Bo Patton is all wet  and loving it.

Bo, a 9-year-old, 130-pound golden retriever owned by Joy Patton of Lawrence, spends a couple hours each week in a great big tub of warm water with Sandy Brown of TheraPeT Pet Rehabilitation.

Brown, who earned a master’s degree in physical therapy at the Kansas University Medical Center, walks Bo through a series of aquatic exercises and stretches designed to help the dog overcome age-related weakness in his joints and back.

And Bo, who has two 50-minute sessions each week with Brown, really does seem to enjoy himself in the water. He chases after floating squeaky toys and barks at all the attention he’s getting.

Bo has been her patient for three months.

“You have to make therapy fun for dogs, so they don’t know that they’re getting therapy. Bo requires a lot of encouragement,” said Brown, 46, who started TheraPeT about a year ago.

Her aquatherapy tub, which features a heating and filtration system, is in a basement beneath Bradley Animal Hospital, 935 E. 23rd St.

Brown is a physical therapist who works about two days per week at Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s Kreider Rehabilitation Services.

TheraPeT is her private practice specializing in pet rehabilitation, primarily for dogs. She has seven canine patients and is available on a referral basis through local veterinarians.

Much of the rehabilitation therapy she does with dogs has a direct parallel to the kind of work she does with human clients. The skills and knowledge she puts to use with people are also applicable to dogs.

“In the past, physical rehab has not been a part of the plan of care in veterinary medicine,” Brown said. “But the physical rehab of dogs is rapidly becoming an integral component of the medical and surgical management of pets who have various orthopedic and neurological conditions.”

Brown does rehabilitation therapy with dogs who have a variety of joint, muscular and post-surgical problems that are affecting the quality of their lives.

She’s working on earning her certification in canine physical rehabilitation from the University of Tennessee, which has the only program in the nation.

An initial one-hour evaluation with Brown costs $75. A typical treatment session with a dog lasts 35 to 40 minutes and costs $50. The number of treatments a patient has depends on the condition being treated.

On May 1, Brown will open her own clinic in the new, 20,000-square-foot Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Overland Park. But also she’ll continue to see patients in her space at Bradley Animal Hospital.

For some pet owners, it’s worth the expense of physical therapy so that their animals will feel better and lead happier lives, Brown said.

Patton, Bo’s owner, couldn’t agree more. She’s a satisfied customer.

“I love my pet, and I’ll do anything to improve his quality of life,” she said. “I’m so grateful to have found this service. Bo would not be doing as well without it.”