Do you and your dog enjoy walks together? Busy lives can make it challenging to find time for regular walks but most dog breeds need a good deal of exercise – as do all the human breeds… fitness levels at both ends of the lead benefit hugely from regular outdoor exercise, as do levels of mental and emotional well-being, for both four-footed and two-footed walkers.
Owners may wonder how often they should walk their more elderly canine friends, and a good rule of thumb is “little and often”. It is amazing to witness how this improves musculature which helps struggling joints to cope. Making small adjustments to how long and how often you walk your more elderly dog can make a big difference to your pet’s enjoyment and quality of life.
Many elderly dogs have undiagnosed problems that affect their ability to move with ease. Simply knowing there is an issue, and taking appropriate steps to adjust exercise patterns and the home environment can make a positive difference in these cases. —-
Some younger dogs develop problems because of old, or even unnoticed injuries. Elbow and hip dysplasia often cause trouble for adolescent dogs, and managing these conditions can improve and extend mobility, giving your dog a good life for longer.
Supplements, weight management and suitable exercise helps make a big difference at the onset of problems, and research provides the best evidence of improvement when using high does omega 3 fatty acid supplements.
At the moment we are able to enrol pets on a FREE 30-day trial of these high end omega 3 supplements.
These omega 3s can be combined with most other supplements and medications, and any dog is eligible for this trial, although the supplementation will be most helpful for older dogs or dogs with mobility issues, including those with complex and advanced conditions.
Owners need to know whether a certain supplement will work for their pet or not, but, it’s hard to give an accurate answer if we haven’t assessed your pet before they started taking the supplement, as well as while they’re taking it. So, to make an accurate comparison, and assess whether high-dose Omega 3 is helping your dog, we’d like to see you before as well as after the trial. There’s no charge for the supplement, but there is a small charge for us to give your pet a thorough examination and discuss with you whether the current exercise routine needs adjusting, and we would also like to see you again after the trial.
So far, we’ve found that some owners notice a surprisingly swift improvement in their pet’s mobility while others say they haven’t noticed any change – but, out of these owners, a few days after the supplementation stops, many notice their pet’s mobility deteriorates noticeably. It seems that supplementation creates a gradual improvement that can be too subtle to be obvious, but, when the supplementation stops, the reverting to stiffness and discomfort is glaringly obvious.
Of course, for some dogs, with complex and advanced condition, supplements aren’t enough. Here, the second consult allows us to look at other modalities and treatments, and the best help arises from an integrated team approach, including a full holistic consultation and appropriate referral for further diagnostics, either with your normal vet or with an orthopedic surgeon.
To participate in this trial, you can come to one of our sessions in Cinderford, Hope under Dinmore and Trellech. The venue in Trellech is Westmac Hydrotherapy Centre, which has a resident veterinary physiotherapy service and is therefore ideal for cases that benefit from several modalities and a genuine team approach.
Dates for the diary:
Mobility Clinics: Trellech Thursday 12th of January and 9th of February 10am-12pm
Hope under Dinmore: 1st of February and 1st of March 3-5pm
Cinderford: 11th of January and 8th of February 11 am – 1pm
Kilpeck: Slots available Mondays and Fridays 20th of January until February 24th
9.15am until 12.15pm and 3.15 pm until 5.30pm