Video Blog: Passive Range of Motion Exercise for Dogs

The Passive Range of Motion exercise or the PROM is a mainstay of the home exercise program. The idea behind this exercise is quite simple: one is to move a joint through a normal or limited range of motion to keep the joint itself and its associated structures healthy. This exercise can be used to keep tissue healthy while one is waiting for healing. These exercises can also be used to increase the joint's mobility towards normal. It is also useful to use these exercises to maintain joint health, including circulation and mobility in the face of degenerative conditions. Although it would be impossible to review range of motion exercises for every joint in the canine body or for every condition where this would be useful. The value of the embedded videos demonstrate the slow methodical motion that seems to work best. We will frequently include these types of exercises in our home animal rehabilitation programs.

Categories: Rehab Exercises

Video Blog: Dog Rehab with Bear Bells Exercise

This exercise has this strange name because of the device we used to use to reinforce this exercise. Bear bells are Velcro straps with a free hanging bell attached that one can obtain from any camping store. They are to be placed on one's backpack when one is in the Bear Country so the Bear can hear you coming. This encourages the Bear to leave before you reach them or if the Bear is hungry get out the condiments before you reach them. In the same way, we can use this contraption as a therapy device!  

A strap-like device that is placed above the hock or "ankle" in the dog will generally get their attention and they will start lifting the limb higher in the leg with the strap. In dogs that drag their toes this encourages them to lift their limbs higher and we often can retrain them to have a better less traumatic gait. In our experience, the bell sound which was supposed to reinforce the change in gait doesn't seem to have much effect on most dogs and the bell itself seems unnecessary.

We commonly use Velcro straps that are readily available and also find that pony-tail scrunchies are excellent for this exercise. There are a large number of variations on how to use these straps and scrunchies, and we recommend that our rehab specialists try variations on your dog till we find the most effective method. Bear Bells is an extremely common home exercise that we recommend.

Categories: Rehab Exercises

Video Blog: Tail Pull Rehab Exercise for Dogs

As some dogs age they have a tendency to have entrapment of their nerve roots at the caudal spinal canal above their tails. Dogs who are afflicted with this problem may be predisposed to this condition because their spinal canals are particularly narrow at that level. Although this condition represents quite a number of various degenerative changes, these dogs are commonly lumped into the category of Cauda Equina Syndrome. Cauda Equina literally means horses' tail and the end of the spinal canal with its many nerve roots looks very much like a horse's tail. The presentation for this condition is quite variable. Hindlimb lameness or gait abnormalities as well as a weak tail and sometimes a loss of control over urine and stool are most common.

The surgical treatment for this condition has been well described and has a high rate of success, but since many of these dogs are older, a more conservative approach is desirable. Several years ago it was noted in cadavers that when the hind limbs of dogs were pulled forward that the entire lower spinal cord and roots moves as much as three-quarters of an inch. This should come as no surprise to any one who has tried sitting in a chair with their head tucked down against their chest knows that with a straight leg lift one can feel the tug on the spinal cord from one end to the other.

Several years ago in response to this information we initiated conservative treatment for Cauda Equina Syndrome with aggressive tail manipulation. To our surprise we determined that we were experiencing about a 75% improvement rate in cases.

Although the success of this therapy seems to require aggressive manipulation that really should be performed by our rehab therapists on a regular basis, our home program includes straight tail pulls performed by the owner (see the attached movie).

Sit behind the dog and place a hand on the caudal "points" of your dog's pelvis (the ischia) on each side of the anus and pull for five to 10 seconds straight back with quite a bit of force. This should not be painful and should be repeated 4-5 times per session and 3-4 sessions per day is recommended.

Categories: Rehab Exercises

Video Blog: Exercises for Dogs with Spinal Problems

Cookie Stretches are one of the best exercises for dogs with spinal problems who are not experiencing acute pain or clinical signs. It has been well documented in man that these kinds of stretching exercises decrease the incidence of back and neck problems and the hope is that those results will carry over to our canine friends.

To start Cookie Stretches one stands behind the patient and stabilizes their pelvis. The idea is to prevent the dog from actually turning and rather stretch the back and neck tissues themselves. Once the pelvis is stable then the dog is encouraged to take a treat from one side then the other in a slow alternating manner. Dogs with back and neck problems will have very little mobility and will not be able to reach all the way back to their hips or tail but with time most dog's flexibility increases quite dramatically.

This is an excellent exercise to perform first thing in the morning before your dog goes out into the yard or for his first walk. As with most rehab exercises, it is best to perform this activity for a short period of time, i.e. a couple of minutes, rather than setting aside a long period of time considering the nature of the dog's attention span. Likewise these exercises are best performed multiple times per day rather than attempting a long single session per day.

Once a significant amount of flexibility is attained, more advanced stretching can be attempted including activities like "sit-ups" and stretching by moving the head through various planes not just side to side.

Categories: Rehab Exercises

Video Blog: Sit to Stand Exercise for Dogs

The "Sit To Stand" exercise is one of the most common exercises that we give to our dog owning clients. In so many cases we are working with dogs that have hindlimb weakness. This exercise can be compared to weight-lifting exercises to buiold strength.

The dog is positioned head away from the owners body with the owner kneeling or crouching over the dog. The hind limbs are squared up so that the paw's position on the ground is directly under the dog's hip joints. In small dogs the thumbs are placed over the tops of the pelvis and the pinkie fingers are placed behind the knees. Pressure is placed downward over the pelvis at the same time that the pinkies are pressing on the backs of the knees. This forces the dog to squat and the resistance the dog places against this movement tires the muscles used in standing. Three or four sqats is the correct number to start with and one quickly gets a feel for the number that is takes to tire these muscles. Like most rehab exercises, this one should be performed 3-4 times per day and shouldn't take more than a few minutes each time. Working on this exercise for a longer period of time is counterproductive.

In smaller dogs it often helps to put your "Pinkie" behind the knee to get the stifle (knee) to flex while pushing on the pelvis (hip bones).



In larger dogs it is not possible to position ones Pinkie properly and some pressure can be exerted behind the hamstring muscles. In very large dogs it is often necessary to place one's shoulder over the pelvis to produce enough downward force to cause a squat.

Categories: Rehab Exercises