Opening Times

Friday 9a.m. - 7p.m.

Saturday 9a.m. - 4.30p.m.

Sunday 9a.m. - 4.30p.m.

Monday 9a.m. - 4.30p.m.

Tuesday 9a.m. - 7p.m.

Wednesday 9a.m. - 12noon (half Day)

Thursday - Closed

Paperwork

We regret that we have to ask you to go to the trouble of reading and filling in various forms, but as you can well understand, to make sure we give your dog the best possible care and treatment available to us, it is necessary to ask you to do this.

At the bottom of this page you will find two forms that need to be filled in one by yourself and one by your vet before we are able to undertake any form of treatment on your dog.

Please be assured that under no circumstances will any dog be allowed into the pool without a duly signed BCHC Vet referral form.

The Therapy Room

The Hydrotherapy treatment room, as you may have already seen, consists of a swimming pool, in which your dog will be swum to undergo its treatment, a hoist that is used to help large and/or infirm dogs into the pool with ease, and various other types of equipment and tools, all of which are for the use of the hydrotherapist to carry out his work to the advantage of your dog.

Once your dog is in the pool, you will be asked to help the hydrotherapist by generally coaxing your dog in a variety of ways, such as calling or enticing with a favourite toy or biscuit (please bring them with you, but take care not to let the dog have the biscuit whilst in the pool) but only when asked to do so.

Whilst at the centre you are asked to be aware of the wet floor, which may well be slippery, so please come prepared with sensible footwear and perhaps a shower-proof coat to protect yourself when your dog decides to shake it-self dry!(although we do have some waterproof macs if you wish to use one).

New Clients

1. Health & Safety
Health & Safety in and around the pool area is of paramount importance at all times. You are therefore asked to heed any instructions that may be given to ensure the safety of yourself and your pet and the safety of all others in the Centre.
Please read and understand any warning signs that may be posted on the walls or doors in the centre.
Please be aware that in the case of an emergency, the Hydrotherapist will take control of the situation and you will be advised which course of action you are to undertake. This may consist of being asked to stand still or even to ring the Hydrotherapist's dedicated vet and relay information to and from the vet to the hydrotherapist. It is of paramount importance that you carry this out if asked to do so without undue delay.
Details of your pet that the Vet may require will be written on the white board on the wall just inside the pool room.
In the case of fire, or similar emergency you will be asked to vacate the premises via the nearest and safest exit and go to the front of the SBI centre and wait for further instructions from the emergency services.
In the case of any electrical emergency please do not attempt to touch any person or animal that you may think has been electrocuted until you know for certain that the electricity has been turned off.

2. First Aid
Your Hydrotherapist has undertaken a course in Animal First aid and is therefore able to deal with most situations that may arise in the Centre. If at any time you are not sure what is happening, please don’t be afraid to ask. The Hydrotherapist will be only too happy to explain things to you, but as he will be concentrating very carefully on your dog, he may not look at you whilst talking, please don’t be offended by this.

3. Initial Appointment Procedure.
The initial appointment is the time that you will meet your Hydrotherapist and be given the opportunity to ask whatever questions you like, about the treatment your pet can expect to receive, such as after care, health and safety issues in the pool areas, First aid procedures, emergency procedures and many more. This, of course, does not preclude you from asking questions at any other time. Either whilst at the centre or by telephone before or after treatment.
We will discuss the condition and ailments of your dog and any recommendations made by your veterinarian and a swimming programme will be devised.

4. Treatment Procedure
Your dog will be given a health check to determine that it is indeed in a fit condition to go in the pool. If your dog is seen to have any discharge from ear, nose, mouth or rear end, if it has any fleas, ear mites or any other type of condition that could present a problem to other dogs, then it will not be allowed to go in the pool. Please ensure, at least 24 hours in advance, that your dog does not have any of these problems, if it does, please ring and let us know so that we can re-schedule your appointment to a later day.

After the health check your dog will be showered to remove any dust and soap residue, then a life jacket or harness will be fitted. Please note that under no circumstances will any dog be allowed into the pool without a life jacket or harness. Your dog will then be taken to the pool and either helped in via the ramp, lifted in manually or gently lowered in using the overhead electric hoist.

The actual treatment will consist of either 1 continual swim, or 2 or more shorter swims with rest periods in between. During the breaks the hydrotherapist will gently rub the dog’s legs to encourage better blood flow and to lessen any chances of any cramps setting in. Please be aware that during the first session of treatment it may be the case that your dog will only receive a very short swim (i.e. approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute may be more), this will depend upon the dogs fitness and stamina. These swims will increase in length as fitness and stamina increase.

One of the items that may, in some circumstances, be used to help your dog swim will be the ‘Collar & Pole’. This is simply a short pole with a dog collar on the end, which is clipped around the dog’s neck and used to help move the dog in the necessary directions whilst swimming. We also have a variety of other types of flotation devices, any of which we may utilise to the advantage of your dog .

At the end of the treatment your dog will be showered down to remove the pool chemicals from its coat and semi dried. If you wish to dry your dog further please bring a towel with you.

It is most important that after it’s Hydrotherapy session, your dog is kept warm for a couple of hours, so it is not advisable to take him for a walk, but to get him home and allow him to sleep it off. He may well appear fairly tired after the treatment. Remember, a four-minute swim is similar to a five-mile brisk walk. He may be thirsty so offer some water, little and often and after 2 hours rest you can offer a small meal which will be gratefully accepted.

. 5. 2nd and Subsequent Treatments

Each time your dog visits us we may increase the swimming time, depending on its improvement. You will notice an improvement fairly quickly with these treatments. Some days your dog will have more energy, and some days he will tire more quickly, this is quite natural.

By the third swim your dog will have begun to rebuild muscle mass. Results can be quite dramatic and it is for this reason that initially we usually advise that your dog has two treatments per week. This will promote a safe and speedy recovery.

Warm water helps to relieve pain, relax aching muscles and improve circulation. The blood vessels will expand which in turn allows more blood to flow around the body, increasing the amount of oxygen to all organs, joints and extremities. By improving the circulation in this way the chance of muscle cramps can be greatly reduced and rest and relaxation improved.

The pressure of the water on the body surface can greatly help to reduce any swelling which in turn reduces pain levels. It also helps to increase the breathing a little, thus making the lungs work a little harder and the heart beat a little faster to accommodate the extra oxygen that the body requires. All this, of course improves lung capacity, stamina, and energy as well as building stronger heart muscles.

As your dog improves you may think that you can reduce the medication your dog is receiving. It is very important that under no circumstances must you reduce or stop giving any medication prescribed by your veterinarian until advised by him/her to do so. If you are in any doubt whatsoever, please consult your vet.

6. Pool Management.

The Pool is maintained to a very high standard with recognised chemicals that keep the water in perfect condition.We use Chlorine in our pool as a bacterial cleanser. The water is tested at least 3 times a day to ensure that the necessary levels are maintained, and will be fit not only for dogs to swim in but the hydrotherapists as well. Between each treatment the pool will be hand filtered, in addition to the constant filtering that is carried out by the inbuilt filter, ozonator and pumps, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The temperature of the water in the pool is maintained at 27 – 28 degrees C. to aid the speediest recovery in your dog.
At the end of each day the pool is hoovered and cleaned thoroughly, ready for the next day’s clients.

Terms and Conditions

1. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the safety and well being of both dog and owner whilst on the premises, all dogs receive hydrotherapy treatment entirely at their owners risk.

2. All treatments must be paid for in advance of the first treatment commencing, including those treatments, which are to be part of an insurance claim. Individual treatments must be paid for on the day of treatment, prior to commencement.

3. There will be a £5 fee payable for any sessions not cancelled by phone or in person at least 24 hours before the appointment. Please note 4 below

4. Dogs with any eye, ear or skin infections, gastric upset, fleas or any other infectious or contagious conditions will not be treated. Normal cancellation conditions will apply. Therefore owners are advised to cancel all appointments with a minimum of 24 hours notice and to re-book when the condition has cleared up.

5. Any dog that has/had Diarrhea must not be swum for a minimum of 10 days after the problem has cleared up, and bitches in heat will not receive therapy until their season has passed. Please see note 4 above.

6. BCHC requires your vet to complete a 'BCHC Veterinary referral form.’

7. It is incumbent upon you, the owner, to advise BCHC if you feel that the condition or injury is worsening during the course of treatments or of any advice from your veterinary Surgeon that may require the treatment to be suspended or stopped, in these circumstances a refund may be possible. (Please see note 3 above)

8. Please do not feed your dog for a minimum of four hours prior to treatment and ensure your dog has done its ablutions before arriving. A surcharge of £20 will be made for any dog that defecates in the pool as it will have to be closed for between 6 hrs and 48hrs, resulting in the cancellation of several clients.

9. Please keep your dogs exercise to a minimum prior to it’s treatment. All dogs must be kept on a short lead before & after treatment in the Centre.

10. It is the responsibility of all owners to ‘scoop the poop’ whilst visiting BCHC premises. Poo bags can be purchased from the shop if required.

11. BCHC reserves the right to use any video footage or still pictures taken during normal operations in any way they see fit.

12. BCHC reserves the right to refuse to treat any dog for any reason.

13. BCHC cannot be held responsible for any loss, injury or damage to persons, animals, vehicles or personal property, howsoever occasioned, whilst on company premises.

14. No Children under the age of 16 are allowed into the Pool room.