LAMENESS AND REPETITIVE STRAIN IN DOGS

Caroline Hearn MICHT. MIAAT. Dip.ICAT Dip MLD Dip. Myofascial Release.

Human, Equine & Canine Sports & Holistic Therapist

As a canine massage therapist I see many dogs with injuries and lameness caused by repetitive strain, which can easily be avoided or kept to a minimum with some lifestyle changes. The main causes seem to crop up time and time again so here are the most common factors and ways to avoid injury to your dog.

1. Ball and Frisbee throwing:

   Constant chasing after a ball or combined with leaping in the air to catch a frisbee is probably one of the main causes of injuries, lameness and strain that I see. The action of a burst of energy followed by a sudden stop, a skid then a rapid turn will put huge strain on the dogs shoulders, forelegs, neck, pelvis and spine.

   Like us, dogs will favour one side of their body so will always prefer to turn in the same direction causing over use of muscles and joints. This repetitive action is very unnatural for a dog and if left to chase and hunt in the wild they would never continuously sprint with a sudden halt afterwards.

 Also ball throwing for some dogs can mean they are on a constant adrenaline high so causing emotional as well as physical stress. This sort of exercise can cause micro trauma often not shown by the dog at the time of chasing as the sheer thrill they get can often mask any discomfort. But with time the dog will compensate for the discomfort elsewhere in their body and become lame.   Instead, encourage hunting for a hidden ball or a treat in some undergrowth and reward with either giving the dog the ball to carry or a single retrieve of a ball placed ahead. Keep it to an absolute minimum and find other ways to interact with your dog . Always warm your dogs muscles up with at least 5 minutes on the lead before letting them off to run at speed.                          

2. Jumping out of cars, off furniture and down stairs:                                               

All these activities put a lot of strain on your dogs shoulders and forelegs. The added problem with jumping out of the boot of cars is that your dogs muscles will be cold and it is often from a great height onto a hard surface, usually followed by immediately running off to start a walk. Teaching your dog to use a ramp will save so much strain on their body. Read our blog https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/teaching-your-dog-to-use-a-car-ramp for more advice          

Teaching your dog to calmly go up and down a car ramp is so important. Invaluable for young dogs, elderly or frail dogs or those recovering from injury or surgery. Saves a lot of strain on your own back too if you are currently lifting them in and out of the boot!

Stair gates are really useful for preventing dogs running up and down stairs and providing a comfortable and supportive bed for them near to you to encourage them not to lay on the furniture. Small dogs can be lifted off the sofa or a  ramp used for larger dogs.

3. Slippery Flooring :

Dogs falling and slipping on laminate or tiled floors can cause so many injuries and really make an older dog lose their confidence. Use non slip mats and rugs in the areas that the dog uses and also around their bedding and in particular food and water bowls. Dogs with arthritis or mobility problems are better eating and drinking from raised bowls and make sure they are on a non slip mat. They find lowering their head difficult so often splay their legs in order to reach, this can cause really nasty falls and make them nervous at feed times. 

Raised bowls for water and food can be made cheaply by stacking bowls together until you reach the ideal height for your dog. Always place on a non slip surface.

4. Inappropriate Exercise:

Problems can occur when dogs exceed their fitness levels or are taken beyond their capability due to age or mobility. 

Some dogs have to make do with a quick stroll round the block in the week but are taken out for hours at the weekend and become exhausted making them more susceptible to injury such as cruciate ligament strain or tears.  

Puppies and young dogs should be exercised very carefully as their bones, joints and growth plates are prone to injury causing lifelong issues. 

Senior dogs should not be forced  to walk but allowed to go at a pace that they are comfortable with and which improves their mobility. It is so upsetting to see old dogs being made to walk beyond their comfort zone and it causes pain, crushes their spirit and is detrimental to their long term welfare. 

Dogs that pull hard on the lead and lean right over to one side almost scrabbling along are heading for joint and muscular damage. Use a harness and teach your dog to walk calmly at heel or enlist the help of a reputable trainer or behaviourist . It will be money well spent and save a fortune in vets fees long term. 

Adapting your dogs routine will ensure many years of injury free activity and ease of movement in their senior years. There are some good supplements available to help support joint pain and inflammation and used in conjunction with long term lifestyle changes they can be really beneficial. Although the use of supplements can be helpful, they have limited value unless they are used in conjunction with lifestyle changes and there has been an accurate diagnosis as to the source of the pain and mobility problem.

Joint Supplements for Dogs

Choosing a Joint supplement for our dog can be overwhelming. Andrew the founder of Jointly365, explains why researching the ingredients of a product is so important and ensures your dog gets the best joint support possible.

Here we consider the following:

What ingredients and why?

What to look for when choosing a joint supplement?

Introduction

We all know that as dogs progress from middle to old age they tend to decrease their levels of activity to some degree. This can be due to many reasons, but ageing and stiff joints are one of the most commonly seen. 

Stiff joints are caused by the degeneration of the normal joint structure which leads to the aches and pains that become worse as they get older – which some of us may have experienced ourselves…..

There are many approaches we can take to this progressive condition - such as exercise and weight management, complementary therapies, or prescription medication - and though they will not be discussed here today, it is important to remember a holistic and multi-pronged approach to stiff joints is always the best way forward.

Today we will be discussing joint supplements - one of the most commonly used methods to help dogs with stiff joints.

But with so many out there to choose from, how do you choose one that is best for your dog?

My simple approach to this is there are only two things you can do with a supplement: soothe the stiff joints themselves, and provide the necessary structural ingredients that a joint requires to function as well as it can.

If you can successfully achieve both, you are on the right track. Only achieving one or the other, is a sub-optimal and unnecessary situation.

The provision of structural ingredients is a more simple topic, and will be looked at shortly, but soothing joints and working with the bodies own natural anti-inflammatory system is a more complex area.

One of the most studied and effective methods of achieving soothing joints is by using marine sourced omega 3 oils. These are a type of essential fatty acid – EFA (that has to be eaten as it can’t be made by the body – hence ‘essential’), which moderate the bodies inflammatory response, so helping aching joints. These are hard to provide at high levels in normal food due to rancidity problems during storage.

Even though only a few EFAs such as EPA or DHA are ever discussed, there are dozens of them that contribute to the overall effect in different ways. So the quality and balance of those is critical in achieving the results we want. Some fish oils and mussel powders are of poor quality for what we are trying to do in a joint supplement. And this is where the big issue lies for choosing products – it is hard to know which is which.

Those who are more sure of their product will have conducted a clinical trial and published it, so owners and vets can scrutinise the methodology and results. And you should be looking for high levels of cold water marine sourced Omega 3’s – enough to carry a regulated claim that it can “XYZ”.

The second part of the equation is providing all the structural elements the joint requires, which is critical as this is a long term condition. Depending on the food that you feed your dog, these will be supplied in higher or lower quantities, but rarely to the levels that are provided by a quality supplement.

You should be looking for ingredients that will help the production of the cartilage and joint fluid such as glucosamine, N-Acetyl glucosamine (a special type of glucosamine that is utilised more readily by the body) and hyaluronic acid, that will all help the joint function to the best of its ability.

Additionally, we can help remove free radicals, which speed up the degradation of the joint. High levels of antioxidants such as vitamin E and C are what to look for here.

So if you are using a joint supplement now, remember the condition progresses and you may be able to help your dog more by changing to a more concentrated alternative.

With this in mind, if you feel the supplement you are currently using may not be giving the best response to what is a progressive condition, or just want to start with the better alternatives out there, consider trialling one that contains the ingredients mentioned previously.

And finally, there is also the cost element of the supplement – both financially and environmentally. Generally speaking buying one from your local veterinary practice will be more expensive than elsewhere, due to the profit margins vets operate on, though you will most likely be able to get extra advice at the same time.

And nowadays you don’t need to settle for using blister packs that aren’t recycled or even plastic pots anymore, when there are technically brilliant plastic free packaging materials around. No-one want s to use more plastic than we need to, and with around 12 million dogs in the UK now, we all need to do our bit to help the environment we love to get out into with our dogs.

However using a trusted supplier with a clinical study, the regulatory claim on the pack, who is also able to give advice, usually provides the most value.

 Jointly365 has been developed by Andrew Little BVetMed. Andrew worked in practice for many years before gaining 15 years of product development experience in major animal health companies, including with market leading joint supplements products in UK and abroad. He has combined this experience to focus on dog joints, producing a natural, sustainable, plastic free joint supplement, with both soothing and structural ingredients carefully chosen and tailored to provide the very best for your dog - that is roughly half the price of veterinary alternatives to ensure as many owners as possible can access quality care for their dogs.

 www.jointly365.com