Cape Town - Keeping in shape for dogs is just as important as it is for people, especially when they reach a certain age - and a daily walk is often not enough.
Dr Megan Kelly, who studied Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy at the University of Tennessee, has developed online courses to teach people how to treat their arthritic pets and those in pain after injuries or operations, at home.
She said that most treatment programmes required additional exercises to be done at home with the dogs. But she often found that people couldn’t remember how to do them. “Or after a few days they would forget to do them so I started filming the exercises.”
She has put together a 12-week strengthening programme, one on massage, and is finalising a third on acupressure which is similar to acupuncture but, instead of needles, pressure is applied on specific points using fingers.
Kelly said animals with arthritis, or those with injuries or recovering from an operation, would often shift their weight onto other limbs, causing some muscles to be overused and others underused. “The ones that are underused are often those used to stabilise joints so the exercises challenge those muscles and build strength to enable better joint support and less pain.”
She said most dogs at six or seven years started to battle with certain areas, while breeds prone to hip dysplasia such as Labradors could be sore from as early as eight months. The strengthening course looks at issues like balance, muscle strengthening, co-ordination and core.
“Just like with people it takes time and needs maintenance though.”
Kelly, who works closely with a number of rehab therapists, said once a dog loses muscle mass, it was hard to get it back. “So it is better to start with exercises early rather than wait until the dog can hardly stand up.”
Some breeds are also more prone to injuries, such as Boerboels who often ruptured their cruciate ligaments because they had straight knees, and Dachshunds, which often had back problems.
Kelly said she received emails daily from pet owners in areas like Nelspruit and Mpumalanga who wanted to help their pets, but didn’t have access to anyone specialising in pain management.
She said that more and more vets were looking at alternative treatment before prescribing anti-inflammatories, some of which could even speed up joint degeneration.
Bridget Hammond, whose 10-year-old Ridgeback Roxy has spinal arthritis, said many of the exercises could be incorporated into everyday life and only took a few minutes. She added they were easy enough for children to help with.
Kelly will also be holding a series of workshops in Cape Town on June 4 and 5 and in Joburg on July 24 and 25. For more details, visit holisticvet.co.za
Cape Argus