After surgical clearance from your veterinarian, one of the best ways to rehabilitate your dog is by warm water swimming with a trained hydrotherapist. Rehabilitation from broken legs, hip and knee surgeries and some spinal surgeries can be sped up by getting the dog moving appropriately in the water. After surgery, most dogs won’t put any weight…

The AVMA recently released its 2012 US Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook. Every five years a survey is conducted. The statistics are pretty interesting. Of the top 10 pet owning states, Vermont ranked highest at 71% with New Jersey, Utah and Nebraska at 51% of pet owning households.

Along with proper nutrition, grooming and regular veterinary care, a regular exercise program is essential for all dogs, but is even more important for senior dogs. Why is exercise so important for older dogs? First, it helps maintain your dog’s ideal body weight.

My dog Beau, a seven and a half year old 70 pound mix breed was just diagnosed with elbow dysplasia. Most people are familiar with hip dysplasia in dogs, but what about elbow dysplasia (ED)?  Elbow dysplasia is a very real problem in many breeds. Medium and large breed dogs are most vulnerable but it…

There is a great article by Dr. Shawn Messonnier in the April/May issue of Animal Wellness magazine about ways to keep your dog’s immune system healthy. It’s very important for your dog to have a strong immune system to help resist disease, prevent fleas, and help our dogs live longer and healthier.

I was featured on the radio yesterday on The G-Team ( https://gteamradio.com – will be rebroadcast on Sunday at 9am) and the host Karl Gibbons quoted some interesting pet industry statistics that we thought you all might be interested in. Market ResearchSource – American Pet Products Association – APPATotal U.S. Pet Industry Expenditures Year Billion 2013 $55.53 Estimate2012…

There was an article in the Orlando Sentinel the other day that spoke about swimming and how it was never too late to start. The same thing is true with most dogs. A full body workout, swimming is about as perfect as an exercise can get. It’s non-weight bearing, making it easy on joints, and the…

When you think about exercise, have you ever thought about muscle-specific exercise for your dog? Humans do strength training to improve balance, develop specific muscle groups, work on range of motion and flexibility, and more. The same is true for dogs – we call it “Canine Conditioning.”

Recently there was an interesting article in the Orlando Sentinel about just how old domestic dogs are as a species with respect to their separation from wolves. Many people believe that dogs became domesticated fairly recently (in modern times), but as the article points out, a recent find of a 33,000 year old dog skull may…

We’re very excited! What is Barking Dog Fitness? It’s a franchise concept we’ve brought in to Rocky’s Retreat – a gym for your dog! Why a gym? Just like us, dogs need more than just a casual stroll every day or playtime with their friends. They need a workout to help keep their puppy-like endurance,…

We are the only Orlando dog boarding and Orlando doggie day care center that has an indoor heated pool for dogs. See it for yourself by scheduling a tour!

Rocky's Retreat | 2826 Shader Rd. Orlando FL 32808 | info@rockysretreat.com | (407) 295-3888