It’s a brand new license plate design and theme for California! I miss my old Tennessee plates 
and Arizona has some great ones too.
Here’s a close up of the artwork (& you’ll be surprised when you learn who the designer is…):
Go here NOW and register to be the first to be seen driving in town with one!
From practiced zen-masters, to novice yogis, dog owners and dogs alike are flocking to yoga studios in a joint effort to find balance of body and mind.
While the thought of it provokes an assortment of witty play on words (Downward Dog, Na-mutt-ste, etc.), the doga movement is no joking matter! Sweeping the nation in a zen-like fashion, the dog and yoga mash-up has become a popular practice of many a pup and owner.
Much like traditional yoga, doga moves mimic those of the human practice (with the exception of limb flexibility). With a series of stretches, lifts, and massaging, owners work with their dog’s bodies in a symbiotic exercise.
“I tell people at the beginning of class that it’s an organic practice and feel free to move around the dog, face a different direction, whatever,” said Brenda Bryan, yoga and doga instructor and author of Barking Buddha: Simple Soul Stretches for Yogi and Dogi. “That takes the pressure off people to feel like they have to do everything perfectly and allows them to let go of their ego a little and focus on their dog (another benefit!).”
The class demonstrates the Xtra Angle Triangle Pose. Photo by Bev Sparks
On average, Bryan works with around 5 to10 students per class.
“I can’t speak for everyone that walks through the door, but I seem to hear frequently that people want healthy, fun dog-friendly activities,” said Bryan of her clientele. “Of course there are the people that come to class out of curiosity and that’s fine.”
Kari Harendorf, former host of Animal Planet’s K9 Karma and current owner of East Yoga in New York City , also promotes a balanced pup existence.
“[Doga] does not replace exercising. Dogs need to get their energy out. But this is a great way to bond with your dog,” Harendorf commented on the benefits of the practice.
But the bonding aspect is not the only benefit to the dog experience, says Harendorf. The constant petting and manual shifting of the dog’s body allows for the owner to conduct a full-body scan and check for any abnormalities that might otherwise go unnoticed—one of Harendorf’s clients was actually able to spot a tumor on their dog during a class. The continuous handling also helps the dog become accustomed to human touch, which may be helpful when dealing with vets and groomers.
Reverse Fire Hydrant Lunge Pose: As you move down and over your dog, this pose promotes trust and encourages the hips to open. Photo by Bev Sparks
In addition to her studio dog classes, Harendorf also works with local New York shelter Bidaweein offering yoga instruction for shelter dogs.
“The human contact these dogs get helps them become sociable,” said Harendorf, thus aiding in their eventual adoption.
Within dog-centric circles, it seems that all of America is curious about the doga movement, with classes, books and DVDs emerging across the country. From Jacksonville, Florida to Seattle, Washington, dogis are catering to their dog-friendly clients. Although many skeptics will deny any benefits to the practice, doga instructors and participants say different.
“It creates a more trusting relationship with their human as they allow their doga partner to stretch, massage, hover over and even lift them,” said Bryan.
Some may joke about the unnaturalness of dogs practicing the serious tradition of yoga, but according to Bryan, they are one in the same. Dogs naturally exhibit much of the same moves done in yoga through their everyday stretching and movement. Similar to the “happy baby” pose, dogs often lie flat on their backs with legs free in the air. And much like the appropriately titled “downward facing dog” pose, dogs tend to stretch in a half seated position, or bow to engage in “play time” with other dogs.
“It’s a fun way to learn something about yoga philosophy using our dogs as examples,” said Bryan. “The word Yoga means “union” and dogs are pack animals so they are all about union.”
Which is more difficult (in terms of recovery and compensation): a hind limb amputation or a fore limb amputation?
(Read below to find out!!)
In the not-so-distant past, if a dog or cat had an issue with his/her limb (due to cancer, trauma, loss of nerve supply, etc.), putting him or her down may have been the only reasonable option.
Not now!
Amputation is actually a reasonable and a great option for most otherwise healthy cases. They respond very well to short courses of rehabilitation – both front limb AND hind limb cases, in my experience.
Here is a link to an article regarding gait research of our three-legged friends–including the answer to the question posed above. CLICK HERE.
(thousandhoundphoto.com.au)
The tug of war game is a great exercise for pelvic limb (aka hindlimb) strengthening.
In the above photo, the dog on the RIGHT is the working dog. [The dog on the left is showing how easy it is for you to assist in this exercise!]
It is helpful, as with all rehab and exercise, if your dog knows commands & has had obedience training. For those that are concerned that the game would encourage aggressive behavior, teach your dog a signal or command for when the game is over such as “drop it” or “release”.
Word of caution: do not hold the rope near-vertical or swing it from side to side as this puts too much strain on the cervical spine (aka neck).
Tug o’ war is great addition to a pelvic limb program along with ramps and hills. It’s a super stifle exercise for the advanced stages of rehab.
From the SCVMA 5/10 (and areas with emphasis added from me):
LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL and PREVENTION DIVISION VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH AND RABIES CONTROL
May 20, 2010
TO: Robert Kim-Farley, M.D., M. P. H. Director, Communicable Disease Control and Prevention
FROM: C. Patrick Ryan, D.V. M., M. P. H. Chief, Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control
SUBJECT: WALKING AWAY OBESITY WITH A DOG
Obesity is a major public health problem in people and their pets the United States. However, the nation is slow to act. In a recent telephone survey, surprisingly, although 1/3 of the animal owners indicated that their pets were slightly overweight or obese, less than 1% of these owners considered this to be a chronic health problem.
New research from the University of Missouri has found that people who walk dogs are more consistent about regular exercise and show more improvement in fitness than people who walk with a human companion.
The article “Dog Walking and Physical Activity in the United States” published in Preventing Chronic Disease http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/apr/05_0106.htm reported regular physical activity is important for preventing obesity and other chronic diseases. Despite these substantial health benefits, fewer than one half of adults engage in recommended levels of physical activity, and nearly 25% of adults do not participate in any leisure-time physical activity.
Walking is one of the most popular leisure-time physical activities among adults and has been associated with long-term adherence to regular physical activity.
The authors reported walking a dog could help a large proportion of the U.S. population to increase their physical activity as well as that of their dogs. There are approximately 65 million dogs in U.S. households; 39% of U.S. households include at least one dog, and 35% have two or more.
An estimated 25% to 40% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. Inactivity has been shown to be a significant risk factor for obesity in studies of dogs and cats, and both sedentary pet behavior and owner lifestyle may contribute to the development of canine and feline obesity. The Humane Society of the United States recommends twice daily walking for dogs’ health and fitness. Dog walking as a method for increasing human physical activity has not been extensively studied.
Dog walking and weight reduction
Last year’s annual conference of the International Society for Anthrozoology covered several topics; two of which were “Walk A Hound, Lose A Pound” a community shelter dog walking study providing adults and families with children an innovative way to increase physical activity and “Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound and Stay Fit for Seniors” studies effects of shelter dog walking on fitness and social support of older adults.
VPH&RC collaborated with the Physical Activity Program to promote the benefits of dog walking (see attached poster).
According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, around 63% of all USA households (that’s about 71.1 million) are pet owners. That is a gigantic audience to target.
Walking dogs also good for healing heart disease
Walking dogs is not only good for reducing obesity, the National Institutes of Health reported in the March 30, 2010 issue of HealthDay News on “Man’s Best Friend Helps Mend Broken Hearts.” ** The innovative program, called Cardiac Friends, is a partnership between ProHealth Care and Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County, in Wisconsin.Motivating patients to get active and stay active can be challenging. But the year-old Cardiac Friends program gives animal aficionados recovering from open heart surgery, stent implantation or angioplasty a compelling reason to work out.
Several pragmatic approaches will be needed to solve the obesity problem in the USA, but walking the dog is a step towards a solution.
** Here’s more information from Medline re: the NIH program:
Here is an excerpt from this week’s Vet Advantage news with bold for emphasis:
…Heatstroke occurs when the pet’s natural defense system cannot handle the heat building up inside his body. Usually, a dog handles heat through respiratory measures such as panting. When the dog cannot do so, his body will overheat. Pet owners need to be aware that although there are measures they can take to prevent heatstroke, it can occur at any time of the day to any breed of dog. Signs and symptoms of heat stroke include excessive panting, profuse salivation, glazed eyes, and anxiousness, collapsing and vomiting. Experts recommended pet owners keep pets inside on hot days, always have water available, keep pets well groomed and maintain a healthy weight. If pet owners see signs of heat stroke they should “try to cool down the animal by soaking your pet with towels and water and placing the pet in front of a fan, if possible. Then contact your veterinarian immediately. It is not recommended to use ice or ice cold water because this may lead to cooling the body too quickly.”
Listed above are just possible signs and symptoms. Your dog might express some, one or none of those. Other things to watch for are: rapid or irregular pulse, rapid or irregular breathing rate, not responding to your commands or otherwise appearing confused, refusal to take water or food, excessively dark (or excessively white) gums, whining, frothing at the mouth, & dilated pupils.
It is NOT recommended, however, to shave your long-haired dog because his natural coat is actually a defense mechanism against extreme heat. The skin actually stays cooler and is protected against the sun rays. Keep your dog’s coat maintainable and clean above all.
Yes, dogs can get sunburned!
Dogs do not have sweat glands like people do! In addition to panting, they lose some heat through their ears and through their paws (<-where a bit of sweating occurs).
Dogs who are especially susceptible to heat issues include the elderly, obese and/or brachycephalic (<-dogs with flat faces and shortened noses like Boxers & Pugs, for instance) as well as dogs who have chronic diseases or have recently undergone surgery or medical procedures.
Another thing NOT to do is to treat a possible heat issue or heat stroke on your own. Seek veterinarian attention as this is a medical emergency! Better to be safe than sorry.
And Do NOT try the “cold plunge” technique either of throwing a dog into a pool or water. As stated above with regards to using cold water or ice, this could send your dog’s body into SHOCK.
Most of us know that dogs should NOT be kept in parked cars during the daytime EVEN WITH the windows cracked. And yet, this is exactly what I saw this weekend in SoCal (when we actually had temps into the 80′s for the 1st time in a long time). Therefore, if this post was nothing new to you, I’m thrilled! Please pass it on, though, because it is a valuable message worth repeating.
(pic source: Gather.com)
Posted, b/c they’re his FAVE, by JacksonBooBear (with his opposable thumbs)
Extracted from PT Magazine, of Physical Therapy, “Exercises in Warm Water Help Relieve Osteoarthritis Pain”, Vol 16, No 1, January 2008
…studies included patients with osteoarthritis of either the knee or hip, one study followed patients with only hip arthritis, and one included patients with only knee arthritis. In the studies, some patients did aquatic exercises for different lengths of time and numbers of sessions per week, while other patients did no exercise or exercised on land. Most of the studies measured patients after 3 months of therapy…pain may decrease by 1 or more point on a scale of 0-20 with aquatic exercise and function may improve by 3 or more points on a scale of 0 to 68. The review noted there is a “lack of high-quality studies in this area.”
There is a lack of qualified research regarding aquatic therapy in general (humans and animals).
So then, why is it wildly popular? And by popular, I don’t necessarily mean it’s widespread use.
Can some of the talk be attributed to great marketing on behalf of hydrotherapy or underwater treadmill equipment companies?
When you think of “water exercise” in general, what comes to mind? A few things for me: First off, I think of the type of population that generally flock to “water aerobics”. But on the other hand, I think of hardcore swimmers who swim or compete regularly.
Based on the article cited above, is a 3-4% improvement in you or your animal’s pain and function worth spending 3 months in multiple weekly sessions?
Usually the type of people who exercise in water are those that are older and/or overweight. The water provides a buoyancy that allows them to exercise comfortably in an environment that is easier on the joints and organs than land-based activities. They are not competitive athletes and are not exercising against jet resistance.
Neither are the dogs.
Aquatic therapy is not the gold standard of human therapy, it is but a “tool” that is incorporated into a treatment plan when it makes sense to do so.
Here are some pro’s about hydrotherapy in relation to canine rehab:
Here are some con’s:
Aquatic-/Hydro-/Water- therapy has its place but not to the exclusion of other types of techniques.
Doing 3 months solid of any physical activity, and then stopping, will most likely result in a loss of those small percentage gains that you, or your animal, may have achieved.
So be realistic. Pick something that you can continue with longterm and makes sense.
Canine rehab & health means life-long management.
This is taken from a blog post by animalrehabilitation.com that was originally published in Feb ’08. This is by no means an all-inconclusive list, opinion or fact sheet regarding hydrotherapy. And as I come across more material on this subject I will post it!
Preventing sliding, skidding and potential falls inside your home is an important consideration for large breeds and dogs that are recovering from surgery or injury, have arthritis, or are geriatric.
An effective way to secure your flooring without resorting to having your dog wear booties or ripping up slick floors for carpet, is to lay down yoga mats.
The sticky surface provides traction and is harmless to your floors. Mats are easy to relocate and fold up quickly for cleaning & entertaining.
This is a cheaper alternative to throw rugs which often times can create an even more hazardous “carpet ride” for your pooch.
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This is part of a series in keeping your furkids, especially the elder variety, feeling and looking their best. It is not intended to supercede medical advice or directives. You can check out more of the “TIPS” series under the category on the right —->
