A typical visit to the veterinarian usually doesn’t include a jet spa and a yellow life vest, but that’s exactly what the Canine Aqua Therapy Program facility at the Iowa State Veterinary College has to offer its canine clients.

The program, which took flight this summer, is used primarily for dogs recovering from arthritis as well as joint, elbow, hip or knee surgery.

“To the best of our knowledge, there is no other active swimming therapy program that exists,” said Greg Marsolais, graduate student in veterinary clinical sciences and assistant in the program.

Michael Conzemius, assistant professor of surgery at the Veterinary College, is heading up the program.

It is being used for research on specific injuries to the cranial cruciate ligament, commonly known as the ACL.

Conzemius said that during aqua therapy, the animals’ limbs “go through motion and muscles work hard, but pounding on joints is reduced.”

The length of treatment is on a case-by-case basis, Conzemius said, but usually therapy is administered twice a day on weeks three, five and seven following surgery.

The session begins with a walk and brief stretching of the dog’s limbs by staff members.

The dogs then go through the initial therapy that lasts a total of 10 minutes, in which they swim for one minute and rest for one minute a total of five times.

Before the aquatherapy program existed, all veterinarians could prescribe for the patients was rest.

Now the pooches get to swim around in a spa, harnessed by life vests and held up with leashes on either side.

Jets that create current also are available for stronger dogs to swim against.

Benefits already are becoming quite evident, Conzemius said.

“Something like 40 percent do better after surgery [with the treatment] than those who did not go through the therapy,” he said.

Both Conzemius and Marsolius agreed that the owners are quite happy and receptive to the treatment. Most of the dogs that were wary to go in at first jump right in the next time, Conzemius said.

Expansion will happen with demand, added Marsolais, who said the program is only limited by facilities and staff.