ability to alter both the depth of the water and the speed of the treadmill. Extra resistance can be provided to further promote the use of limbs and speed up the process of rebuilding muscle mass,” Stewart added.

For more information visit caninecountryclub.ie