A different way to heal

When her family’s aging Australian shepherd, Lucy, began struggling with the aches and pains of deteriorating knees, Maryann Mills knew traditional veterinarian care alone would not be enough.

Her search for alternative pet therapies led her to Northwest Canine Training and Aquatics in Otis Orchards, where animals receive natural treatment for pain relief and recovery. In many cases, the treatments can eliminate the need for medications, which tend to come with other health concerns, and lead to such improvements that owners reconsider putting down their pets.

“What I realized is that we were able to restore her quality of life,” Mills said of her 12-year-old dog. “You can just tell when a dog is happy and not happy. She has a quality of life now she would not have had if I hadn’t gone this route.”

Lucy has been in hydrotherapy since March after knee surgery on her hind leg – an operation needed after the dog favored one leg to relieve pressure from the pain she endured following a previous knee surgery on the other hind leg.

Mills, a teacher at Hayden Meadows Elementary School in Hayden, said she knew at that time she needed to find something to reduce Lucy’s pain or her dog might simply refuse to walk again.

“After she had her first knee surgery, she never did recover like I thought she should,” the Coeur d’Alene woman said, adding that the use of alternative therapies and those providing them have worked miracles. “Now, oh my gosh, what a different dog – she just trots along and has a good time.”

Lucy receives her hydrotherapy from Northwest Canine Training and Aquatics owner and trainer Joni Bories, who has been involved with dog training for the past eight years and added water therapy just over two years ago. Lucy receives acupuncture there from Spokane veterinarian Rosemarie Asterino, who visits the Otis Orchards facility for appointments on Wednesdays. Asterino now limits her practice to acupuncture and diet therapies for a variety of animals.

Such alternative pet therapies continue to gain popularity across the nation and in the Inland Northwest. They are used for such things as weight loss, pain relief from such ailments as arthritis, recovery from injury or surgery, and even in lieu of some surgeries or medications.

Both Asterino and Bories agree the integration of nontraditional therapies with traditional medicine can offer something more to help animals. The water therapy exercises, for example, allow for a quicker transition to a dog’s typical land-based exercise and activity.

“It’s about getting dogs well,” Bories said of her business. “I was wanting to find safe and effective exercises for my own dogs.”

Bories expanded her obedience training business when she purchased the Ferno Aqua Paws Underwater Treadmill. She trained how to exercise dogs on the underwater treadmill system designed specifically for canines at the VetHab Rehabilitation Facility in North Carolina, and now offers a compassionate method for therapeutic exercising. She says she’s even been in the water with animals in therapy to help them regain confidence to move when they initially refused because of the pain.

The Aqua Paws swim tank and jet system allows one dog at a time to exercise in the clear glass chamber that fills with warm water after the dog enters through a door that closes from behind.

Bories and one assistant work with all varieties of dogs where the water’s natural buoyancy and resistance help create a low impact workout. Exercises and water heights are customized for dogs and their various weight-bearing exercises. The higher the water level, the easier it is for an animal to move and work out. As a dog’s strength increases, less water is necessary. The miles per hour of the treadmill also can be adjusted.

The aqua tank system includes several filters to allow the 300 gallons of water to be reused and transferred to a storage chamber.

Bories says the system and workouts offer a variety of benefits including early intervention and quicker recovery following injury or surgery to promote tissue healing and strengthening. It also improves cardiac function and circulation, and muscle toning and flexibility.

In many cases for recovery and mobility enhancements, dogs are referred to her by local veterinarians. Others come because pet owners want to exercise dogs during winter months. Others want to prepare pets for competitive sports performance training. And still others come to provide relief for pets’ stiff aching joints or for weight control.

Aqua therapy sessions generally last about 15 minutes and range from $30 to $40. Prices increase if owners opt to leave their pets with Bories for a day or overnight.

“I want people to use this for their dogs,” Bories says. “This makes them feel better and gives them better quality of life. Combining this with what Rosemarie does offers many benefits for canines.”

For the Australian shepherd Lucy, her exercise regime now includes visiting the Northwest Canine Training and Aquatics facility about every other week for aqua therapy where she now boasts a low-water level. She also works on stair and bar exercises with Bories. She began acupuncture in June for joint stiffness. And she takes herbal supplements recommended by the veterinarian for inflammation and joint health.

“It’s kind of like taking your dog to the Mayo Clinic – there are four different modalities working with my dog. And you just couldn’t get that any other place,” Mills said. “(Lucy) has given me so much of her life. This is what I could give back to her.”