Isn’t this like the “Deepwater Running” program?
From the Cincinnati Enquirer, 5/20/05
When Cincinnati police dog Maximus fell through a ceiling in February and shattered his right front leg, his veterinarian prescribed the toughest recuperation for a working dog - rest, in a cage, for 12 weeks.
Instead, Maximus tried a relatively new therapy for dogs, walking on an underwater treadmill. Three times a week since early March, the dog’s handler, Officer John Neal, has driven him to Dayton for treatment.
Now, Maximus could be back to work in about the same three months he originally was supposed to spend off his paws.
“When we first started, he would get really huffy and puffy,” said Carmen Kolz, who runs Canine Underwater Treadmill, which she bills as the only underwater exercise for dogs in Kentucky, Indiana and southern Ohio. “So we’re building up his cardio, too. He’s going to need that.”
She imported the treadmill, in a glass tank, from England. She lived there, where the therapy is more common, and was surprised to find when she moved back that none existed locally. So she imported the treadmill and tank and set up shop last year.
In consultation with Maximus’ veterinarian, Jeff Grady in Springfield Township, Kolz has slowly increased the dog’s walking time in the tank. He’s up to about 17 minutes now. The water provides resistance, but it also helps with buoyancy, supporting the animal and making the walking less stressful on the injuries. Outside the tank, that 17 minutes would be about three times more difficult, Kolz said.
“Everybody’s amazed at how well he’s doing,” Neal said.
“It would’ve killed him to be in a cage all this time.”
Maximus, 4, is one of nine Cincinnati police dogs that search mostly for suspects and guns.
He was on the Cincinnati team that won back-to-back top honors at the U.S. Police Canine Association’s annual competition, and he’ll be part of a television show to air later this month on “Animal Planet.”
He’s the celebrity patient at Kolz’s office. Most of the dogs there suffer from arthritis, hip dysplasia or are recovering from surgery.
Maximus was searching a warehouse on Beekman Street early Feb. 27 when he was hurt. He went up some steps in front of Neal and fell through the tile of a drop ceiling, landing 15 feet below.
“I wasn’t sure if he’d ever be back,” said Sgt. Dan Hils, supervisor of the dog unit.
He also wasn’t sure the city would pay for the non-traditional treatment. The first time Maximus went, he said, he figured he’d chip in the $35, if necessary, for the half-hour treadmill treatment just to see how the dog would do.
He wasn’t sure how much the bills have totaled, but he said he’s never been questioned about them. The department views the dogs as investments - Maximus cost about $3,500, Hils said, plus thousands more in training and officer time.
With the treadmill therapy, the dog also gets some acupuncture, massage and stretching. Therapist Jean Pavlakos puts his back legs up on an exercise ball - the same kind people use - so he’s forced to put weight on his front legs. She wants him to stop favoring the right leg.
Her biggest challenge: Getting him to do things slowly for maximum effect. He’s trained to go full-out. For practice, Pavlakos has him walk slowly up a ramp into the back of her SUV. He’s used to a running leap into the back of his cruiser.
Maximus eats up the attention. He jumps up into the treadmill tank faster than he’s supposed to. As the water starts pouring in, he tries to lap it up. His tongue goes faster and faster, as if he thinks he might actually be able to drink it all.
The dog gets his last X-ray on June 1. Grady will decide then if he’s ready to return to the job.
“I think he’s going to have to start slow,” Neal said. “But he’s definitely getting there a lot faster than he would have.”