12/02/2026
These photos are from one of my canine patients, a medium–large crossbreed. He doesn’t have a formal diagnosis, but his owner had noticed increasing stiffness and wanted to focus on improving his comfort and quality of life, especially in his golden years!
Importantly, these photos were not posed. After chatting in detail with the owner about subtle weight-shifting and loading patterns, she simply captured these moments naturally — which makes them a great real-life example of what we look for (and makes a rehab specialist/physio VERY happy to see!)
In the before photo, number 1, you can see that he isn’t standing evenly. Rather than placing weight through the whole paw, he’s loading more to the outside of his feet and there is some noticeable rotation. Dogs often do this subconsciously when they feel stiff or uncomfortable, even if they’re still coping well day to day. After all, dogs do not wish to appear vulnerable or weak to others, and would rather subtly compensate.
After an underwater treadmill (UWTM) session, his stance is noticeably more balanced. He’s standing more “square”, with his feet better positioned underneath him and his weight shared more evenly between all four legs.
Why does this matter?
🐾Muscles can work more efficiently
🐾Joints are loaded more fairly; Less strain on stiff or overworked areas
🐾Movement feels easier and more comfortable
And this is exactly why hydrotherapy was chosen at the forefront of it all! As a gentle, low-impact way to encourage better posture, improved awareness of limb placement, and more confident movement.
Sometimes physiotherapy AND hydrotherapy isn’t about treating a diagnosis — it’s about helping dogs move better, feel better, and enjoy life more. This is also why, as a Hydrotherapist and Physiotherapist there will never be just one route that is right🐶💙
