Cruciate ligament damage in dogs has become more common in recent years. It used to be an injury seen almost exclusively in working and sporting dogs but is now seen very frequently in the general pet population. The cruciate ligaments are 2 ligaments which cross over in the knee or stifle joint and when they […]
Cold Winter Nights
As the nights get colder we put on our thicker night clothes and maybe swap to a thicker duvet or use extra covers. We plug in the electric blanket and fill our hot water bottles but what about our dogs? What can we do to help them keep warm during the cold Winter nights? […]
Massage and Fireworks
Many dog owners dread the arrival of Autumn as it also means firework season. Normally calm, happy dogs can be transformed into quivering wrecks when the flashes and bangs start. For some dogs their fear is confined to fireworks, for others it also applies to thunder, gun shots, whistles, electronic beeping etc or can […]
Front Leg Lameness
Limping on a front leg can have many causes and the problem can come from the foot, the wrist, the elbow or the shoulder. If the limp comes on very suddenly the first thing to check is the foot in case anything is sticking into the pads or between the toes. In this case the […]
Your Puppy at Home
While your puppy is growing you need to consider how much access they will have to your home and where they will sleep. Puppies have soft bones and are still growing which means too much jumping on and off things can cause joint damage. They shouldn’t use stairs until fully grown unless they are carried […]
Puppy Food For Thought
When choosing a food for your puppy check it contains no more than 23% protein. More than this can cause the bones to grow too quickly and become too big for the soft tissues to support, and the muscles, tendons and ligaments can get damaged. You also need to make sure you know how much […]
Exercising Your Puppy
As dog owners it’s up to us to know how far we should expect our dogs to walk. Puppies should have limited walks until they have stopped growing. This can take anything from 6 months to 3 years depending on the breed of dog. Generally allow one month of growing for every 2.5cm (1 […]
Puppy Growth
Puppies aren’t puppies for long which means as owners we only have a short time to give them the best start. Of course it depends on the breed of dog you have how long the puppy stage lasts. The general rule is to allow one month for every inch (2.5cm) of growth until your dog […]
All About The Environment For Arthritic Dogs
By Louise Wilkes on 1st February 2016 in Arthritis in Dogs, Canine Mobility Aids, Senior Dogs and Elderly Dogs
Previous blogs have talked about the importance of pain control and body weight in order to manage arthritis in dogs. Another important consideration is the dog’s environment. This means looking at your home and the things your dog needs to be able to do and seeing if you can change anything to […]
Athletes Need a Warm Up
By Louise Wilkes on 11th January 2016 in Joint Care in your dog, Massage, Senior Dogs and Elderly Dogs
I’ve referred to dogs before as athletes and as all good athletes know a warm up routine is vital. A good warm up will put heat into the muscles which makes them more pliable and allows them to stretch as joint movements are increased. This helps prevent injury. Human participants in any sport will spend […]
