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This Domain is For Sale,
Serious Inquiries please contact Marie Tabsch
By Michael Holloway L.M.T.
Puppies in their developmental stages grow rapidly and become awkward. Lack of coordination is usually the rule for the puppy growing into its body; spurts of growth in the skeletal system are followed by muscular development that leaves them a bit ungraceful. This is also the time in which hip dysplasia can begin developing in the joint structure of the dog. Preventative methods can be taken to ward off serious problems. Intense exercise and agility in young dogs can be detrimental to their future joint stability. Young bones are not ready for extensive exercise and the demands of sports that require overexertion and -extension of the muscles and joints. Puppies are more susceptible to dysplasia in the elbows, shoulders and hips than older dogs. Dysplasia starts during the development of bone and muscle tissue, causing looseness in the joint because muscle is not able to keep up to bone growth. I had the pleasure to work with Dion, a 7 ½-month-old Vizla. Dion had injured his shoulder at home playing with his playmates, Eric and Dylan, who are father and uncle to him, and two yellow Labradors, Nick and Anna. Dion is full of life and energy and does not know when enough is enough; he will always play too hard. During an incident in the family pool, he injured his shoulder. When he emerged from the pool, he was limping. Daina, his owner at the time, waited to see what would happen over the next few days, but the shoulder was not getting any better. I had been at their home previously for treatments on Eric for anger issues in which I was doing some desensitization and bodywork to change this behavior. Daina decided not to wait any longer and asked me to see Dion; she was afraid of a serious injury, which could affect Dion's promising show career. He comes from a line of champion Vizlas and, with a name like 'Copper Creek's Majestic Gent,' had some work in front of him. This type of injury is common in puppies where they are very active and sustain an injury due to their exuberance for life. The fact is we don't want to allow a minor incident to remain unattended and become a lifelong problem where some therapy and preventive care can deal with it early on. Prevention is the key to a healthy puppy. By setting up exercise programs for your pup, you will help bring about proper muscle development. But it cannot be just any old exercise. Swimming is the best exercise for your puppy during the time he is developing muscle tissue and joint strength. Exercises like agility or jumping, running or heavy walking can apply too much impact and force to the young and not-fully-developed joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles. Low-impact swimming will allow great strengthening in all the muscles of the body along with increased heart and respiratory circulation. Dion was removed from participating in swimming with his doggie friends and relatives during the healing process. This kept him from overexerting himself and reinjuring the shoulder. I recommend the use of a life preserver made for dogs. Through the use of the floatation device, Dion's body was floating evenly on the surface of the water, allowing him to engage all four legs during swimming. This helps to strengthen the body and the rear legs, especially the muscles surrounding the hip and shoulder joints. Recovery came swiftly for Dion-age was on his side. -Michael Holloway is a Licensed Massage Therapist with a special interest in pet health therapy. He practices in South Florida and can be reached at 561-393-4732 (office), 561-302-0446 (mobile), and through e-mail at petmassagerehab@aol.com. His website is www.petsrehab.com. |
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