scullywags Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 2nd time my BC has injured himself this time its a strained hamstring my vet says its the fact hes tall skinny boy with not alot of muscle density want me to put on K9superfuel and do some treadmill work and over various terrian work (after this heals of course) they said hes going to be prone to injury due to his build and reckless personality He is not AKC dog hes a plain old BC from a cattle farm do not know his blood lines but he did not come from Barbie collie facility so i cannot get a bloodline we have also xrayed shoulders and hips lastime do theres no OCD evidence or dysplasia both times it was soft tissue we play alot of ball and frisbee plus agility training we think this time is was from over doing in the sand at the beach while playing frisbee he is not lame just swollen and tender my question is anyone run across the same and if so whats your fitness plan and feed program mine pukes most things only been able to eat Wellness ocean blend and his treats are limited to charlie bears and some cheese sticks becasue his tummy is sensitive he is on duralactin and Dasaquin (sp) with MSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wolf Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Frisbe can be very difficult on a dog's body. If he is lanky then a strong fitness routine will definitely help. treadmill and terraine work sounds like a good plan. Also try backing up and sitting up to strenghten the back.. A jump chute varying the jump heights and different configurations will also build up some muscles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Frisbe can be very difficult on a dog's body. If he is lanky then a strong fitness routine will definitely help. treadmill and terraine work sounds like a good plan. Also try backing up and sitting up to strenghten the back.. A jump chute varying the jump heights and different configurations will also build up some muscles. Yes his hind quarters are the weak link we have a routine that he backs up for meals each am from 1 end of the house to the others and then balancing tricks to try and get those back hamhocks beefed up also Have you done any of that on the ball work? Debbie Gross Sanders stuff I am being told to try and incorporate that also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Strength conditioning is very big in the dog sports world these days. I'm not sure where you are in NC, but there may be some local classes you can attend to learn how to strengthen your dog's muscles to prevent injury. The use of balance balls is a great way to do this. Fitpaws sells the equipment and DVDs to teach you how to use them: http://www.balldynamics.com/fitpaws.php Also, how old is your dog? Younger dogs will have less muscling and are more prone to injury until they bulk up a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Strength conditioning is very big in the dog sports world these days. I'm not sure where you are in NC, but there may be some local classes you can attend to learn how to strengthen your dog's muscles to prevent injury. The use of balance balls is a great way to do this. Fitpaws sells the equipment and DVDs to teach you how to use them: http://www.balldynamics.com/fitpaws.php Also, how old is your dog? Younger dogs will have less muscling and are more prone to injury until they bulk up a bit. Lexington NC where do you know of that holds fitness seminars He will be three in April Hes very lanky and very much the type of dog that throws his body around like a dishrag reckless abandon type I have looked at the fitpaws thank you for the link I actually have him doing some things on a regular fitness ball when we do trick play nothing on my list is a set fitness routine we sort of just do this or that but always warm up by walking troting and brisk trots before any agiltiy activity his regular stuff is ball everyday 1 am and 1 pm then some walks or rides behind the bike and his am back up routine and tricks to work the hindquarters but have not made a concerted effort to really beef up his muscles like they are talking i need to do Just looking for things that the vet did not mention or experience of others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Let me ask my local contacts to see what's near you. A great core-building exercise is have the dog sit up on its haunches (dog vertical, butt on ground, front feet up). My BC's are of the kamikazi type too. My holistic vet told me during the young adult age they are most prone to injury because they're beyond the gumby puppy stage and not yet muscled enough to support their kamikazi lifestyle. I definitely noticed that was the case with mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 What you describe as your dog's body type and personality can be quite common. I had the same problem - and my dog has also had two injuries, 1 minor and 1 major. By 3, your dog should begin to be growing out of their puppy craziness (hopefully), but will probably still be very driven and a bit reckless, but a little less so. It sounds like you have some good exercises, but as you know, building up muscle doesn't happen overnight. Give it 3 or 4 or 6 months. Also, the balancing tricks will help with coordination (which is also part of the problem). Here are some suggestions from my rehab vet when my dog was injured: No Frisbee except rollers (although I believe that the truely experienced Frisbee competitor knows how to bring their dog along with minimal injury. For the rest of us that just like to throw a Frisbee, it is not so good for the crazy, throw-your-body-around BC.) Ball throwing: Never throw downhill - only uphill (best) or level. Uphill throws also help build up the rear leg muscles. Downhill throws are tough on the shoulders. Throw the ball into tall grass. i.e. you want it to land about 5-10 feet into a patch of tall grass so the dog naturally slows down when it gets to the tall grass and begins to search/sniff for the ball. When throwing the ball on one's lawn, many BCs tend to pounce or slide into the ball (mine did both) which is extremely bad for the shoulders. Hiking with an appropriately weighted backpack. Put a tracking harness on your dog and let him pull you up a hill - builds rear leg and back muscles. When you start, just apply minimal pressure backwards on the harness, but once your dog gets used to 'pulling' you up the hill, you can gradually increase the backwards pressure. Let your dog back up a hill. Cavalettis - start low and gradually increase height to knee height. And they should walk deliberately through the cavalettis to get maximal effect. Don't let your dog trot or run through. That's what I can think of now. Good Luck. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 I took a fitball seminar last year with Bobbie Lyons; I learned a lot and have since purchased a fitball and work all three dogs on it, they love it and I've really noticed it help both my older guys with flexibility and hind end strength. She is going to be teaching a 9 week class through Daisy Peel's online seminar classes; apparently it's all on flat exercises so you don't have to own a fitball and it's geared toward stretching and condition for sport dogs. Might be worth looking into; I think I'm going to do one of the auditing spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 You've gotten some good suggestions for activities - nothing I would NOT recommend! Another thought: If you have a good rehab vet around, it might be worth a visit, even if your dog doesn't currently have a big problem. A GOOD rehab vet can give you exercises to both condition and strengthen. There are some not-so-great folks out there doing massage, etc. But if you can find a vet who does rehab with dogs who have had joint surgeries, etc. - that would be best. diane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted January 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 What you describe as your dog's body type and personality can be quite common. I had the same problem - and my dog has also had two injuries, 1 minor and 1 major. By 3, your dog should begin to be growing out of their puppy craziness (hopefully), but will probably still be very driven and a bit reckless, but a little less so. It sounds like you have some good exercises, but as you know, building up muscle doesn't happen overnight. Give it 3 or 4 or 6 months. Also, the balancing tricks will help with coordination (which is also part of the problem). Here are some suggestions from my rehab vet when my dog was injured: No Frisbee except rollers (although I believe that the truely experienced Frisbee competitor knows how to bring their dog along with minimal injury. For the rest of us that just like to throw a Frisbee, it is not so good for the crazy, throw-your-body-around BC.) Ball throwing: Never throw downhill - only uphill (best) or level. Uphill throws also help build up the rear leg muscles. Downhill throws are tough on the shoulders. Throw the ball into tall grass. i.e. you want it to land about 5-10 feet into a patch of tall grass so the dog naturally slows down when it gets to the tall grass and begins to search/sniff for the ball. When throwing the ball on one's lawn, many BCs tend to pounce or slide into the ball (mine did both) which is extremely bad for the shoulders. Hiking with an appropriately weighted backpack. Put a tracking harness on your dog and let him pull you up a hill - builds rear leg and back muscles. When you start, just apply minimal pressure backwards on the harness, but once your dog gets used to 'pulling' you up the hill, you can gradually increase the backwards pressure. Let your dog back up a hill. Cavalettis - start low and gradually increase height to knee height. And they should walk deliberately through the cavalettis to get maximal effect. Don't let your dog trot or run through. That's what I can think of now. Good Luck. Jovi Thank you for taking time to give me this detailed advice I do hate hes going to have to be limited to less dangerous activity but in the end its for his own good He has shown no signs of lameness and the swelling and heat are gone so I do think we caught him in time to evade serious injury, I do want him to fit up and try to keep the body together so far we are on leash walks and no other exercise until his recheck once cleared at the recheck we can start a slow fitness program his build is not going to allow him to have large beefed up muscle but if we can keep the muscle he has strong that will certainly help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted January 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 You've gotten some good suggestions for activities - nothing I would NOT recommend! Another thought: If you have a good rehab vet around, it might be worth a visit, even if your dog doesn't currently have a big problem. A GOOD rehab vet can give you exercises to both condition and strengthen. There are some not-so-great folks out there doing massage, etc. But if you can find a vet who does rehab with dogs who have had joint surgeries, etc. - that would be best. diane I have been given the information for a few rehab vets I think that is a fantastic suggestion I have a friend whos BC has the same build and has just gone thru stem cell because of injury hes 8 yrs old I do not want to see my dog get to this point and this lady also took great care of her BC and still hes not sound also the chiro we use is not IMO one to get over concerned about things so I do want to make sure we offer my dog all the options fo ra healthy life and be able to compete with him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted January 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Ok I looked online yesterday found a some rehab vets My agility coach gave the info on hers they are located in Aiken SC Any in NC that you guys may have used and been pleased with just trying to research and make an educated choice At this time there is not any lameness but I would think they can evaluate him based on his gait ,structure,past history and pry new xrays I am still concerned there is an issue lurking because at the age of 2 with 2 soft tissue incidents something may be needed on top of a better fitness plan. Especially after reading some of Gloria Atwaters infor and the posts in regard to many of these dogs having back problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Everyone I know in NC (including me when I lived there) travels up to VA to see Dr. Regina Schwabe: http://wellpaws.com/ She is exactly what you are looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chi chi pup Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 I learned a huge lesson last year. Cody (non BC) is a crazy 9yr.old lab mix, I don't know how he keeps up with himself, talk about pouncing on a ball, he would jump up in the air as he got close to the ball and pounce on it. Jump off the middle of the bed and be at the bedroom door in one leap, run out the door banging my border collie into flower pots, and he can do spins like no dog I have ever seen. Well, last year we found out he has severe spondylosis and he tore his acl and went through surgery in July. This all put a huge damper on his activities as he re-habbed from his knee surgery and his regular vet said because of his back that jumping and all out ball chasing needed to stop! So, we started swimming (he never had before) and his re-hab therapist gave me alot of exercises to do with him, we actually used leg weights for awhile till he built up muscle in his surgery leg. Things that really helped him build hind end muscle was walking backwards, throwing treats under a chair, good for stretching the back and they use alot of the back legs to get out and the swimming. He was always skinny through his back end now he has muscles he did not have before. I really thought he would go crazy from not running all out but honestly he is better now than he was before, he has had to use his brain more and I found he is a very smart dog who can do more than just chase a ball! Cindi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 We have appointment with Dr Gilinski in Aiken SC next Monday hoping she can get a diagnosis and we can move forward he was very lame Sunday night same leg but cannt find a painful area his gait is compromised even when he is not showing high grade lameness so I dearly hope it will be worth the 8 hr round trip I am told this is one of the best by my agility coach so we shall let you know the finidings. Thanks for all the information everyone has offered as always great group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Everyone I know in NC (including me when I lived there) travels up to VA to see Dr. Regina Schwabe: http://wellpaws.com/ She is exactly what you are looking for. I use her too. She is awesome. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I use her too. She is awesome. Jovi You use Dr Gilinksi or the VA Dr ? I thank you for the linkto the VA Dr if I do find answers on Monday I will try the VA Dr. I have already made appointment and she comes highly from my agility coach so in order to follow thru I plan to make the appointment, my husband thinks I am insane but I have a horse with severe injury and had I not pushed and ran the roads to find some answers for him he would not be sound and healthy today. So I am very open to suggestions and I thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 You use Dr Gilinksi or the VA Dr ? I thank you for the linkto the VA Dr if I do find answers on Monday I will try the VA Dr. Oops, should have been more clear. I use Dr. Regina Schwabe - located in Pamplin, VA (approximately 15 minutes east of Appomatox). Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullywags Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Oops, should have been more clear. I use Dr. Regina Schwabe - located in Pamplin, VA (approximately 15 minutes east of Appomatox). Jovi A girl I do agility with used that same Dr with great results I had forgotten about that until I saw your post I have written down this time so if needed we will seek her advice if I do not get results where I am currently commited to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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