Be careful for orthopedic injuries in your dog

Dogs are born to run. Well, most breeds, anyway. . Bu looking at them, heavy, low-slung types don't seem build for speed and agility. But in their hearts they have an innate canine drive to run, jump, play, and seek new and interesting vistas. In their quest to cover ground as quickly as possible, all dogs - regardless of their natural athleticism - can suffer orthopedic injuries similar to human athletic injuries.

Most at risk for orthopedic injuries, damage to the skeletal system or associated muscles, joints, and ligaments, are coursing sighthounds, sled dogs, hunting dogs, security dogs, and search-and-rescue dogs. But every veterinarian sees non-athletic "house" dogs with orthopedic problems. Orthopedic injuries to active dogs are in inevitable result of high stress on the body structures. In house dogs, orthopedic problems often have two predisposing factors: the overweight dog and the "weekend warrior."

Any overweight dog stresses bone, muscles, joints, and ligaments while engaged in active physical exercise. Jumping over obstacles, playing Frisbee, or exuberant retrieving of far-flung tennis balls test the limits of anatomical structures. When there is any question about a dog's weight, opt for keeping him slightly thin rather than slightly heavy.

Even if not overweight, the weekend warrior risks orthopedic injury because of lack of conditioning in tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joins. Especially in middle-aged and older dogs, an infrequent four-hour bout of vigorous exercise is less desirable than eight 30-minute play periods. Back pain, even intervertebral disk prolapse that has an adverse impact on spinal cord function, occurs in poorly conditioned dogs that are unaccustomed to long periods of physical activity. Keep your dog physically fit with frequent, but not necessarily long, periods of activity that help prevent excess weight from sneaking up on him.