Helen Webb, Senior Neurology and Rehabilitation Nurse    

Wilson was initially referred in 2012, at eight months old, for cervical and thoracolumbar pain and pyrexia. At first presentation Wilson was very weak and had extremely wasted muscles for such a young dog.

He was diagnosed by the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service with steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA) and was started on a course of medication to treat this condition.

Wilson’s owners reported that he had been unwilling or unable to move around much due to the pain he was in and would get tired extremely quickly. Consequently, he needed assistance to regain muscle tone and encourage him to begin exercising again. Therefore, as part of his treatment, he was referred to the Hydrotherapy team to help rehabilitate him.

Fortunately, Wilson loved the water and took to hydrotherapy extremely well! He was introduced to swimming in our pool initially as he was just too weak to walk on the treadmill at that point. His sessions began very slowly, with short burst of swimming and lots of rests. The buoyancy and weightless environment of the water meant he was able to easily move his limbs without the added weight upon them.

Progress    

Over the next few months Wilson began to develop more muscle and was able to do more exercise on land, building up his strength again. After 4-6 months Wilson was back to being a playful puppy and no longer required hydrotherapy.

However, Wilson’s owners decided to continue his weekly sessions at the hydrotherapy unit as they could see how much he adored being in the water!

Wilson attended weekly fun swim sessions in our pool for many years with no complications and became a very well known and loved patient by all the team due to his craziness and love of swimming!

In 2023 however Wilson came for usual swim but after his session our hydrotherapy RVN noticed that his gait was abnormal, and he had developed some hind limb proprioceptive deficits post-swim. After a discussion with a vet and his owners, Wilson was referred back to the RVC Neurology and Neurosurgery Service and was diagnosed with lumbar sacral stenosis following an MRI scan.

This condition was managed conservatively, and Wilson was again recommended to continue his hydrotherapy sessions. However, it was recommended that he have his sessions in our underwater treadmill to ensure he had a more controlled session.

Setback    

Wilson continued his hydrotherapy sessions weekly until a year later, when he deteriorated and was referred back to Neurology and Neurosurgery for an extradural cyst. He underwent a hemilaminectomy and, once fully recovered, was again allowed to continue his hydrotherapy to help regain muscle lost during his recovery period.

Over the next year Wilson continued to attend weekly sessions but due to his age and weight he had developed chronic osteoarthritis and was beginning to struggle more to exercise. He had also started attending the RVC pain clinic for acupuncture and to manage his pain levels.

Sadly, on 11th August 2025 Wilson came to a hydrotherapy session, but his owners were concerned as he deteriorated and had stopped eating. The hydrotherapy RVN asked for him to be assessed by a vet and after a long discussion Wilson’s owners made the very sad decision to euthanise him.

Wilson was a huge character and a legend among everyone in the hospital team, from the receptionist to the vets. He attended the Hydrotherapy unit for around 12 years, and his owners reported that he always knew that on a Thursday at 5pm it was time for his swim – and he would bark like crazy at them so they could never forget to bring him!
He will be very sorely missed but we are so thankful that we were able to help support him through his life and keep him enjoying his life to the fullest!