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Does my healthy dog need a physiotherapist?

"Sport is health" is a term we all know...

just like each of us, we know someone who, after years of practicing sports (not necessarily competitively), suffers from various dysfunctions and pains related to past overloads, micro-injuries or injuries.

Sporting and working dogs are no different from humans in this respect.

Apart from one thing that works against them - dogs do not signal pain or injury to the same extent as humans. This natural adaptation makes it much more difficult for caregivers to prevent the negative effects of events (e.g. degeneration or persistent inflammation of soft tissues, often leading to disability).

That is why in humans, the athlete is provided with physiotherapeutic care. It depends onregular examinations, regenerative therapy, improving after injuries and preparation for competitions and care during their duration. With such care, a working or sporting dog will maintain its best shape for years, and after the end of its career, it will enjoy good health.

Border collie, pies, psy
pies, psy

Is regular training not enough?

Unfortunately not.Motor preparation focusing on fitness, work on physical condition, and even specific sports training, including warm-up and cool down are necessary, but not sufficient.

In the program of specific preparation for sport there should be a place fora qualified zoophysiotherapistwho will work closely with the tutor/trainer.

A zoophysiotherapist is authorized to carry outcomplete orthopedic and neurological examination, which allows for quick detection of micro-injuries, overloads or muscle imbalance.

In case of irregularitieswe develop a treatment plan with selected treatment methods in the field of physiotherapy and complementary medicine(manual therapy, tool therapy, physiotherapeutic therapy, sports acupuncture, therapy with medicinal leeches, etc.).

For healthy dogs we offerrecovery-enhancing therapyduring detraining or forced rest and support before/during/after competitions or events.

My dog trains agility and my friend's dog is a lifeguard, is one pet physio enough?

A good therapist understands perfectlyfundamental differencesas to the physical requirements that must be met by a dog engaged in a specific sporting activity, similarly toracial predispositionto specific diseases. So he can focus onsensitive areas of the dog's body,

to strengthen or regenerate them. At the request of the tutor, these tasks can be extended by elaborationtraining plantailored to a specific sport or activity andongoing therapeutic supportbefore, during and after starts or events.

Agility, owczarek niemiecki

  • exercise, including stretching

  • therapeutic, sports and relaxation massage

  • lymphatic drainage

  • manual and tool therapies

  • Stecco myofascial therapy

  • physical therapy, including electrostimulation and thermotherapy

  • acupuncture

  • kinesiotaping

  • kinesitherapy, fitness, dry treadmill

  • therapy with medical leeches as a healing method and natural doping

  • rehabilitation, postoperative care, anti-decubitus therapy and others.

  • the care of a zoophysiotherapist during events and competitions

Range of therapy:

  • joint instability and injuries

  • strains, injuries and muscle diseases (post-traumatic and chronic, including contractures, atrophies, myopathies)

  • tendinopathy

  • inoperable ligament injuries

  • treatment of pain of various origins

  • weakening of immunity; states of physical exhaustion, overtraining

  • therapy of scars and adhesions after surgery

  • inoperable spinal injuries

  • foot and paw injuries

  • therapy after bone fractures (acceleration of bone union, rehabilitation)

  • wound healing

  • behavior therapy

Additionally:

  • renting a room for training, training and lectures

  • for animals after surgeries/injuries: (24h or hourly care for an immobilized patient, anti-decubitus therapy, drug application, upright positioning, improvement, home adaptation, training and support for carers)

What can we offer?

The specificity of individual sports

AGILITY

Load characteristics:

Agility is a sport with high intensity, where speed and maneuverability of the animal are the most important. This sport causes huge overloads in the dog's musculoskeletal system. The main problem is the large number of repetitive movements at a fast pace. Jumping involves, among other things: tarsus joints, landing after a jump causes overloading of the pectoral limbs (especially the biceps and supraspinatus tendon), often leading to its damage, and rapid changes in running direction cause excessive exploitation of the ligaments stabilizing the joints. This sport is highly injury-prone.

Types of injuries:

Common injuries in this sport are directly related to the frequency and intensity of stress to which the dog is exposed. It is important to emphasize that injuries do not occur solely because high loads occur too often. Injuries occur in animals with a similar frequency when the load is too great and the normal frequency or this is too high and the load is normal.

Typical injuries and diseases:

  • tendinopathy of the distal supraspinatus attachment

  • tendinopathy of the proximal biceps tendon

  • iliopsoas muscle injury

  • tendinopathy of the distal gastrocnemius attachment

  • luxation of the tendon of the flexor superficialis muscle of the fingers

  • injury to the medial compartment of the elbow joint

  • rupture of the caudal cruciate ligament

  • paw injuries (e.g. claw breakage or bruises)

  • problems with the fascial system, and consequently the muscular and skeletal systems

agillity, pies sportowy

Examples:

  • pathological tension of the latissimus dorsi muscle as a result of turns from the sagittal plane to the transverse plane during the landing and turn of the dog may affect the incorrect position of the pelvis

  • as a result of the shock and tension of the fascia during the dog's landing, the shoulder joint is tightened after the jump, which can cause pain, speed reduction and reluctance to jump.

Genetic predispositions:

  • shetland sheepdog: flexor superficialis tendon luxation 

  • border collie: filiform myopathy (damage to muscle fibers)

Injury signs:

  • ​reluctance to jump

  • reluctance to enter the ring, overcome certain obstacles and even come into contact with them

  • deceleration

  • movement coordination disorders, e.g. when jumping off the ramp

  • tiny (approaching an obstacle in small, energetic steps)

  • no smooth jump

  • pain in the spine in the episode L/S

  • lameness of varying severity

  • bounce to jump too close or too far from the obstacle

  • stiffness and lameness after performance

  • foot sensitivity

  • disturbing behavioral behavior (lack of desire to exercise)

Trivia:

  • 30% of agility dogs get injured

  • 58% of injuries to agility dogs occur during competitions (most often: strains, dislocations, contusions of the shoulder joint, back, neck and fingers)

  • Injury rates decrease significantly in dogs older than 4 years and in those whose handlers have been training the sport for more than 5 years

Agility

SEARCH AND RESCUE DOGS

Load characteristics:

​Dogs in these professions perform their work in various, most often difficult conditions. Movement of the dog in the open, work in the rubble, in the mountain area after an avalanche, practicing water rescue, water detection, searching for people and bodies are just some of the disciplines. The substrate on which the animals work determines to a large extent what predispositions they should have. The common feature is the requirement to have excellent motor coordination and great condition. One of the most important predispositions for such work is also mental preparation and the ability to cope with nervous tension. This translates into the physiological functioning of the nervous, fascial and muscular systems. 

Types of injuries:

Proper body sensation and central stabilization play a key role in maintaining the necessary balance. The trunk muscles support the thoracic and lumbar spine in balance. Therefore, they ensure flexibility and proper operation and support. The lack of muscle strength of the body and the incorrect work of the myofascial system may result not only in avulsion injury, but also in micro-injuries that are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Undetected, and therefore not treated on an ongoing basis, they will transform into chronic conditions, causing dysfunctions in the dog's body that are difficult to repair or the need for surgical interventions. 

Typical injuries and diseases:

  • hyperextension injury of the wrist joint

  • paw injuries (pads, claws)

  • myalgia (muscle pain), sore muscles

  • semitendinosus and semimembranosus myopathy 

  • ligament injuries

  • spinal injuries/degeneration 

  • acute caudal myopathy 

  • dysplasia 

  • injuries when overcoming terrain obstacles 

  • micro-injuries, strains, bruises, muscle tears

  • chronic tension around the feet leading to degenerative joint diseases

pies poszukiwawczy, ratowniczy

Examples:

  • hitting the ground at an angle to which he was not accustomed (e.g. he was not working on a rubble but on flat ground or sand) will cause great stress on the joint surface, pain and lameness. 

  • the dog gets cold during the search operation, which means that muscle work is used to a large extent for thermoregulation of the body, instead of focusing on physical effort

  • strains in the neck area weakening the dog's back, which leads to drying of the nasal mirror, which makes it impossible to pick up the trail

Genetic predispositions:

  • german shepherd: semitendinosus and semimembranosus myopathy, spinal disorders, joint dysplasia 

  • golden retriever: hip and elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation

Injury signs:

  • gait stiffness

  • lameness

  • imbalance 

  • posture and movement disorders

  • reluctance to work on uneven or difficult terrain

  • disturbing behavioral behavior (lack of enthusiasm, distraction)

  • decreased ability to track (olfactory disorder)

  • soreness of soft tissues and joints

Psy poszukiwawcze i ratownicze

AGILITY

Load characteristics:

Agility is a sport with high intensity, where speed and maneuverability of the animal are the most important. This sport causes huge overloads in the dog's musculoskeletal system. The main problem is the large number of repetitive movements at a fast pace. Jumping involves, among other things: tarsus joints, landing after a jump causes overloading of the pectoral limbs (especially the biceps and supraspinatus tendon), often leading to its damage, and rapid changes in running direction cause excessive exploitation of the ligaments stabilizing the joints. This sport is highly injury-prone.

Types of injuries:

Common injuries in this sport are directly related to the frequency and intensity of stress to which the dog is exposed. It is important to emphasize that injuries do not occur solely because high loads occur too often. Injuries occur in animals with a similar frequency when the load is too great and the normal frequency or this is too high and the load is normal.

Typical injuries and diseases:

  • tendinopathy of the distal supraspinatus attachment

  • tendinopathy of the proximal biceps tendon

  • iliopsoas muscle injury

  • tendinopathy of the distal gastrocnemius attachment

  • luxation of the tendon of the flexor superficialis muscle of the fingers

  • injury to the medial compartment of the elbow joint

  • rupture of the caudal cruciate ligament

  • paw injuries (e.g. claw breakage or bruises)

  • problems with the fascial system, and consequently the muscular and skeletal systems

obedience, psy sportowe

Examples:

  • pathological tension of the latissimus dorsi muscle as a result of turns from the sagittal plane to the transverse plane during the landing and turn of the dog may affect the incorrect position of the pelvis

  • as a result of the shock and tension of the fascia during the dog's landing, the shoulder joint is tightened after the jump, which can cause pain, speed reduction and reluctance to jump.

Genetic predispositions:

  • shetland sheepdog: flexor superficialis tendon luxation 

  • border collie: filiform myopathy (damage to muscle fibers)

Injury signs:

  • ​reluctance to jump

  • reluctance to enter the ring, overcome certain obstacles and even come into contact with them

  • deceleration

  • movement coordination disorders, e.g. when jumping off the ramp

  • tiny (approaching an obstacle in small, energetic steps)

  • no smooth jump

  • pain in the spine in the episode L/S

  • lameness of varying severity

  • bounce to jump too close or too far from the obstacle

  • stiffness and lameness after performance

  • foot sensitivity

  • disturbing behavioral behavior (lack of desire to exercise)

Obedience

SEARCH AND RESCUE DOGS

Load characteristics:

​Dogs in these professions perform their work in various, most often difficult conditions. Movement of the dog in the open, work in the rubble, in the mountain area after an avalanche, practicing water rescue, water detection, searching for people and bodies are just some of the disciplines. The substrate on which the animals work determines to a large extent what predispositions they should have. The common feature is the requirement to have excellent motor coordination and great condition. One of the most important predispositions for such work is also mental preparation and the ability to cope with nervous tension. This translates into the physiological functioning of the nervous, fascial and muscular systems. 

Types of injuries:

Proper body sensation and central stabilization play a key role in maintaining the necessary balance. The trunk muscles support the thoracic and lumbar spine in balance. Therefore, they ensure flexibility and proper operation and support. The lack of muscle strength of the body and the incorrect work of the myofascial system may result not only in avulsion injury, but also in micro-injuries that are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Undetected, and therefore not treated on an ongoing basis, they will transform into chronic conditions, causing dysfunctions in the dog's body that are difficult to repair or the need for surgical interventions. 

Typical injuries and diseases:

  • hyperextension injury of the wrist joint

  • paw injuries (pads, claws)

  • myalgia (muscle pain), sore muscles

  • semitendinosus and semimembranosus myopathy 

  • ligament injuries

  • spinal injuries/degeneration 

  • acute caudal myopathy 

  • dysplasia 

  • injuries when overcoming terrain obstacles 

  • micro-injuries, strains, bruises, muscle tears

  • chronic tension around the feet leading to degenerative joint diseases

Examples:

IGP, IPO

  • hitting the ground at an angle to which he was not accustomed (e.g. he was not working on a rubble but on flat ground or sand) will cause great stress on the joint surface, pain and lameness. 

  • the dog gets cold during the search operation, which means that muscle work is used to a large extent for thermoregulation of the body, instead of focusing on physical effort

  • strains in the neck area weakening the dog's back, which leads to drying of the nasal mirror, which makes it impossible to pick up the trail

Genetic predispositions:

  • german shepherd: semitendinosus and semimembranosus myopathy, spinal disorders, joint dysplasia 

  • golden retriever: hip and elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation

Injury signs:

  • gait stiffness

  • lameness

  • imbalance 

  • posture and movement disorders

  • reluctance to work on uneven or difficult terrain

  • disturbing behavioral behavior (lack of enthusiasm, distraction)

  • decreased ability to track (olfactory disorder)

  • soreness of soft tissues and joints

IGP/IPO
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