About Us
Dip Your Paws has been located at Welbourn since August 2015 and is owned and run by Claire Wills.
Claire’s passion and inspiration for being a hydrotherapist has arisen from her experience with her own dog Roxy. Roxy is a golden labrador who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 6 months old. She soon began to lose muscle in her back end and she was reluctant to get up and run around. Roxy was unable to undergo any surgery for her condition at the time and the vet recommended Hydrotherapy to help build her muscle mass back up in her very weak back end to enable her to try and return to a normal way of life for a puppy.
Improvement was soon seen with Roxy and she has continued with her hydrotherapy to ensure that she retains the muscle she has built up. Claire has seen and experienced first-hand the heart break of her dog being diagnosed with a lifelong condition and the improvements seen from the hydrotherapy treatment. As she had not received any other treatments or surgery for her condition at the time, it showed the results of the hydrotherapy in improving Roxy’s quality of life in her early years.
Nicola Fitzakerly is a familiar face at Dip Your Paws as she has been assisting at the centre for many years and has a wealth of experience in handling dogs that are undergoing hydrotherapy treatment.
Claire and Nicola are both fully qualified and have completed the Level 3 Certificate in Small Animal Hydrotherapy.
At Dip Your Paws we have a 5.5m x 3m pool which allows plenty of room for your pet to have a good swim and splash around. It also allows space for any animals attending for rehabilitation to be able to use their limbs fully and to be able to have as much space as they need to get used to the water.
We are a member of the Canine Hydrotherapy Association