A dog lover will soon be sharing her expertise with the north-east after being given consent to built a revolutionary canine hydrotherapy centre.
Tracey Jones move to the Turriff area with her husband Steve earlier this year, bringing with her years of pet pool rehabilitation expertise.
Now Mrs Jones has revealed that Aberdeenshire Council’s planning team has approved her proposal to install a hydrotherapy pool at their Delgaty farmhouse.
The scheme will help get dogs recovering from surgery back on their feet, or used to slim down obese pets.
Last night the qualified veterinary physiotherapist and hydrotherapist said the couple were delighted work has begun to realise their dream.
“The planning permission has been granted, the builders are coming out to start work and the pool is ordered so it’s all happening,” Mrs Jones said.
“We’ll hopefully open in spring 2016. The physio unit may well be open before the hydrotherapy centre. However we’ll need to have the council come out and check everything’s been completed as per our building warrants.”
Mr and Mrs Jones are keeping a video diary of work on the site, and Mrs Jones is regularly updating her Fusion Vet Physio Facebook page with dog owner advice blogs.
“I’m going to be running courses for the general public about health care, as well as for dog groomers, walkers and that type of thing so they can be aware of little things they can do to improve dogs’ quality of life while they’re looking after other pets.”
She added that dog owners will not need to wait to be referred for treatment by their vets and can contact the company directly who will then liaise with veterinary surgeons.
Recent studies have shown every minute a dog spends in a hydrotherapy pool is equivalent to a one-mile walk. But unlike walking, swimming is a low-impact exercise which can strengthen damaged muscles without causing pain for an animal.
Mrs Jones’ company, Fusion Vet Physio, previously offered therapeutic canine services in Suffolk before she moved to Delgaty, near Turriff, in July.
