Tag archives: overweight

Cranial cruciate ligaments in dogs perform the same task as the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in humans. They both act as important stabilizers inside the knee and both can be damaged during exercise. In dogs, the ligament and related damage can be more complex than in humans, resulting in varying degrees of lameness and tearing.

While at the Purina Sporting Dog Summit, Dr. James L. Cook, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR, discussed several topics, one of which was the importance of warming your dog up prior to exercise and competition.

“Never take a dog straight from a crate to the performance realm,” said Cook, referring equally to the conformation ring, agility course, hunt-test or field-trial line, etc. “If you’re going straight from the crate to performance, you’re an idiot.”

Now, that might sound harsh to those of us who pull our dog out of the box and get in line for competition, but the truth is: he’s right. Would an elite human athlete get out of bed and immediately strap on the skis, run a marathon or get on the court of competition without so much as stretching? Would you get off the couch and undergo physical exercise ...

Puppy-formula foods have been around for a long time. Theories, myths, personal beliefs and veterinarian recommendations concerning them began to form about 31 seconds after they hit store shelves. This mass of information and misinformation can make it confusing for a puppy owner to know what to feed and when to switch a puppy to an adult formula.

When my dogs were young, a popular theory was to switch a dog off of a puppy formula at around six months of age. It was believed that puppy formulas were too hot and caused bones to develop too fast. I switched both dogs, the lazy bulldog and active Labrador, to performance formulas at about that age. Both developed well and with no issues. But was it the right thing to do and does the advice still apply?

It turns out that a ton of research and changes have taken place around puppy formulas in the last 10 to 15 years, and that’s always good news – for knowledge, whether it proves or disproves your position, is a means to a better end.

“The myth of switching a puppy to adult food early persists to this day. It started at a time ...

If your dog is an average American canine, there is approximately 50% likelihood that your dog has a chronic disease that increases chances of osteoarthritis, heart disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease, chronic pain, cancer, high blood pressure, and endocrine disease. In addition, this disease is also known to significantly decrease life expectancy. The most unfortunate aspect of this condition is that it is completely preventable, yet only a small fraction of dog owners take the necessary precautions to prevent this disease of malnutrition in their dogs. This disease is canine obesity.

Unless you avoid all news and cultural commentaries, you are likely aware of the human obesity epidemic in America and other countries around the world. According to the report, “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future”, a collaborative work by Trust for America’s Health (www.healthyamericans.org) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as of 2010, 68.7% of American adults over 19 years of age were overweight or obese (“Overweight” is defined as a body mass index, or BMI, over 25 and “Obese” is defined as a BMI over 30 - BMI Calculator). In addition, the rapidity at which the increase in human obesity has occurred is ...