THE JOY OF MOVEMENT AND OUR PETS: MYTHS AND TRUTHS

What could be better than heading outside with our dog on a lovely day? Or popping into the back yard to pat a cat.  Some of us may even be adventurous enough to share their lives with a horse and head out into the great outdoors together. 

But how do you know if you are exercising your pets enough or even too much? We can talk about any kind of pet, but let’s use a dog as our example. The basic principle is: if your dog is not fully loading every leg, you should not be exercising them until the problem is diagnosed.  Most Musculo-skeletal (involving muscles and joints) problems start subtly, with small repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). In the human world one of the common RSIs is the “tennis elbow”, which is due to not warming up and stretching properly prior to playing tennis.  If these RSIs are not allowed to heal fully, they can lead to further problems.  Again, how can you tell if your dog is not moving correctly? Sore dogs will show some signs if you observe them closely. They may walk or run crooked, stop on walks, “bunny hop”, sit on the back of their pelvis like a puppy, or “lazy sit” with back legs out to the side.  As pain and dysfunction progresses you may notice they won’t jump into a car or onto the bed or walk up the stairs or steps.

Let’s talk about the quality of movement in dogs.  Their bodies are cleverly designed with compensations when things do go wrong.  Whenever there is a sore back, muscle, joint or paw, the body weight is shifted away from the affected part. The weight is re-distributed among the remaining functional limbs, and it may be difficult to spot the primary issue.  The healthy limbs are not designed to carry more than their “natural” percentage of the body weight.  Eventually they get so overloaded and “tired” that the dog’s owners suddenly notice and decide that this is the leg their dog is lame on.  But a Musculo-skeletal exam and gait (movement) analysis will reveal that such a leg has cramped and shortened muscles, which stop the dog from moving the leg forward properly.  Once the primary problem is discovered it can be properly investigated, diagnosed and a treatment plan formulated.

Meanwhile, here are some common misconceptions, or myths, about sore dogs.

1) “It’s always the hips”

The hip joint is just one of many joints found in the back end of our animals, but it’s the most infamous one. It is true, there are some dogs that have dysfunctional joints to start with. Those animals will declare themselves to be sore and limping before 12 months of age. Most dogs start with sore lower backs and strained large joints called Sacro-Iliac joints. This, in turn, leads to changes in posture and further disfunction.

2) “Swimming is good for them”

Many breeds of dogs absolutely love the water, part of joy of having such a dog is watching them play in the water.  But swimming should never be looked at as a “therapy” or used for sore or limping animals to “build up muscle”.  Dogs are forward pulling animals in the water, which means if they are allowed to swim more than 5 minutes, they will be using the chest muscles and not the back legs. The back end will become an anchor and pull the animal down in the water. Water therapy (hydrotherapy) is not swimming, it is walking on an underwater treadmill with a rehabilitation qualified therapist standing over them and adjusting speed, leg placement, water height and other variable. Everything else does more harm than good.

3) “Going up a hill is a great exercise”

It’s not, unless you have a mountain goat or a working mountain dog. Going up strains the back end, going down strains the neck and shoulders.

4) “He is sore, but I won’t walk far”

If the dog is lame or sore, they should not be walked until the dysfunction is diagnosed and treated.  The ongoing treatment plan should detail the type and frequency of exercise for the individual dog.

5) “I have slippery tiles and stairs at home, is that ok?”

It is not practical to change your primary residence or move when your dog becomes older or sorer. But there is still a lot you can do at home as part of your dog’s overall management.  If you have tiles or polished floors at home, you can purchase rubberised mats and lay then out as “steppingstones” or a “highway” in places where your dog needs some extra grip. These are usually the high traffic area. It is also important to trim any extra fur from your dog’s feet in the effort to get their paw pads to contact the ground. Extra fur makes your dog walk around in “slippery socks” and contributes to the injuries.  Baby gates can block off the stairs and ramps make it easier to reach higher places.

When humans get sore or injured, they visit their GP Doctor and are referred to physiotherapists and other specialists, such as myofascial practitioners, chiropractors, occupational therapists and sports medicine practitioners. Dogs can be referred to Animal Rehabilitation Specialised Veterinarians. 

These doctors have the experience and postgraduate qualifications to get to the cause of the problem and formulate a treatment plan.  The referral process tends to be slow as not all GP Veterinarians are aware of the rehabilitation specialists in their area. A comprehensive treatment program can start with effective pain management to help ensure the success of other supportive care.  A successful treatment plan can involve rehabilitation, exercise, weight control, nutritional supplements and disease modifying drugs. 

Together we can alleviate pain, maintain mobility and improve quality of life for our beloved pets.

Happy trails to you and your pets.

Dr. Liza Sergeev BVMS, BSc, Master of Animal Chiropractic

Smithfield Central Vets