#13 - A visit to the canine physiotherapist
I came for the health advice, Bucky came for the dried pumpkin
In early August, Bucky went to a canine physiotherapist.
Bucky is 10 and now well into his senior dog years. His back legs area little stiffer than they used to be. He needs a slow warm up on walks. If he gets hyper on morning hikes and launches himself down steep slopes -I usually put him on leash before he does, but if I don’t- he’s likely to limp a little in the afternoon.
We both love hiking and I want to ensure we can hike together for as long as possible, without pain or injury.
I’ve had a lot of success reducing my own knee pain through regular physio exercises and I want to give Bucky the same chance. At first I looked at Sasha’s Fosters Hike Dog!, a short and to-the-point book to learn about stretches and strengthening exercises for dogs.
We all learn differently. While I love learning through books, sometimes I appreciate in-person teaching. That’s exactly what I wanted out of visiting a canine physiotherapist:
- to see in-person how stretches can be done safely,
- and to learn some beginner exercises (Fosters’ strengthening exercises have progression, but no regression).
Note that I am just relating my experience here. I am in no way qualified about canine (or human) physiotherapy. So if you are seeking advice, look at the resources at the end of this article.
What do canine physiotherapists (PT) do?
We saw Pawsiotherapy, located on Stó:lō territory in Chilliwack BC. Their website states:
Physiotherapy can help improve mobility through aging and disability, reduce pain, maximize recovery from injury, prepare for and optimize rehab after surgery, and even provide comfort during palliation.
When hiking or enjoying other outdoor acitivities, dogs use their bodies in repetitive and sometimes less than gentle ways. It’s important to help our dogs stretch and strengthen all muscles, to help protect their joints.
What did the visit look like?
As she welcomed us into the building the PT looked at how Bucky walked up the stairs. In the exercise room, she watched him move around, observing his weight distribution and any uneven movements.
As is sometimes the case Bucky was nervous about the unusual floor mats and moved around timidly until some treats gave him some courage. It’s a blessing to work with a food-motivated dog.
The physiotherapist had Bucky lie on his side, stretching his limbs in different patterns, checking the length of his spine, noting any signs of pain or discomfort along the way. Bucky is used to physical manipulation as we regularly practice cooperative care. He was good at letting us know when a certain movement was causing him pain, snapping his head towards the PT’s hands.
After the stretches, she lured Bucky through a variety of strengthening exercises:
- holding each leg up in turn to make his core muscles get a work out,
- making him standing on an unstable surface to test his balance,
- playing gentle tug-of-war.
Let’s talk about Bucky’s homework
Here are the physiotherapist’s recommendations:
- move Bucky through some stretches before each walk,
- perform one of three strengthening exercises daily, in a rotation,
- favor leashed rather than off-leash hikes.
Swimming can also be helpful as dogs can strengthen their muscles without putting any stress on their joints. Now that we’ve found out Bucky LOOOOVES to swim after pebbles thrown in the water, that one is easy to implement.
As for the rest, it’s a work in progress. Getting into new habits can be a challenge, so I’m focusing on progress rather than perfection. One of the benefits of Pawsiotherapy (and no, they’re not paying me to say that), is the access to videos for each of the exercise of the home program. It’s beats having to look through YouTube for a trusted source. My risk tolerance when it comes to Bucky’s health is -you might have guessed it- low.
Resources
If you are the in Lower Mainland in BC, I recommend checking Pawsiotherapy. Again, not sponsored.
In addition to her short book Hike Dog!, Sasha Foster has a variety of books and other resources, including one for baby dogs, how adorable is that?