About Us - Meadow Farm Hydrotherapy

Meadow Farm Hydrotherapy opened in 2000 to offer hydrotherapy facilities as an aid in the recovery and rehabilitation of injured animals, primarily dogs. Since then the centre has expanded to give an all round service of care which includes Acupuncture, McTimoney, Physiotherapy, a bathing and grooming service, dog training and holistic care.

The centre was started by Rachel Watkins. Rachel trained at Warwick Agricultural College studying Equine Studies and Performance Horse Development. This involved anatomy and physiology, gait analysis, biomechanics, equine hydrotherapy, the use of ultra sound, massage, laser therapy and magnetic pulse therapy, case study and treatment protocol, Rachel completed the course in 1990 with credit.

Rachel has completed further studies at the Hawksmoor Hydrotherapy Training Centre and holds a Level 3 Certificate in Hydrotherapy for Small Animals, completed during 2011 and in addition achieving a Hawksmoor Student of The Year Award. This qualification gained national accreditation in 2010 and is now a compulsory requirement for membership of the Canine Hydrotherapy Association (CHA). Rachel joined the board of the CHA in 2010 and was instrumental in bringing this qualification to the forefront of the hydrotherapy industry, to specifically raise the standards of CHA member centres.The CHA is the only governing body of small animal hydrotherapy that requires at least one staff member to complete qualifications on the national framework, before centre membership is granted. During 2011/2012 further members of the Meadow Farm Hydrotherapy Team will be working towards this qualification, by the end of the accademic year they will all have gained the Level 3 Certificate. This will allow Meadow Farm to offer a unique hydrotherapy service where all hydrotherapists are fully qualified.

How it all started

After seven years working within several aspects of small animal veterinary practice, Rachel was drawn towards canine hydrotherapy. "The idea started when my mother had a Cavalier puppy, Beatie, born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her front leg. Her leg was underdeveloped, having very little muscle and was shorter than the other front limb. She underwent an operation to help lengthen and straighten the leg, a wedge osteotomy, and later started swimming at a local canine pool to help build up the muscle and strengthen the leg. I spent some time with the pool operator and he very patiently taught me about the technicalities of swimming dogs, and of pool construction".

"By the time I had decided to open my own hydrotherapy centre, I knew exactly what I wanted. My husband Roger joined me in the venture and we ended up building our own concrete tiled pool, as those pre-manufactured at the time didn't provide what we felt we needed. With the help of an experienced swimming pool company we designed and built our pool from scratch.

"Beatie, my mother's dog, did amazingly well! Her confidence grew as she became stronger and she learnt she could compete with her house mates: this is something we see with many of the dogs we treat; their behaviour patterns change. Owners who think their puppies normal behaviour is quiet and subdued, gradually see changes, their puppies become bright, bubbly and often naughty. Dogs that owners think are just "growing old" and slowing up gain strength and energy. This mental response is due of course to the physical effects of exercising in water.

Since we first opened in 2000 to offer hydrotherapy treatment, four other therapists have joined us at Meadow Farm.

In 2002 my vet referred me to Peggy Sofley PG Dip.AM. EBW, McTimoney therapist. My Cavalier, Kelly, had episodes of acute pain related lameness, throwing herself on the floor screaming, we hadn't been able to find the cause. Peggy's treatments worked well and as a result I asked Peggy to join us to treat dogs that came to us for hydrotherapy and so the services we offered expanded.

For a long time we had realised the benefits that physiotherapy treatment could provide for many of the dogs that were visiting us for hydrotherapy and had therefore searched for a veterinary physiotherapist to work with us. In 2006 we were lucky enough to meet Sarah Clemson MCSP BSc Physiotherapy, MSc Vet Physiotherapy, Sarah started to treat dogs at Meadow Farm, launching a physiotherapy service that is now at the forefront of our rehabilitation programmes.

We were also aware that acupuncture was of great benefit to many dogs with orthopaedic conditions and we had looked to find an veterinary surgeon who could run an acupuncture clinic at Meadow Farm. Early in 2007 Roberta Baxter MA VetMB MRCVS agreed to work with us and run her pain therapy clinics from our facilities. Roberta completed the team and we now have a fantastic group of therapists that work closely together with you and your vet, to offer a holistic treatment plan for all your varied animal friends.

All these therapists are independent practitioners, who are fully qualified and are members of their appropriate professional regulatory bodies.

In Aprill 2008 we started to build a new facility to expand the already sort after hydrotherapy service we offered. This new facility provided us with room for our Hydrophysio HP 300 Aquatic Treadmill, a spacious fully equipped physiotherapy room, new offices, reception and pet shop.

The Hydrophysio Aquatic Treadmill is now at the forefront of our hydrotherapy service and from March 2012 will be the only hydrotherapy treatment that we will offer. After 11 years of working within the hydrotherapy industry we believe the flexibility and control that Aquatic Treadmill therapy provides offers more control, safety and therapeutic benefits than swimming alone.

We invite you to visit us for an informal chat before booking your pets in for their first appointment. This gives you a chance to look at our facilities, watch some dogs in the Aquatic Treadmill and talk to existing clients and various therapists.

We can then contact your veterinary surgeon on your behalf to organise a referral, if you wish. This allows your vet to discuss your pets case history with us personally and to forward all the relevant paperwork that we need. We are only able to carry out hydrotherapy treatmant for your pet after a formal veterinary referral has been received. You can download our veterinary referral form here. We ask that your pets are fully up to date with their vaccinations before they visit our centre.

All assessments are carried out by an ACPAT registered Veterinary Physiotherapist who oversees the treatment programmes and carries out regular reviews for all our patients.Our first appointment is free of charge for hydrotherapy treatments. This allows us to spend as much time as is necessary with your pet introducing them to our surroundings gradually, making sure the hydrotherapy treatment is as enjoyable as it is theraputic.
We are committed to providing a friendly, professional one to one service at affordable prices.

Please contact us to arrange a visit.

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We are members of The Canine Hydrotherapy Association

Meadow Farm

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