Hydrotherapy for Dogs

Leo went swimming yesterday! Many dogs nowadays suffer from hip and elbow dysplasia as a direct result of poor breeding. Breeding from dogs who have badly formed hip joints passes down this fault to its offspring. Many reputable breeders have their breeding dogs x-rayed and their hips are examined for health and given a 'hip-score'. Good healthy hip and elbow joints are well formed and have little excess movement beyond normal motion. Over the years of a dog's life, arthritis can cause stiffness and pain in older age.
Leo is 11 years old and has hip and elbow dysplasia and arthritis. Exercise in water can strengthen and build muscle around the joints which can help support and protect them.

After a quick Google search for canine hydrotherapy in my area I found a wonderful centre just a couple of miles away. Qualified canine physiotherapist shown here, helped him around the pool for the first couple of minutes, then when he had got used to the idea she threw a tennis ball over the other side of the pool and he was off on his own like a torpedo!!

Walking on dry land can be quite painful with arthritis and he can only manage a 10 minute walk before pain slows him down. Swimming is brilliant for this type of health problem in older dogs, he can maintain good mobility and stamina. We look forward to many more sessions.

Getting Older

I have been thinking about the subject of ageing dogs recently. There are so many similarities in the physical and psychological lives of dogs and humans and ageing is no exception. So in the following sentences, when I refer to dogs then you could replace it with the word 'human' and I think it would still apply!
Older dogs really appreciate routine and predictability. Older dogs find change in lifestyle and habits quite difficult to cope with. Older dogs can suffer a gradual hearing loss and poor eyesight, and they really appreciate a comfy bed or chair that is easy to get on and off.
What I have been thinking about recently is that because you see your dog every single day, then perhaps you don't notice the subtle changes which happen very, very slowly. I remember listening to an excellent piece of wisdom from a Vet who said that slowing down and having stiff joints is not necessarily a normal and predictable part of growing old for dogs. Dogs, by their nature as predators put on an act so as not to be seen as vulnerable to other dogs and people. If they are in pain, they hide it for as long as possible. If they have painful joints they don't want other dogs or people to know about it and they really don't moan about their aches and pains. If you have an older dog and you think it is just slowing down and getting less active, then the chances are that they are in pain and they don't want anyone to know.
I have just started Leo the Lab on a course of dietary supplements (mainly glucosamine/chondroitin) to assist with osteo arthritis. There has been a massive leap forward in the scientific understanding of these type of supplements. Please go and ask the advice of your vet. Don't just slip a few extra shop bought supplements into his food and hope for the best, dogs have a very different digestive system from humans and they require very specific doses.
Getting slower is not just a normal part of ageing for a dog, he might be in pain and you don't know it. Go see your vet and get it checked out. You might be amazed at the difference these supplements can make, and your dog will thank you for it.

Bonding!

We've bonded! It takes quite a while longer for a rescue dog to settle into a new home than you might think. Routine is important, what he is allowed to do and what he isn't. What time is dinner time and what time is walkies. A new dog must also 'bond' with a new owner. Scientific studies have proved that the hormone 'oxytocin' is produced when owners stroke and cuddle their dogs. This is the same hormone that a mother produces when she is feeding her baby. This is a bonding hormone and it really does work between humans and dogs.
This week we have been bonding. Lots of eye contact, lots of physical contact, lots of play, lots of gentle grooming. All these activities are bonding. So now, just after 7 days in a new home it really does feel like I am 'in love' again. We have bonded!

The Amazing Thing About Dogs

It's Iditarod time again! Every Winter the Iditarod sled dog race takes place in Alaska. For more than 1100miles teams of sled dogs race through unbelievable conditions from Anchorage to Nome. The best racers can do it in about 8 or 9 days. That's more than 100miles of running per day! I just adore the sport of dog sledding! This is a fantastic example of dogs doing what they were bred to do. They love it! Can you imagine running 100miles a day and still wanting more? These dog athletes are amazing! They are the equivalent of a world class athlete! There is a very special bond between a musher and his dogs. Science is still learning incredible things about how a dog metabolises so much energy from its food! The amazing thing about these dogs is that they love to work! They love life! Can you imagine how much fun it would be going to work every day when you had colleagues like this?

Letting Go

Readers of my other blog will know that last week I had to say goodbye to my Buddy. He was 15 years old and had a stroke. Unable to stand up and showing no signs of recovery we called the vet and he went to sleep peacefully at home. It is a responsibility that we have when we own dogs. When to think of their welfare before our own. We want them to stay with us just a few days more, we want them to get better, we want them to keep us company for just a bit longer...we want..we want..we want.
In fact, the whole act of having a dog live with us in our houses, to keep us company is selfish. A wonderful book I read on the subject is 'The Culture Clash' by Jean Donaldson. We expect dogs to come into our houses and live with us as humans live. We give them human names, even sometimes dress them up in clothing (oh how I hate that!).
So, letting go of a beloved pet is a real bereavement. A big hole in our lives, an empty space, no one to lick the plates clean! So in their best interest, when the time comes, we must let go. With dignity, at peace and just one day too soon, and never, ever... one day too late.

What Dogs Need

What do dogs need in order to fulfil a happy life? Well, the basics are obvious - the same as for us, food, shelter, water, company... but what else can you do to make your dog happy? Well that depends on what breed of dog you have.
For thousands of years we have chosen dogs for what the could DO for us. Could they catch vermin? could they help us manage our farm animals? Could they guard us and our families while we sleep? So dog evolved along those lines and the genetic make-up of different breeds became more divided. So it then becomes a bit clearer.

Well, the clue is sometimes in the breed name. German Shepherd.... (that's obvious), Labrador Retriever.... (that's obvious too!), or Terrier (from the French 'terre' meaning ground) terriers used to catch rats and vermin down in their holes in the ground.
I'm not suggesting that if you have a greyhound you lay on little baby bunnies for it to chase after and catch, kill and eat - but you have to give a dog what it needs.

So think about an approximation of what a scent hound does for a living... perhaps you might scatter it's daily food all over the garden and let it go hunt for it !! Perhaps your Jack Russell Terrier might enjoy chasing a tennis ball instead of a rat! Your Retriever might like it if you hid his favourite toy somewhere and he had to play a game to find and retrieve it?
Be creative and get your dog to engage it's brain. These exercises don't always have to be physically exhausting either. You can wear your dog out by doing training and tricks in front of the television in an evening if you are feeling like a couch potato. I doubt that you really can't think of anything at all... so here's one for starters. Cut up little pieces of cheddar cheese (about half an inch) and hide them all over your living room while you are at home one evening. See how many hours of fun you can both have!!

Moulting - The Facts

Do you have a dog that seems to moult brushfulls of fur from time to time? I do! It can be alarming to brush and brush and seemingly endless amounts of fur come away and I worry sometimes I will be left with a bald dog! You might be reassured therefore to read the following explanation from guidelines written by the Blue Cross. Unless your dog has obvious bare patches, then moulting is not usually a sign of illness. Dogs can lose up to 180g of fur per kg of body weight over the course of a year. Hair growth is in two stages, 'anagen' is when hair growth is active and there is little shedding. 'Telogen' is the inactive stage when dogs shed fur. This varies between breeds, body location and hair length. Shedding fur is normally associated with day length, and mostly happens in Spring and Autumn, but if your dog lives mostly indoors with steady temperatures and steady light levels this is likely to be less apparent.
There is no remedy to alter shedding, but a balanced diet, regular flea control, frequent brushing and fish oil supplements can help