When starting a fitness routine, it’s great motivation to have a friend with which to partner. It’s much easier to keep going when you don’t have to go it alone. For some of us, that friend runs on four legs.
Very often, our pets become our best friends, and even our family. When it comes to playtime, and fitness, they can also be enthusiastic partners, helping us to feel like going out for that walk or run when we might feel like staying in and watching a movie. And let’s face it, our furry friends are hardly ever too busy for us, or have a job to go to.
With all of that being said, our pets need to be prepared for fitness as well. We need to make sure that our routine works for them, because they usually won’t let us know they’re having trouble until something really significant is wrong. As a registered veterinary technician, I’ve seen many health issues that could impact our pets and how well they are able to be part of our exercise plans.
A lot of focus on four-legged fitness partners naturally “goes to the dogs”. Cats tend to be a little more “free spirited” about walking on a leash, or jogging in the park. They often prefer a nice boxing match with a laser light. And your iguana? Well, he may not wanna. So, if your non-traditional four-legged friend wants to somehow participate in your routine, you probably need more species specific guidelines from your veterinarian. Where information is applicable to dogs and cats, it will be included in this piece.
In preparing our pets for our fitness routine, we need to consider multiple factors, including age, body condition, breed, location, and weather.
It may seem counterintuitive that running with our young dog could be a problem. After all, who is healthier than the average Labrador retriever puppy? With our juvenile canine friends, the concern with too much shock-absorbing exercise is that growing and maturing bones and joints are more prone to injury and damage. It might be fine for you to go out and run that 5K, but our puppies’ bones and joints need a little more babying.
Even young adult dogs with joint disorders such as hip dysplasia may have an increased chance of injury, or arthritic issues and changes when they put on too many miles. One of the more common injuries in young, active dogs is a torn anterior cruciate ligament—that’s a torn ACL for football enthusiasts. The cruciate ligament is like a rubber band that stretches over the knee to help keep everything in its place. When torn, this kind of injury can be repaired with surgery, but it might be costly. And foregoing surgery for the injury can lead to lifelong arthritic issues. Dogs who tear one cruciate ligament are at greater risk for tearing the other.
If we aren’t always thinking about monitoring activity level for our young and growing pets, most of us know that our elderly dogs can have arthritis. The right amount of exercise can keep the muscles around arthritic joints strong and healthy, reducing the risk of injury. At the same time, we need to be aware of even subtle changes in mobility, and waning enthusiasm, or tiring more quickly with exercise. When we notice those changes, it’s important to partner with our dog’s veterinarian to develop strategies for managing our senior pet’s health and comfort.When we carry more weight, exercise is more difficult. In the beginning, we need to build our fitness level. You have to respect your current fitness level, and work to achieve your long-term goals. The same is true for our overweight and obese pets. And sadly, just like us, a large percentage of our furry friends—both canine and feline—are either overweight or obese. Along with increasing activity incrementally, it’s important to watch for signs of fatigue, exercise intolerance and injuries. It’s also a great idea to visit your pet’s veterinarian to discuss weight loss goals, time frames for both short and long term weight loss, and dietary changes.
If we aren’t always thinking about monitoring activity level for our young and growing pets, most of us know that our elderly dogs can have arthritis. The right amount of exercise can keep the muscles around arthritic joints strong and healthy, reducing the risk of injury. At the same time, we need to be aware of even subtle changes in mobility, and waning enthusiasm, or tiring more quickly with exercise. When we notice those changes, it’s important to partner with our dog’s veterinarian to develop strategies for managing our senior pet’s health and comfort.When we carry more weight, exercise is more difficult. In the beginning, we need to build our fitness level. You have to respect your current fitness level, and work to achieve your long-term goals. The same is true for our overweight and obese pets. And sadly, just like us, a large percentage of our furry friends—both canine and feline—are either overweight or obese. Along with increasing activity incrementally, it’s important to watch for signs of fatigue, exercise intolerance and injuries. It’s also a great idea to visit your pet’s veterinarian to discuss weight loss goals, time frames for both short and long term weight loss, and dietary changes.
Some of our furry fitness partners may have several challenges when they start a new exercise routine. In addition to age and body condition, breed can greatly impact our dogs’ ability to keep up. Our brachycephalic—or smushed face—breeds can have a lot more trouble moving air during normal activity. That difficulty can increase greatly during exercise, and then again in hot weather. Dogs like pugs, English bulldogs, shih tzus, and Boston terriers are among those breeds that are more prone to heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. If you are unsure if your dog falls into the brachycephalic family of breeds, ask your veterinarian, and be sure to discuss the risks of exercise, and what signs to look for to determine if your dog is having trouble. When in doubt, wait the heat out.
Other breeds of dog, and breed types, may also have underlying risks when exercising. In some small breeds, like the chihuahua and Pomeranian, a luxating patella, or slipping knee-cap can be a very painful issue. The knee-cap can slide out of place during activity, and can be quite painful until it slips back. Surgical repair can help with this genetic defect. Our low and long-backed dogs, like the dachshund, have an increased risk of spinal cord injury, which can result in paralysis. Carrying extra weight can increase that risk. Surgical intervention is the best treatment for this injury.
And weather and location can play big roles in the success or failure of our pets’ participation in our fitness routine.
Heat can increase the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke in all pets, because they are not able to thermoregulate through sweating as we can. It’s important also to note that shaving some breeds down to help them stay cool may strip them of the built-in layer of insulation they have to protect them from temperature extremes, and even sunburn.
Along with heat comes a nuisance for all of us—bugs. Who hasn’t been hit in the face by a zooming bug while on a bike ride or run? And while most of us wouldn’t intentionally snack on these flying pests, their mid-air collisions with our huffing and puffing mouths can leave us caught off-guard. But as unpleasant as these experiences may be for us, other things that come along with bugs are more than a simple nuisance for our pets, and if our fitness routines take us outside, their exposure to these bugs increases.
Along with heat comes a nuisance for all of us—bugs. Who hasn’t been hit in the face by a zooming bug while on a bike ride or run? And while most of us wouldn’t intentionally snack on these flying pests, their mid-air collisions with our huffing and puffing mouths can leave us caught off-guard. But as unpleasant as these experiences may be for us, other things that come along with bugs are more than a simple nuisance for our pets, and if our fitness routines take us outside, their exposure to these bugs increases.
Depending somewhat on location, one of the number one bug related health risks to our pets in warm weather and climates is the mosquito. As humans, most of us are familiar with malaria and West Nile, but it’s also important to be aware of heartworm disease in our dogs, and even our indoor cats. Mosquitoes carry the heartworm larvae, bite our pets, and transmit the larvae into the bloodstream. The adult worms make their home in the heart—hence the name. In many parts of North America, there is a year-round risk of mosquito-transmitted heartworm disease. In our dogs, symptoms can include coughing, exercise intolerance, collapse, and sudden death. In our cats, there may be no visible symptoms at all, except death. There are many methods of heartworm prevention available for both dogs and cats. Your veterinarian can help you make the best choice.
Tick-borne diseases are becoming a greater issue for humans and pets alike. Lyme and Erlichia are two common tick-borne diseases that impact our pets., as well as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. With changes in our climate, the prevalence of these diseases is changing. These diseases are being seen with more frequency in locations where they were at one time a more transient occurrence. There are a lot of new, and advanced methods for helping our pets avoid becoming the victim of tick-borne disease. The best place to start is with your veterinarian.
And what would summer bug season be without fleas? Fleas just aren’t very much fun, but for our pets, they too can be more than a nuisance. Fleas carry tapeworms, which live in the intestinal tract. Our pets usually don’t show us a lot of outward signs of infection, but they aren’t harmless. They are sometimes seen when our pets pass a bowel movement. In most cases, we discover parts of the worms in the area around their tail.
Tapeworms are gross, but another flea-related health issue is no less troublesome for our pets. Some of our pets are extremely allergic to the biting flea. This can lead to some very itchy skin, and potentially some very serious skin infections—often referred to as “hot spots.” The itch is relentless, and can keep your pet—and you—up all night. The “hot spots” such scratching and itching can instigate are painful, and require medical attention.
In the battle against mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, your number one resource is your veterinarian. He or she can tell you about the prevalence of the diseases they carry in your area, and what the peak seasons are for concern. As our climate is changing, the traditional concept of “flea and tick season” is becoming a thing of the past. Many of our pets need prevention all year, and in some cases, especially preventing heartworm disease, prevention is much less costly than treatment.
And one of the most important things to remember about flea, tick, mosquito, and heartworm
prevention is that one size does not fit all! Products intended for dogs only must never be used for cats. In some cases, this mistake can be deadly. In the case of heartworm prevention, certain breeds of dog may be sensitive to certain ingredients. Heartworm prevention is a by prescription-only medication, and cannot be sold over-the-counter. So, your veterinarian will prescribe a product that is safe and effective for your pet.
prevention is that one size does not fit all! Products intended for dogs only must never be used for cats. In some cases, this mistake can be deadly. In the case of heartworm prevention, certain breeds of dog may be sensitive to certain ingredients. Heartworm prevention is a by prescription-only medication, and cannot be sold over-the-counter. So, your veterinarian will prescribe a product that is safe and effective for your pet.
In the summer and winter time, we need to be aware of the surfaces on which we walk and run. We have the luxury of choosing our own footwear, but for pets, one size fits all. Hot pavement can burn and abrade our pets’ footpads. Sidewalks and roadways treated to prevent icing, or to melt it away can also cause injury and damage to our pets’ feet. Some pets will learn to wear booties, but staying off of potentially dangerous surfaces may be the best preventative. It’s true that humans and their pets share a unique bond. Whether your pet cheers you on with their fins from a bowl of water, or runs right along side you, the most important thing for both of you is safety and preparation, because once you know your pet’s fitness strategy, that special bond can grow stronger, and you are both in for a lot of great fun!
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