Greyfriars Veterinary Rehabilitation & Hydrotherapy Referrals

Greyfriars Veterinary Rehabilitation & Hydrotherapy Referrals Greyfriars is a specialist, multi-disciplinary veterinary rehabilitation, physiotherapy and hydrother
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Established in 2001, Greyfriars is a registered veterinary practice taking rehabilitation, physiotherapy, pain management and hydrotherapy referrals. We are all passionate about rehabilitation and we don’t do anything else. So our energies are focussed on excellence in every aspect of care for our patients - ensuring the best possible outcomes and quality of life. We are compassionate and welcomin

g and this, together with our exceptional professional service, is why so many of the UK’s leading orthopaedic and neurological veterinary specialists refer to us.

Love this post from Greyfriars International Training who look after overseas courses.
14/04/2026

Love this post from Greyfriars International Training who look after overseas courses.

Tell me love your job. Without saying you love your job 🥰
Anna and Ranju are our wonderful training partners at Hydro Paws Plus in Singapore. 80 kg Great Dane Astro is squashing Anna 😂
Do you want more fun at work? Our next Canine Hydrotherapy International Certificate course is 26-31 October 2026. Details on our website or email courses@greyfriarsinternational.com

A few photos from our Level 3 Certificate in Canine Hydrotherapy practical week at the end of March. The dogs had a gre...
07/04/2026

A few photos from our Level 3 Certificate in Canine Hydrotherapy practical week at the end of March. The dogs had a great time and gave the students lots of valuable hands on training. Getting an opportunity to treat dogs of all different breeds and personalities combined with a wide range of conditions, whilst under the supervision of our team of experienced hydrotherapists, gives our students valuable practical experience.

Last week the lovely Rosie and her family said goodbye as they moved away from the area. Rosie has been coming to Greyfr...
03/04/2026

Last week the lovely Rosie and her family said goodbye as they moved away from the area. Rosie has been coming to Greyfriars since the end of 2022, and in that time, Rosie and her mum Emma have become part of the Greyfriars family. We would like to wish them every happiness in their new home and hope that they will pop back and see us if they are ever back in the area.

03/04/2026

Stretching or Strengthening: Which actually improves Range of Motion? 🐾🤔

When we see a patient with a restricted range of motion (ROM), our clinical "reflex" is often to reach for stretching. We’ve been taught that to lengthen a tissue, we must, well, lengthen it. But what if strengthening - adding load rather than just length - was just as effective, if not more so?

"Strength Training versus Stretching for Improving Range of Motion" (Afonso et al., 2021). This study searched through 194 peer-reviewed articles to answer a fundamental question: Is one protocol superior to the other?

The Findings might surprise you:
The research showed no statistical difference between the two. Both strengthening and stretching were effective at increasing ROM.

How does strengthening improve ROM?
While we know how stretching works, strengthening improves ROM through:
✅ Increasing fascicle length: Loading a muscle through its full range can actually add sarcomeres in series.
✅ Reciprocal Inhibition: Strengthening the agonist muscle can help the antagonist "relax" and let go.
✅ Neuromuscular Control: Improving the body’s confidence in a joint’s stability allows the nervous system to "permit" a greater range of movement.

Clinical Application: Stretching vs. Strengthening
Static Stretching: Great for specific tissue contractures, but it is passive. The patient isn’t always "learning" how to use that new range.

Dynamic Stretching: This bridges the gap by improving circulation and neuromuscular control while lengthening the tissue.

Strength Training: By adding resistance (think hydrotherapy or weighted inclines) through a full, controlled ROM, we are building a "functional" range that the patient can actually use in daily life.

The Bottom Line:
You don't have to choose just one! Since both are effective, your choice should depend on your specific patient's needs. If a dog is weak and stiff, a strengthening program might give you the "two-for-one" benefit of building stability while simultaneously freeing up the joint.

Let’s move away from just "pulling" and start "loading" with intention. 🚀

Comment BLOG for the link to the full blog post where we break down the science even further!

29/03/2026
This is Greyfriars’ team dog Louie. He has been training to get fit for student practical days next week. Louie is ready...
18/03/2026

This is Greyfriars’ team dog Louie. He has been training to get fit for student practical days next week.
Louie is ready 😂

Last week one of our hydrotherapist, Ryan, was at Crufts handling two dogs in their breed classes - 10 month old beaucer...
14/03/2026

Last week one of our hydrotherapist, Ryan, was at Crufts handling two dogs in their breed classes - 10 month old beauceron puppy Diva, and 10 1/2 year old Midas.

Finally, this week we had enough of a break in the weather to replace the roof on the physiotherapy clinic room. A big t...
20/02/2026

Finally, this week we had enough of a break in the weather to replace the roof on the physiotherapy clinic room. A big thank you to Russell and Ron for all of their hard work to get this done before the rain returned!

The very gorgeous Betsy celebrated her 11th birthday yesterday with a swim and lots of fuss from the hydrotherapy team! ...
18/02/2026

The very gorgeous Betsy celebrated her 11th birthday yesterday with a swim and lots of fuss from the hydrotherapy team! Happy Birthday Betsy! 🎂😍🥳

⭐ Splash Spotlight ⭐Charlie is a 10 1/2 year old Sprocker, he is currently coming to Greyfriars for physiotherapy and hy...
17/12/2025

⭐ Splash Spotlight ⭐

Charlie is a 10 1/2 year old Sprocker, he is currently coming to Greyfriars for physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. He originally came to Greyfriars in 2017 for treatment following a road traffic accident. After a few years break he is now back and enjoying his physiotherapy and hydrotherapy (and the cuddles and cheese that come with it!!).
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Address

The Veterinary Centre, Greyfriars Vineyard, Hogs Back
Guildford
GU31AG

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+447840825316

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Established in 2001, Greyfriars is registered veterinary practice taking veterinary rehabilitation and hydrotherapy referrals. We are committed to raising standards of care and treatment in canine hydrotherapy worldwide.

We are all passionate about rehabilitation and we don’t do anything else. So our energies are focused on excellence in every aspect of care for our clients and patients - ensuring the best possible outcomes and quality of life. We are compassionate and welcoming and this, together with our exceptional professional service, is why so many of the UK’s leading orthopaedic and neurological veterinary specialists refer to us. Whilst we are known for our special interest and success in the rehabilitation of spinal injury patients, much of our work centres on pain relief, quality of life and long term management of chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis and degenerative myelopathy.

Greyfriars is a training centre providing courses, continuing education and internships for canine hydrotherapists in the UK and worldwide. All our courses are AAVSB RACE approved and we are an accredited training provider for UK qualifications. We ensure students have a wonderful time studying with us but also leave our training courses with a solid grounding in canine hydrotherapy, feeling confident and able to practise hydrotherapy safely.