218 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
Patients with fecal incontinence may defecate
in the pool. Anxiety contributes to defecation
by incontinent patients. Swim diapers help to
prevent defecation and contain stool. If defeca-
tion occurs, the patient should immediately
be removed from the pool. Solid stool can be
removed with a skimmer, and any particulate
waste vacuumed. An oxidizing shock must
be applied to the water. During the shock
period, therapy can continue on land.
A daily pool chemical checklist includes
recording the free chlorine, bromine, or saline
levels, pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, and
cyanuric acid. The checklist helps to identify
trends in chemical variations and serves as a
public health record should documentation
be required.
Breed characteristics related
to swimming
While each dog is an individual, there are some
breed‐related swimming characteristics.
Labrador Retrievers and Spaniels like games
based on repetitive ball retrieving and are
high‐energy swimmers. Golden Retrievers like
toys and slow swimming, and can be timid
in high currents.
Pointer types may not initially like toy games.
Later, they play but become bored with
repetition. Varying the game facilitates their
swimming. German Shepherds and Belgian
Tervurens and Malinois like swimming against
the highest current and being lured with large
sticks using a release command. Games should
be fast but controlled.
Sighthounds are not motivated to retrieve
or lure in water, and do best swimming in
place toward their owner. Whippets tend to
be anxious initially but become excellent
swimmers and like games. Nonswimming
working breeds (i.e., Great Pyrenees,
Malamutes) become excellent swimmers.
Their pace is slow and steady, and they prefer
low current. Newfoundlands are often
exceptional swimmers, using a slow, steady
pace in low or high current.
Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers have
exceedingly high energy in all currents. They
love fast fetch and lure games. Imposed short
rest periods are imperative as they can swim to
exhaustion. Vital signs in these patients should
be regularly monitored. Toy and small breeds
are superb swimmers but can easily become
chilled. Vital signs and evidence of shivering
should be monitored. They do best in low
current or on the floating balance board.
Pit Bull types are excellent swimmers
although some become anxious in water.
When anxious, frenetic behavior manifests.
Due to their high prey drive, caution should be
used when employing toys and luring games.Pool types
Aquatic therapy pools vary widely and a
complete description is beyond the scope of
this text. In warm regions, large in‐ground
(fiberglass or concrete) or above‐ground
(nylon) outdoor swimming pools are com-
monly used. In cold regions, smaller indoor
resistance pools are used. Small indoor pools
are advantageous because of the constraints
for space, heating, dehumidification, and
ventilation. Large indoor facilities often pro-
vide above‐ground pools for nontherapeutic/
fun swimming, but these are cost prohibitive to
heat to therapeutic treatment levels.
Smaller (500–900 gallon/1900–3400 L) pools
can be customized. Many large pools (3000+
gallons) are designed for therapy and feature
whirlpool components, benches for resting,
multiple levels of current, in‐pool treadmill,
and adjustable water depth. Therapeutic
canine pools are sanitized with bromine or
chlorine and use larger than normal filters
(Bates & Hanson, 1992). One author (J.C.)
finds that the best filters are diatomaceous
earth or sand.
Any pool can be converted to salt water.
These pools need careful monitoring of sodium
and cyanuric acid levels to assure that the
water is sanitized. Thorough sanitation may
be an issue in high‐volume centers. All pools,
regardless of type, need careful attention to
daily management. The amounts of fur, skin
oils, and coat dirt create management
challenges that are dramatically different than
pool management for humans. In the authors’
experience, a conservative estimate is that
the impact of one dog is equal to that of 25–30
people in a pool.