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Intro
Many older pets experience a decrease in their activity levels over time. A common change pet owners notice is slowing down on walks or difficulty getting up and down. While many pet parents chalk this up to simply age-related decline, it is more often a sign of arthritis changes, a true total joint disease.
Early Signs
When pets experience arthritis pain and stiffness, they become more sedentary and start to lose muscle mass and joint range of motion, which increases their reluctance to move - contributing to further decline in mobility in an ever-worsening cycle. This can often lead to difficult quality of life decisions, even if the pet is otherwise healthy, resulting in prematurely shortened lifespans.
Early intervention with exercise can significantly slow this progression and keep your pet active for longer - improving their health span, the years of healthy active living your pet experiences. This means more good time together.
It’s never too early (or too late!) to start doing exercises with your pet. In addition to regular low-impact activity, such as daily walks, strengthening and flexibility exercises will help improve your pet’s ability to avoid injury and maintain mobility.
The most common orthopedic changes we see as dogs age are hip and back problems. Our goals in doing these exercises are to:
- Strengthen the core (abdominal) muscles to support the back
- Maintain flexibility of the spine and spine musculature
- Actively stretch the muscles around the hips while strengthening the postural muscles of the back legs (those that hold your pet up against gravity)
There are three basic exercises that we can use to accomplish these goals. There are descriptions following each of the exercises, but you can also search the title of the exercise in YouTube to find video demonstrations, which may make it easier to understand the mechanics.
1. Cookie stretches
Cookie stretches involve using a treat lure (a “cookie”) to help your pet flex and extend their spine. Standing on one side of the animal, take a treat from just in front of the nose and slowly move it back along their body toward their shoulder, giving the reward when they reach the shoulder or as close as they can get to it. Repeat this from the nose to the hip. Repeat again from the nose to the back foot. Finally, bring the treat from underneath the chest between the front legs to encourage your pet to bend their neck down to get it. This encourages flexion and extension of the spine in all directions. You can then repeat on the other side. Work up to five repetitions for each site.
2.Sit-to-stand
Sit-to-stand exercise is the equivalent of a “dog squat.” If your pet already knows a sit command, ask them to sit and then lure them using a treat into a standing position. Then ask them to sit again and repeat. Ideally, your pet should sit squarely, meaning their knees are bent and the hindlegs are close to their body (not pointing outwards). Repeat this for five repetitions and increase over time up to 15 repetitions. If your pet doesn’t sit squarely (with their legs close to their body and parallel to the spine), work on a square sit first. You can stand straddling them from behind and use your feet to encourage the legs to stay close to the body as you lure them into the sitting position. Having them sit on a platform (such as an aerobics step) that is equal to the width of them sitting can also help bring attention to the back legs if they are not sitting squarely.
3. Paws up
Finally, the paws up exercise involves asking the dog to place their front feet on a slightly raised surface such as a curb or carpeted stair. You can use a treat to lure them up onto it. Then place a treat a little above their head so they have to reach slightly for it. This opens up the hips and also works on abdominal (core) strength. Try to hold the position for 5 seconds to start and then reset by throwing a treat for your pet to retrieve and then luring them back into the paws up position. Repeat this for five reps. If this seems easy for your pet, over time you can increase the height of the step (up to elbow height) or duration of the hold.
A session of these exercises should only take 5-10 minutes of your day. Ideally, perform these exercises after a short walk when your pet is “warmed up.” If your pet experiences soreness within the first 24 hours of the session - or starts to perform the movements with compensation (falling, muscle spasms, poor form) during the session - reduce the repetitions or make the movement easier by adjusting your technique.
Using these exercises as part of a regular fitness routine is a fun way to bond with your pet, teach them new skills and strengthen their muscles to keep them moving well for many years to come.
At Petspan, we’re on the forefront of longevity interventions for pets. Want to learn more about what options are available to help your pet live a longer and healthier life? Schedule a consultation with one of our Petspan veterinarians.
