Jumabaar

If she ends up in Western Sydney I am happy to do some rehabilitation and set up a rehab plan for her.

I have- great positive environment and lots of different activities that you can continue on with!! Sent work is great fun too!

An exercise program to keep all her joints moving can also help with pain. If her neck is sore she might have some muscles tight and uncomfortable so getting them to relax and moving rather than her avoiding using them and losing muscle mass etc.

The flyballers used to laugh at him when he would stand up during the lunch break and tell everyone you can't ever have BC's or Kelpies in the suburbs/city because they need to be worked constantly (since so many flyballers have BC's and live in the burbs) He is just a bit of an idiot.

I opted for some slightly different drugs for my boy and have split the Potassium into a morning and night dose which has helped with the ataxia. He has also started doing physio to try and keep him strong and help with proprioception and he is now back to being able to cock his leg again after 6mths of squatting- Yup I got so excited when he managed it.

I am in an 'at risk' area so I just made sure it was the correct dose and gave it at 6 week intervals rather than 4 to minimise exposure to chemicals while making sure she was adequately protected.

Not the case all the time. Older dogs with muscle loss, running on the sand is quite common, ball chasing, jumping off the couch. I have noticed a lot of flyball dogs suffering this injury. But not actually doing flyball, just every day to day life. I would love to do a study on older flyball dogs and retiree's. We are going on about 18 months with no surgery with my guy and he is doing quite well, getting old but still gets around fine. Eta: jumbaar & erny I am actually hoping to try and do some information collection for flyball first and then other sports. So far in a very small data set I have noticed that the flyball dogs tend to have CCL injuries opposite to their turning side. And as you said it is rarely when they are actually doing sport. This links to what we saw when we recently ran a conditioning class for flyball dogs where they could do some exercises to a very high level, and other exercises they all struggled to do at all. Which indicates that we should be doing much more to keep our sporting dogs strong and healthy. The dogs have come up with so many ways to try and 'cheat' in the exercises to make it easier and not use the correct muscles (where we then have to out think them to make them use the right muscles!) and this is what they dog to be able to just keep going with life. After 7 weeks the dogs are now actually choosing to use the right muscles without us having to come up with modifications to bias the correct muscles because once they have strengthened them they are actually finding it easier to use the right muscles than the wrong ones. But without that training they would never have gone back to using the correct muscles because the incorrect muscles were the easiest solution- stronger and 'kinda sorta worked ok'. And when this is happening the mechanics in the joints change, and the forces on muscles change and injury (even a minor one) is a matter of when not if. Which means that the dog then adjusts and uses more of the wrong muscles to just continue on. There have been a few surveys overseas for agility that are interesting and we are hoping to run another course to see if the areas where dogs have been found most likely to injury themselves correlates to their deficiencies as well as the flyball dogs. There are so many factors and the more I dig the more questions I have!! Its exciting to think about doing it- just a matter of actually doing it. Also Ness- what we look at is quite different to a chiro, and when i say sore it might never have actually been painful. It might just mean that they are relying on hip flexors rather than the muscles that should support the back. This can be caused by any injury anywhere in the body due which results in compensation. It is part of the whole picture. But I also agree that there is always the 'perfect storm' which nothing will prevent.

Being pro-active is really hard to get people to understand!! If only all clients were as wonderful as DOLers :)

Another take on this using a human example In the past it was deemed bad luck if a footballer did an ACL. There were no significant differences in the joint mechanics and other factors were ruled out. Recently studies that have done more investigation have shown that there is a significant relationship between footballers who have sore backs/, and a poor proprioception (knowing where their body is in space, and how to keep it there) and them damaging their ACL. Now its impossible for us at this point in time to do this type of study in dogs- but every dog that has a damaged CCL (cranial cruciate ligament which is the equivalent to the human ACL) has had a tight back. This is however after the injury so its impossible to know if this is because of the injury or it was there before. And of course the dogs that do come and see us for physio rarely go on have a CCL injury. Inflammation is certainly a big part of the picture- and is another reason why the dogs we see don't develop tears because we are very proactive in treating inflammation! Also any number of pot holes won't matter if the body is working at 10% It is because the muscles that support the joint are not working effectively that allow these injuries (and they can stop working because of inflammation). Swimming is great at cardiovascular exercise and flexibility, but rubbish at helping these supportive muscles to get back to working because they only function against gravity and under bodyweight. Wading is much more effective at rehab than actual swimming. Sporting dogs quite often get CCL injuries. And fat can actually produce lots of pro- inflammatory substances. Lots of interesting factors and it is interesting having both a Veterinary perspective and now slowly adding in a physiotherapists perspective.

I agree with the Perse about the vet and the sedation. Don't feed monday morning and then if she is not happy they can sedate rather than stressing her out.

No amount of socialisation or training will change a dog's genetic hard wiring for certain traits. Far better to select a breed that's been bred for what you want as an adult and train FOR it than to try to make a dog be what it wasn't bred to be. Besides, what one owner considers "bad" another will consider highly desirable - that's why you need to do your homework on the breeds that best suit you. Agree with this. It doesn't make sense to get a breed hoping you can train its breeding out? There are so many breeds, do some research into what you do want and find a breed that fits. Then you can worry about basic training issues like jumping etc. An example- Lapphunds are well known for barking- its not possible to completely eliminate barking but it is possible to modify the behaviour to some extent. My girl only barks when we get home and when she is playing- if she had her way she would bark much much more, but with training and rewarding her for bringing me a toy whenever she really desperately feels the need to bark so I can give her attention I have reduced it. BUT it takes much more training to reduce the barking than it would be in other breeds and it has been something that I have worked on since she was a pup to put in appropriate strategies. If you have 'deal breakers' then it is best to avoid dogs that are prone to them because it is impossible to eliminate them. But no breed is perfect so it is a matter of getting the best fit and being pro active with training which it sounds like you are willing to do :)

I use the correct dose of ivermectin for my boy every 5 weeks.

But why do some europeans not have a large number of homeless pets even with much lower rates of desexing- in some countries desexing is illegal unless for medical reasons. So I think we need to focus on responsible ownership- either contain your dog adequately or if you can't you should desex. And it is the individuals too irresponsible to do one of these two things that are causing the problems so why judge others?

And here is some interesting thoughts about return to work after injury NB- Joint motion without compression may be thought of as swimming Think of bed rest being the same as crate rest. And space flight the same as swimming.

Just to clarify this regular chiro will not necessarily prevent a dog from suffering a cruciate ligament rupture. My girl was only at the chiro about a month before she ruptured a cruciate. My understanding is there is that you can do everything to keep the dog in appropriate condition and the dog can still do the cruciate if its going to do so. However there is also no point in wrapping a dog in cotton wool because they are likely to injure themselves. My chiropractor would disagree to some extent. He'd argue while it might not prevent a traumatic rupture, it CAN prevent unnecessary strain on ligaments caused by skeletal misalignment. He has told me that dogs that get 'out' in their hips and stay out are more prone to ACL rupture and it makes sense to me. It may not eliminate every cause of ACL rupture (and structural issues and unnecessary weight are two) but it may reduce the incidence of it. I'd also disagree on the last point to some extent in the context of dog sports. I do not agree that a dog prone to injury should be asked to perform tasks that are going to exacerbate or cause injury. I'd no more jump an unsound dog that I"d jump an unsound horse. You just stop. My poodle's agility career stopped the DAY he was diagnosed with a skeletal malformation that made him prone to IVDD. He was 5 years old and competing at Masters level. I did not as some suggested (and have done) "just finish off his title". It was my responsibility to give him the best quality of life I can for the longest possible time and if that meant retiring him immediately (which the vet advised) then that's what I did. That is not "wrapping him in cotton wool" as he still has an active life but it does mean avoiding forms of exercise I know will exacerbate his condition. Unsound is unsound. A dog prone to the same repeated injury caused by dog sports is unsound. The only appropriate action for an unsound sports dog is retirement IMO. They used to think ACL damage in humans was bad luck, maybe also the way they were built. But since more money has been spent (i.e. in football) that the players with poor balance (and proprioception) were the ones that damaged their ACL. Further that injuries originating from the lower back could cause this poor balance. Also that when treating issues with the legs that were 'chronic' sometimes doing strengthening of the muscles in the back resulted in significant improvement of performance and reduced pain. It didn't mean that individuals with perfect balance and backs didn't have ACL damage, nor that all individuals with poor balance and sore backs did damage their ACL but there was a statistical correlation between the two. We treat many dogs after CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) and almost all of them are very tight and sore in their back. And we find that we have to address that as well as the leg that has been operated on (although we also do medical management and have fantastic results there too). But because we don't have many of our clients pets go on to do CCL damage we don't have enough data to say if we did more core work and careful management to ensure they have good balance, strength and core if we would decrease the incidence of CCL disease. Although the fact that our clients don't have these problems may be the proof that keeping backs happy and ensuring good proprioception works for our furry patients too. We have just started a course for flyball dogs and are looking at running it for agility dogs which will give us more data- do we have an impact on the number, type and severity of injury in our group? We can certainly see deficiencies that actually do correlate to the injuries typical in flyball dogs, particularly when they do flyball and then go on and also compete in agility. And when I say program/workshop I don't mean putting them on a peanut and watching them scramble around- the dog shouldn't need support on any of the equipment that you use as an unstable surface. If they do then it is way to hard or you are using it incorrectly. Our flyball group are all at their most calm during the workshop and any highly excitable behaviour is actually counter productive, and the dogs have all naturally settled because they realised that it was easier to do the exercise in a controlled manner than if they were bouncing around on it. All that being said we have dogs that are 'unsound' that we have been able to build a programme to first properly and completely rehabilitate them and then to ensure that they don't hurt themselves because they have everything else in their favour. We can also teach owners the most subtle signs of when they need to stop completely because they are heading toward an injury. I will also say that chiropractors can put bandaids on areas that are 'out' but without retraining the dog to use muscles correctly you are continually going to have to go and get it put back 'in'. It doesn't mean that they don't have their place, but I do think we need to look a little further than just this. So like humans we need to start looking at a multidisciplinary approach for these sporting dogs. Human athletes use chiro's, physio's and doctors - and I think some dogs need this because of the level they compete in, their age or genetics. My dogs have had the chiro work on them, but since doing physio they have had less 'out' because they have their muscular support system working as it should. ETA- Here is an abstract that shows the subtle differences in apparently non-clinical/Lame dogs with HD showing that there are subtle signs of abnormal movement as well as how problems in the hind end can cause significant changes in the front limb.

We have been running a conditioning class for flyballers- these are all top dogs and can do some really difficult exercises, but fail at some of the most simply ones. We focus on strength and flexibility- there is lots of how to condition your dog to give them cardiovascular fitness but this is not going to protect them from injury and make sure they are able to keep their form. I think the best way to go about it if you are actually serious is to consult an expert instead of trying to DIY it using articles etc. Lots of times you can be doing a good exercises but the dog is actually cheating and you are strengthening the wrong muscles!! The work you are doing should always look neat and tidy and controlled to get the best results- there are lots of youtube videos of dogs bouncing around on peanuts, balls and discs and they don't have good posture and are bounding around and probably doing more harm than good. Animal Physiotherapists who use science based practices are awesome (I might be a little biased :p) I work with one who works as a human physio for soccer and football players who is able to use much of this to ensure our furry clients get the same treatment!! I can see if there are any near you, or we do Skype consults if you want to PM me :)

Physiotherapy is another option to reduce the dose of drugs required. Doing exercises to keep dogs mobile does make a significant difference to their pain. If your interested have a look at www.k9physio.com NSAID's are good at controlling pain so certainly worth investigating further.

You will not get an effective tooth clean above the gum line without a GA. God only knows I wish my peridontist would knock ME out for that but I have to get by on a local. I really struggle with one of my dog's teeth. She gets the same diet as the others, plenty of raw bones and she needs annual cleans to prevent the onset of gum disease. She's 16 next month and going strong. I weigh the risk of GA against the risk of gum disease and its impact on her health generally and opt for the cleaning. I do think it is harder with the smaller dogs and even worse for dogs that don't have scissor bites. This is so true- sometimes small dogs do not pack the same punch with jaw forces so don't manage to keep their teeth clean. And some dogs just have bad luck and noting you seem to do keeps them clean!! This actually also happens in people- some people have perfect teeth with no effort, some need to visit the dentist regularly despite regular brushing and following all the healthy teeth guidelines. When you think about the link between dental disease and heart disease and other health problems I think a dental is a no brainer. But I think we need better education to explain these links!! Its also about quality of life. I have a friend with a hole in her tooth and seriously I have been listening to the complaints for WEEKS!! Our dogs just get on in life but they still feel pain and I wouldn't want my golden oldie to feel sad about enjoying their tucker because of bad teeth that could be fixed. The number of dogs that wake up from a dental with significant numbers of teeth removed then get so excited and scoff down a meal faster than ever because their mouth actually feels better is amazing! HW- your little girl is very lucky that you understand the risks and benefits!! But I do understand because I have one kelpie who eats the same as my others and always has grotty teeth- we have started brushing them to try and keep on top of it but I think he is just 'one of those dogs' sigh. Thankfully he quite likes the attention and actually sits and asks for you to clean his teeth because he knows he gets a cuddle at the end of it :)

My Finnish Lapphund has worked with some Autistic kids. She is very gentle, and tends to just go to sleep when things are overwhelming her :p She is solid enough not to be overly worried about handling finesse (the child she hangs out with most tries to be gentle but doesn't always quite manage it but demi manages it quite well). Hypoalergenic can very much depend what the person is allergic to- saliva or dander so it might be best for them to look into that before buying a pup.

Perhaps you could have a look in your area and see if there are any animal physiotherapists? There is good sciences based research that the techniques they use can reduce pain and I have really seen arthritic dogs improve and maintain better movement and generally look less stiff. Some also do Skype consults if there are none local to you :) You end up doing 5-10 minutes of homework each day to maintain your dog rather than needing lots and lots of consults.

Carrot or dried sweat potato if I want them calm but need to lure something. i.e. for their physio sessions where I specifically don't want them to be in drive because I need them to physically be relaxed. I am with RP for focusing while they are blowing out their brains with treats. They can certainly still work when food crazy even when i need stationary positions.

I was speaking to a keeper at an open air museum in Sweden about a male moose they had. They bred the pair of moose in the hopes of a female offspring that could be used in the program, but they got a male. Males are difficult to place however they were looking at options for him but once he reached sexual maturity then they would need to decide what happened about his future. I am not saying it is the case but this zoo may have breed with the aims of producing a female rather than a male and thus have been justified in the actual breeding of this animal. As with all stories we are only getting part of it and it may have been completely inappropriate to breed him but we don't actually know that.

Come and say hi to the animal physio's at the Animal Referral Hospital stand :) None of us bite and we are all very passionate animal physiotherapy

Another recommendation for Dogs in Motion!! Very knowledgable and will make sure you are doing everything safely and get you the best results.

Thats not quite true. We only give three shots and the 12mth shot to catch out puppies who did not respond to the initial vaccine, none of them are 'boosters'. So in theory you can give one vaccine, test 2 weeks later and if they have a positive result not give the remainder of the 'boosters' and test again 12mths later. I have had dogs vaccinated only twice as pups (8 and 12weeks) and have titres and they have not needed to be revaccinated- they are currently 3 because they correctly responded to the 12week vaccine and have since had natural exposure. Further low titre levels are actually hard to interpret- are they low because the dog does not have a strong immune response or because they have not been recently exposed. I recommend a vaccine after 14weeks- which is how I would do future dogs but if a pup has a bad reaction than titre testing is valid even at this age. This is for the core vaccines, not kennel cough.