FAQs

No. Buddy is NOT a veterinary clinic and we do not have a vet on site. We do not perform any veterinary medical services, diagnose, prescribe medication or perform any procedures at our facility.

Our staff are qualified to help manage the recovery of many conditions, animal first-aid and are always monitoring your pet 1-on-1 to ensure their safety.

We ask for a referral from your vet before starting any form of swimming or exercise in the treadmill to ensure they are healthy enough to do so. This also allows us to inform your vet of progress or any concerns during your session as we like to partner with them and keep them in the loop.

Having a referral allows the hydrotherapist to have all the medical information about the pet and ensure they are in a suitable state of health for swimming or using the water. Our staff is fully qualified and trained across a range of conditions, but isn't a vet. Your own vet should be satisfied that your dog is a good candidate for water exercise, and the referral gives us their full medical picture so we can work safely and keep your vet in the loop on progress.

You don't need to chase this before booking. Book your initial appointment first, and we'll contact your vet directly to request the form. If you'd rather handle it yourself, you can get the process started by downloading our vet referral form and having your provider fill it out. You can email it back to us at hello@buddyk9.com

Similar to a doggy daycare, Buddy requires 3 vaccinations for our clients: Rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella (kennel cough). Though not required, we also strongly recommend that your pet be vaccinated against Leptospirosis and Canine Influenza.

The Bordetella vaccine needs to be administered at least 5 days prior to your appointment. Proof of vaccines must be submitted to us prior to your arrival - you can upload them to your client portal, on our intake form when booking an appointment, or via email to hello@buddyk9.com

Some exceptions are made for new puppies, please email or call for details.

Note: We do not administer vaccinations at our facility - please contact your vet to schedule if needed.

You don’t need much, but please bring your pet in on a short leash, and a towel to dry them after. If you would like a shampoo add-on during their rinse and have a particular shampoo you want us to use, please bring that.

If you haven’t already uploaded or emailed it to us, please bring any vet referral documents, and vaccination records for your pet.

You may want to consider wearing clothing that you don’t mind getting splashed or a bit wet. Please wear non-slip flat shoes since our floor is usually wet.

We recommend replacing the walk with the swim. Short walks for potty is fine but you do not want to over-exert your dog prior to or after the session.

This allows the staff to have a fair evaluation of their performance in the pool or treadmill and how they appear after their session to determine if the next session time needs to be adjusted or discussed with your vet.

We ask you not to feed your pet 2 hours before or after the swim to prevent sickness and bloat (GDV)

We cannot allow owners into the pool with their pets, however we do encourage you to stand alongside and encourage them while swimming. In certain cases if the owner’s presence causes the pet to move unfavorably, our staff may ask you to wait out of sight.

We're a small studio and we only ever work with one dog at a time, so our schedule fills up. New clients are currently looking at roughly 6–8 weeks for a first appointment, so it’s wise to get something on the books sooner rather than later if you know your dog will need it after a procedure. The booking page shows live availability.

Yes — it's a water session, so expect a damp dog! However, we will towel dry them after the session, so they will be damp, but not dripping. We will rinse your pet with fresh water after every session to remove the pool chemicals. We offer an option for a quick shampoo for a $5 add-on fee, but please note this is not a full thorough groom or wash.

We do not offer any blow dry or grooming.

PLEASE BRING A TOWEL WITH YOU TO THE SESSION

It’s OK - not all dogs can swim! Our sessions are always performed with a life jacket or a support harness so staff can easily lift or maneuver them if necessary. Someone will be in the water with your pet at all times to ensure they are safe. No worries!

Sessions are always private for the health & safety of the dog. We do not allow more than one dog in the pool.

For fun & fitness swims, we can accommodate more than one pet (but our booking system cannot handle that) so please book a single session, and call or email to let us know if there will be more than one dog. Additional dogs are charged at the same price and can be paid before or after the session.

Your initial appointment will be around 60-70 minutes, and each individual session is roughly 30-40 minutes.

Please note that your dog may only be actively swimming or walking on the treadmill for a fraction of that time depending on their condition and physical health. Your vet will advise us with a custom plan including working & rest times for each patient individually.

With the guidance of your vet, we will select certain sessions in the pool or treadmill based on the condition and physical health of your dog. One is not better than the other, they simply target different things much like gym equipment.

Our staff are trained in canine first-aid, but as an added precaution we have partnered with an emergency vet just across the road if needed. There are several other veterinary hospitals within a two minute walk of our studio.

Yes, we have dedicated spots in the lot directly in front of the studio. As we all know, parking in LA is annoying, so please be courteous to others and move your car as soon as your appointment is finished, and do not arrive to your appointment too early.

As a courtesy to yourself and others, we do our best to keep all appointments running on time. If you are running a few minutes late, we’ll try to make-up the time and still give your pet their full session if possible, but it’s not guaranteed. Our official policy is that your pet’s time in the pool or treadmill will be reduced if you are late so it ends on time. If you are more than 15 minutes late for the session, we may need to cancel the appointment.

If you are running late, please text or call as soon as you can to let us know.

Missed sessions are charged at the full amount.

We would love to not have one, but unfortunately, we have to implement a cancellation policy to ensure clients are able to book and we are able to stay in business. Since we can only treat one pet at a time, it is crucial that we operate efficiently.

We understand that life happens, and we will try our best to work with you to reschedule appointments and find someone to fill the spot if we can.

However, as a general rule, the following policy is in effect:
We require a minimum of 24-hours notice for any cancellation.

Cancellations made within 24 hours of the appointment or No-Shows will be charged at the full session price to the card on file, or will use 1 credit from a pre-paid package.

It is up to the discretion of Buddy’s staff members to grant any exception to this policy.

If you are late for your appointment, the session may be truncated or cancelled and charged at the full session price. It is at the discretion of our staff if all or part of the treatment can be completed at the scheduled time. We will try our very best to accommodate the appointment if possible.

Your appointments can be managed from the CLIENT PORTAL. Once you’re logged in, you can see all of your appointments and easily cancel or reschedule them.

Our schedule is very full, and we typically do not have wiggle room to reschedule appointments same-day, or even same-week… if you need to reschedule, give us a text and we’ll work to get you back in as soon as we can.

Please note - if you cancel your appointment, the time slot will be given to someone on the cancellation waiting list quickly, so you cannot change your mind and get that time back once you let it go.

That's a decision for your surgeon or vet, and it varies a lot by procedure. Once they've given the go-ahead, we'll work from their guidance. Feel free to book in the meantime — we'll contact them for the referral, and we can always move things if the timing shifts.

Typically, we can start a week after stitches are removed, but your vet will make the final call.

This depends on each dog's individual condition. The frequency of the swims can be discussed with our staff at the initial appointment and we will discuss with your vet about how many sessions is right for your dog.

We allow up to 45 minutes of water time for the initial appointment to allow us plenty of time to calmly and slowly introduce the new environment to your pet. All dogs will start off with a buoyancy aid and have a member of staff with them at all times. In some cases, the treadmill can be used as an alternative to the pool and we will slowly fill it with water to get them used to it.

Our regular single sessions are for dogs that are coming to Buddy to help with a specific condition like recovery from injury, strength training, weight loss, arthritis, etc. Regular sessions are one on one with our staff, and include regular checks and sessions notes.

Our Fun & Fitness sessions are a quicker Swim, Play, or Fetch in our pool or a quick walk, jog or run on our treadmill with the added resistance in the water. Fun & Fitness is not for dogs with underlying medical conditions, and your sessions do not include health checks or session notes from our staff.

Swimming in cold temperatures will reduce blood circulation and may lead to stiffening of muscles and cramping. There is an undercurrent in the ocean which will make it harder for your dog to swim in and can potentially cause problems. Also, water-born diseases and pollution could also put your dog in danger.

Our pool is heated to promote blood circulation. We also test our water throughout the day to ensure it is safe for your pet. Our staff are trained specialists and get in the water with your pet to ensure they are safe and are not furthering any injuries.

Please visit our Services page for our current price list.

Yes, we offer pre-paid credit packs of 10 for our sessions at a discounted rate. You can visit our Services page for current pricing. Packages can be self-purchased and used on our booking portal, or in person.

Please note - Any discounted session packages are non-refundable. Package credits do not expire, but please keep in mind that scheduling and services may change if an extended time period between sessions has passed. If you no longer need your remaining credits, you can transfer them to another dog, or donate them to one of our rescue partners who have dogs in need of our services.

At this time, we do not accept any form of pet insurance. This may change in the future, but for now you are encouraged to speak directly with your insurance provider as many will reimburse you directly for our services.