DOGS will be able to ease their arthritis by splashing around in a new £70,000 hydrotherapy centre in Royal Wootton Bassett.

The therapeutic pool will help dogs with conditions like dysplasia and cruciate ligament, spinal problems to stay mobile.

It is an expansion of the services at Lucy Pet Carer in Lucerne Close and opened for the first time on Monday.

Owner Lucy Candy said: “It doesn’t quite feel real because I waited so many years to do it and now we have it’s surreal.

"We had a fairly quiet opening but we’re spreading the word that it’s reopened. On Friday we had a formal opening where we cut the ribbon and had balloons."

She has running her own firm taking care of canines for the past 18 years.

“I worked at many different centres and that’s when I grew a passion for dogs and started my training at The Greyfriars in Oxford,” she said.

“But then I had children. Once they were old enough I decided to do my refresher course on hydrotherapy just a couple of years ago and I went round to different centres to do volunteering to gain more experience in it.

“Now I’m doing it in my own centre and expanding Lucy Pet Carer. I have a physiotherapist and chiropractor working alongside me and this has become a great opportunity for me to learn every day.”

A hydrotherapy is a therapeutic whole-body treatment that involves moving and exercising in water.

The temperature and pressure and movement of water is controlled to help dogs with certain conditions.

Lucy said: “It’s really nice that I get to have this connection with the dogs. It’s lovely when they are coming from daycare and getting into the pool and they recognise your face.

“It all started off with me walking dogs. We built our own kennel and now we have expanded to this, it’s amazing.”

In the rehabilitation centre there are three employees and eight staff who are excited to see the site grow. The new facility p;roved so popular they took seven dogs in the pool in the first couple of days.

“I love working with them, it’s so rewarding,” Lucy said.

“Every day is different whether you work with them in daycare or they stay in the kennels, I get to build a strong bond with the dogs.”

Lucy Pet Carer also does doggy day care, dog behaviourist training, kennels and pet sitting.