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EXERCISE AND THE DYSPLASTIC
PUP
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Some years ago, Kay Rogers wrote
an article in the Pyr News and Notes entitled "A Dysplastic Dog Can Lead a
Happy Life." In it, she told about using an exercise, developed at Guide Dogs
for the Blind, to restore a dysplastic dog to useful service. I read it,
murmured "How interesting," and promptly shoved it to the back of my mind.
In 1970, I had occasion to look it up.
My oldest son, Randy, had long looked forward to a Pyr pup of his own. When
on his twelfth birthday he was given a cuddly ball of fluff, it was hard to
say who was more excited, the boy or the dog. From that day on, the two were
rarely separated. They slept together, ate together (yes, we had trouble keeping
boy at the table and dog on the floor), played together, worked together,
did everything except to go school together. The pup could hardly wait for
the school bus to come in the afternoon; the boy could hardly wait to finish
his chores so the two of them could go for a long walk through the fields.
We routinely x-rayed our pups at six months of age, so it was with little
trepidation that we x-rayed Randy's dog - just routine. Imagine our shock
when we heard the verdict: the pup had been born without hip sockets!! They
hadn't worn away - they just were never there. "Impossible", we said, "he
moves perfectly well!" "Sorry", said the vet; "here's the proof." The recommendation
was grim: immediate surgery or euthanasia. Prognosis: very poor. The pup,
said the vet, was doomed to the short, painful life of a cripple. But he reckoned
without the love of a boy for his dog.
Randy knows what handicaps are; he knows they must be fought, not given
in to. So it was not in his nature to give in to the grim prognosis. If it
was within his power to help, his pup would live. And so began a year-long
battle.
At six months, the pup moved as though he hurt everywhere. He lay down to
eat; sat in preference to standing, walked in preference to running, bounded
with hind legs together instead of trotting. So Randy began the Pfaffenberger
exercises.
Putting the choke collar high behind his pup's ears, holding his head erect,
they walked quickly the length of our country road (about one-tenth of a mile)
the first two days. The next two days saw the distance doubled; the days
after that, trebled, and so on. In addition, hills were found to climb; plowed
fields were run; creeks were swum and carts were pulled. But, every day,
chain behind the ears, head high, gait the measured distance. In a little
while they were travelling two miles a day. It rained, and they trotted down
the road. Summer came and they ran the plowed fields. Fall found them on long
hikes. Chain behind the ears, head high, trot.
We had been told that surgery was inevitable and Randy could not stand the
thought of his friend in pain. Still, there was the fact that the dog could
no longer be confined inside a six-foot fence. When he wanted out, he went
over the top. And although the boy was now quite tall, the dog still wanted
to look him in the eye, so spent a great deal of time on his hind legs.
At 18 months, we re-x-rayed. The heads of the femurs had smoothed out. They
had worn false sockets in soft tissue, smoothing out the rough spots in the
bone. No more grating of bone against bone and no arthritis had developed.
The hips weren't normal, to be sure, but they were functional. Randy and his
pup had won their battle. No surgery, no euthanasia. Just a boy and his dog,
running through the fields.
Why does this exercise work? A dog is so built that his center of gravity
is well forward. That is, if you were to suspend his body at a point where
he was perfectly balanced, fore and aft, you would put your balance point
just behind the shoulder in most dogs. As the dog lowers his head, he throws
his center of gravity forward, putting more weight on the forequarters, freeing
his hindquarters for drive necessary for either speed or power.
According to some authorities, 60 to 70% of a dog's weight is normally on
the forequarters. If the head is raised, throwing the center of gravity (and
therefore the weight) toward the rear, as much as 50% of the weight is thrown
on the hindquarters. This forces the pelvic muscles to carry more load and
causes them to build themselves up. As the muscles are used and increase in
mass, they themselves take more of the load of supporting the dog. The wearing
of the femur against the acetabulum is similar to seating a bearing. Eventually
bearing and seat match each other without causing further wear. If there
is pain in the early stages of exercise, this can be minimized by buffered
aspirin.
Will this work with a dog who has already developed arthritis? I don't know.
Perhaps for these, surgery is in order. That is up to you and your vet. But
it is one argument in favor of early x-raying. If caught at an early age,
dysplasia need never mean pain to your dog. Whether you elect exercise or
surgery, a dysplastic dog can live a normal and relatively pain-free life
(though never bred.). Kay Rogers proved it; she took a dysplastic dog to her
Championship. Randy proved it: his dog is a champion in his eyes. Isn't that
where it really counts?
Kitty Carpadus -1971
NOTE: Since I wrote this more than 25 years ago, I have seen dozens
of dogs brought to a pain-free, functional life with this exercise. The ideal
speed is a fast walk for the human, a slow trot for the dog. Great exercise
for both dog and human.
reprinted with kind permission from Catherine de la Cruz
The above information is simply informational.
It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist
you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian
for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.
