Many thanks to all who participated in our recent live chat with Dr. Jessica Waldman of California Animal Rehab in Los Angeles, CA. This was one of our most poular chats yet! The following is a synopsis of some important points Dr. Waldman shared with us …
Degenerative Joint Diseases
‹Dr.Waldman› is smokey weight bearing? and, does he have 4 legs?
‹travisray› Surgery was at the end of Jan and is supposedly coming up on the end of his "recovery"period.
‹travisray› He does have 4 legs, it was his left front and he can bear weight on it.
‹Dr.Waldman› are you doing range of motion exercises with the elbow? and icing after?
‹travisray› No. We had an exercise to help hom start to bear weight on it again and otherwise they have just had us walk him
‹travisray› At first slow and deliberate–short walks. Then gradually building up to longer.
‹Dr.Waldman› sadly, smokey will progress his degenerative joint disease (arthritis) and it's important to maintain, for long term, his elbow range of motion
‹Dr.Waldman› a great supplement for all joint pain that is over-the-counter is Nature Made SAM-e – approximately, 200mg per 20lb dog, 30 minutes before eating in the morning
‹Dr.Waldman› keep restricting activity – don't push if he's more lame after … try that supplement and also make sure he's on Cosequin (glucosamine) and do elbow range fo motiont twice daily and ice following. This wil help! Encourage wt bearing by shifting weight shlowly onto that side and letting him resist
‹Dr.Waldman› Adequan is GREAT for degenerative joint disease, I use it once weekly long term
Massage and Pain Supplements
‹Jay› Sid has developed a huge hump of muscle over his shoulders/base of neck (rear leg amputee) and by the end of the day he seems very tense in that area. Anything I can do? I try massage and he likes it but I don't know if it helps
‹Dr.Waldman› great idea, try the Nature Made SAM-e, it's 3rd party tested so it's not lying to you, if given with snacks it won't work, GREAT for pain
‹krispikritter› is it an animal product or human?
‹Dr.Waldman› Human product, Nature Made , often in 400 mg, this is by far safest, best pain product, plus, if your significant other is cranky, give it to them too, it's amood elevator!
‹Dr.Waldman› Try moist heat before you massage it, plus, if he still has a shoulder blade then you can move it side to side, heat for 10 min first. He may be overdoing activity if he is tight at end of day
‹Jay› OK – heat sounds good. Yes, he has both front legs – he's lost his rear right
Exercises and Stretching
‹Dr.Waldman› You stretch until you see a sign that they are uncomfortable, then, don't release, it's positive reinforcement that you'll let go, hold it just at that point for 15 seconds, repeat 3 times, twice daily ideally
‹Dr.Waldman› get him stading in hip height water as often as possible if u amputate. have him practice sit to stands assisting him, putting good leg under pelvis in a tuck 5 x multiple times a day
‹Dr.Waldman› Standing balance is a very important exercise for tripods post op/long term. Put them in a stand and do little pushes. and make him correct the stance. More important to train in a stand then at a walk. In my opinoin, tripods shouldnt walk ever more than 10-15 minutes 2-3 x a day. Too hard on them. Work on standing balance exercises.
‹maggie› Dr. Waldman…interesting comments on 10-15 min 2-3 X a day…is that for long term tripods too?
‹Dr.Waldman› I do think long term yest 10-15 minutes is it. I do think they should do these other standing exercises/core work 10-15 x a day.
‹Dr.Waldman› BEST therapeutic exerercises are balance on unstable surface, make sure stance is good and gently weight shift pet/have them take cookies to sides of body for core strength
‹Dr.Waldman› Your total walk with your pet should have your pet in the same energy/pace as in the beginning, if he sits at 5 minutes, the whole walk should be 5 minutes
‹Dr.Waldman› Another good core activity is deep sand walking (think playground area if you dont live where I do :) LImit this to 5 minutes at a time.
‹Dr.Waldman› If your pet is higher functioning, have them do their sit to stands on an unstable surface as well, also have them walk over it in reps too
‹Dr.Waldman› Standing/walking in water is great. If you have a little dog, easy, hip height, in your bath tub, big dogs, pool, standing, weighty shift them in the water, much better than swimming
‹Dr.Waldman› Standing/ walking in water is MUCH better than swimming. try bath tub if small pet, hip height water. Swimming is ok but you'll need to do ALOT of shoulder extension, hip extension to combat the stiffness that will come, I would limit swimming to 5 minute sessions, force break, repeat 3 times once daily,
‹Dr.Waldman› If your pet is high functioning, have them also do reps of an obstacle course, super low obstacles (at wrist level) and reps, works on coordination
‹Dr.Waldman› Also, you can stand them on an unstable surface (couch seat pillow) and shift their weight back and forth, having them reach for treats in a stand to their shoulder, hip, etc. Core streghth is KEY for mobility issues. Walking is not rehab!!
Weight Management
‹Dr.Waldman› make sure your tripawds keep thin, just a 10 % decrease in body weight will have HUGE mobility impact. LIght exercises, you never want to see them stiff, sore, tired, means doing too much!
‹Dr.Waldman› 10 % reduction in body weight showed in studies to do 30% reduction in clinical signs of arthritis!!!
‹Dr.Waldman› To have you pet lose weight the easy way, stop all treats that aren't "diet" or 7 calories or less, I mean all, reduce total food by 20%, this will work!
When to Say When
‹jmartin› he already is handling going down a couple of steps on his own, but we're using a towel to help him come up. Is there a way to tell when he's ready to try steps up on his own?
‹Dr.Waldman› I think if you keep assisting him as little as possible and when he is doing it without you he's ready! Nice work!
‹Dr.Waldman› I only meant "push" regardig if you "push" your pet to much in activity. Sit to stands are a separte exercise that should be done in conjunction with core work in repetitions, daily
‹Dr.Waldman› These exercises are PERFECT for older dogs with degeneratvie changes. Think how long your pet will stand on it's own,10 sec, 1 min before lying down, do exercises half that amount of time and rep out. Moving with momentum (walking) is much easier than standing. THat's why we strengthen in a stand
‹Dr.Waldman› Overexercise will always cause stiffness. If your pet gets up slower after lying down at the end of the day or in the am, doing too much. ALso, if your pet is do worn out from exercise they pass out for hours, too much!
Special thanks once again to Dr. Waldman for her time. Please visit California Animal Rehab for more information. Check the Tripawds Nutrition blog for more healthy suplements and medication tips. Be sure to review our three-part CARE video interview and stay tuned to this forum for announcement of our next live chat!
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