Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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This just in from our friends at Canine Arthritis Management:
From the Canine Arthritis Management Team: On Throwing Balls
In summary, you can see why CAM is not an advocate of ball throwing for dogs. The negative physical and mental impact, both long and short term, far outweigh the positive; most of which are only experienced by the dog in the “high” of the moment.
We would always recommend alternatives as a way to exercise and mentally stimulate your dog, and strongly advise that dog owners throw that ball launcher in the trash!
Please read the entire article. This is so important for EVERY pet parent to know about. Be sure to check out our Interactive Brain Games posts for alternative activities.
Thank you.
Interesting article. I don't have to worry about ball throwing with Kenzie. I throw the ball and she looks at me like she is saying "you want it you go get it." Maybe she is smarter than I realize.
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Thanks for sharing. This was an interesting read. I think the guidelines for how to play ball to minimize risk is important information for all dog people because I don't think most of us (myself included) are going to stop playing ball with our dogs.
- Never throw a ball for a dog who is injured or has arthritis
- Only throw a ball once the dog is warmed up
- Never throw balls indoors, particularly on slippery floors
- Do not throw balls on wet surfaces or unstable surfaces such as gravel
- Throw straight and low down
- Do not throw downhill
- Do not throw repeatedly
- Do not throw for more than one dog at the same time
This is actually pretty much how I play ball with my quad-pawd anyhow. Ball is the only toy she cares about. She's a little older now (7) and often after a couple of tosses she finds a sunny spot to lay down with her ball. When I play ball with my tripawd, I usually only kick the ball. I am no athlete, so this slows the ball down and keeps it on the ground. She gets to run and chase and (hopefully) it's less strenuous on her body. She likes a variety of toys, so she doesn't get a lot of ball play time anyhow.
Good points! Thanks for drawing out those guidelines to share here.
I know what you mean about not stopping with ball throwing. It's almost like an instinct for us, and our dogs! But those guidelines are super smar things to consider every time we pick up a ball. I had no idea that throwing downhill could be a problem.
Nancy, our Nellie is the same way when it comes to ball toys. She's so not into them unless there's food inside!
Brownie was the same way and he was a labadore retriever. He would fetch the ball two to three times and then look at me. "Mom make up your mind. Do you want it or not?". Lol
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
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