Injured Police dog Felix undergoes physiotherapy so he can return to work

Search dog Felix was left bed-bound after a serious leg injury but is on the road to recovery after working out on a water treadmill.

Felix was on a walk off-duty with handler PC Helen Kane when he landed awkwardly after trying to jump over a stream.

PC Kane took him to the vets where the four-year-old pooch was diagnosed with a ruptured cruciate ligament and had to undergo surgery.

Black Labrador Felix has been undergoing physiotherapy at Woofs ‘n Scruffs in Washington and now it is hoped he will be back on the beat in just a few weeks.

“The vet recommended he had a go on the water treadmill as it would help his recovery and get him back to work quicker,” said Helen.

“He has hated not being able to come and do his job. Trying to calm him down has been a nightmare and he’s desperate to get back on shift.

“When he got in the treadmill he was a bit shell-shocked, he didn’t quite understand what was happening, but he soon got the hang of it.”

Woofs ‘n Scruffs co-owner David Potts said: “He was a little bit nervous to start but we got there eventually and by the end you'd think he had been in there since he was a puppy.

“For injuries like Felix’s, cruciate ligament rupture, it's the perfect exercise because it's only partially weight baring so it removes quite a lot of his body weight.

“There's quite a lot of force walking against the water and he's walking in warm water so that opens blood vessels and supports the repair.

“I think Felix's vets indicated he will probably need about six sessions but every single case is different and we build a plan specifically for that dog rather than for the condition.

“It will all be about how he responds to the treatment but we can’t wait to have him back with us again to make some more progress.”