If you have a large breed dog you probably know that their hips can cause trouble. Whether it is severe hip dysplasia or osteoarthritis the hips can affect the health of the dog, their quality of life and the pocket book of the owner.
Whether it is a human or a dog the same principles of wear, tear and degeneration apply. The difference is when humans have a bad hip they don’t run, jump and play. Dogs on the other hand do.
I don’t know how many owners try to limit the dog’s exercise, but when the dog finds a squirrel in the backyard they get up and go, and make a youthful leap off the back deck causing impact to those bad joints. They come back limping and it stays this way for the following 3 days.
Week after week this pattern continues.
If you can’t correct the behaviour, how do we make the joints adapt to handle those repetitive stresses that are placed on it.
Motion is lotion.
Your dog needs movement. Or should I say your dog’s hips need movement. No just any movement, proper movement.
Dogs with hip issues, will get atrophy of the muscle from disuse and from a phenomenon called arthrogenic muscular inhibitiion.
Regular check ups from your animal chiropractor can be a game changer in the function of your dogs hip health. I have literally seen old dogs get a bounce back into their step.
When owners tell me their dog is now walking them and that hasn’t happened in years, I know the visit to the animal chiropractor was well worth it.
The bottom line is dogs don’t lie. The proof is in the pudding!