Tag Archive for: dog

Improving the muscles of the hind limbs in dogs is an interesting option both in dogs that are being rehabilitated from problems in the hind limbs and in dogs that are initially healthy, but that have weakness in the hind limbs.

The first thing we have to do is evaluate the patient. Observe the muscle mass of the posterior ones, palpate this musculature, look if apart from muscle atrophy there is tension or flaccidity.

If we observe muscle tension it will be convenient to start the rehabilitation by unloading the muscles, with massage, with TENS, with heat … on the other hand, if we observe weakness and flaccidity, we must begin rehabilitation with Electrostimulation or light muscle toning exercises.

Walks is the easiest way to start a rehabilitation, it should always be pain-free, if the dog has pain you should go to the veterinarian and take the necessary pharmacological measures to resolve the situation, a TENS can also be very useful to eliminate pain during walks.

Another important point is the way the dog walks, if it mainly uses the forelimbs to perform its gait this exercise will not bring us practically any improvement in the strength of the posterior ones.

arnes-de-soporte-para-perroIt is important to get the dog to work with the hind legs, this can be achieved by walking on the short leash and indicating to the dog that he must carry weight in the posterior ones, it will be practically impossible if the dog has pain in the hips, knees or some other structure of the posterior third.

Squats (making the dog sit up and get up a few repetitions in a row) is going to be another of the exercises we will use; we must reserve this exercise for when the dog does not have pain in the subsequent ones and his muscle mass is enough to withstand this exercise or failing that we can help ourselves with a harness for later to help lift the dog.

Working in the water with the underwater treadmill is one of the best exercises since they strengthen the muscles protecting the joints. The sloping walks is another of the exercises that we must practice, the inclination of the slope will force more the posterior third and the dog will work more and increase the muscular power of the posterior third. This can be done both on a climb and on a rolling tapestry with inclination.

soporte para perro con displasia de cadera

In the later phases of treatment weights can be used for muscle strengthening in dogs.

There are several solutions that can help us to be able to perform these exercises better, that the dog feels better and can correctly perform these exercises thus increasing the strength in the posterior third such as the knee pads, tarsus supports, hip support, or boots or foot protectors in case of having problems in the plantar area.

Orthocanis technical team.

www.ortocanis.com

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Marta Sitjà, the caregiver of a paralyzed dog named Hope, came to us in June 2013 in search of a wheelchair. We have loved to find two years later the writing that we put below. We hope it excites you as much as we do:

Ospresentamos a Hope

Meet Hope

“I live with 2 dogs, one of them is paralyzed, I adopted her 2 years ago, she is the love of my life, there is nothing in the world so beautiful, so good, so sacrificed, so fighter, so brave, as generous and with the soul as pure as my Hoppy and this is our story:
2 years ago just around this time I had in my head to adopt another dog, I am a Canine Educator and I wanted to give home to a dog that needed it a lot, I was looking for an older one, with problems or that took a long time in a kennel. Then one day looking at Facebook a small dog appeared, with a blue wheelchair that was bigger than her. and accompanying the photo a text that said something like that if most dogs are already invisible to people because this type of animals, with problems or diseases, were even more invisible …
Hope en una sesión de hidroterapia

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I started crying, and I thought it wasn’t true, that it couldn’t be true, I did care…
The next day I couldn’t get it out of my head, I thought about what his life would be like, I thought if he could adapt to mine, if I would be able to offer him a good life, I started crying…
The next day I was tired of crying, I opened the Facebook and wrote a message to the contact person, I told him who I was and what my life was like… could that animal be happy with me??
They told me that on Sunday there was a fair in Calella and to go see it, without obligation, so I went to Calella, we looked at each other, I took it in my arms and I did not let go again.
They put hope on her, because if there is a being in the world with hope and desire to live, it is her.
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Hope enjoying nature

They found her run over in the middle of the road, with her column broken; a damn hunter who as a child mutilated her by cutting her tail (and to know what other tortures she would do)She left when she was not even 1 year old, she crossed the road and a car took her ahead. It went to argentona’s kennel (curiously where I would do my internship as a Canine Educator some time later), but they could not take care of it and the association The Kat Club took over; I am clear that if it were not for those wonderful people my dog would be dead.
From there rolling around foster homes, you know, they have many dogs, they need a lot of care, those people are angels with huge hearts but they can’t do miracles, they do what they can…
Until the day I saw it on Facebook, I went to Calella and brought it home.
We adapt perfectly to each other, from the first day she has gone without a leash on the street, she does not separate from me and has learned in record time all the orders (come, stop, quiet, run …) and also all the tricks of the other dog, they are like 2 naughty offspring having fun around the city.300x250
Her life is worth millions, as far as I know (because I have been told so) there are already 2 dogs that were going to sacrifice and thanks to the example of Hope they are now going with their Wheelchair, and not only that, she brightens the day of everyone we come across, I see it in people’s faces, you know? they go with that rictus of bitterness and when they see Hoppy (that’s what I call her) a smile is drawn on her face. She is an activist, with her story we are making people aware of abuse and abandonment, we go to all the manis that are in Barcelona and everyone knows her.
He lives a normal life, only on the street he carries his child seat, but he runs, plays, eats, enjoys and entangles like any dog.
I have a respect for her out of series, she usually hurts her back legs because she carries them dead and she is hitting her with the stones and so on…. She NEVER complains, you never see her musty, she never stops wanting to go out, she has never had a bad gesture with anyone, no matter how much she suffers or hurts, never the slightest hint of aggressiveness; his resistance to pain is Guinness, his capacity to love infinite and his generosity to the unfortunate human being who has cut short his life is immense.

It is the best gift that life has given me (along with my other dog), people when they see us on the street usually say that Hope has been very lucky to find me, but who has been lucky is me, I feel privileged because the noblest look I know looks at me, and the most unconditional love is for me…
I am the lucky one and I do not stop thanking because she has changed my life, I no longer complain about nonsense, I see life d
In another way, there is more love in me. How to thank so many gifts??? I can only take care of her and love her and make her life wonderful, that’s what I do and that’s what she does with me.”
Written by Marta Sitjà
Ortocanis productos ortopédicos para perros

These sad images correspond to Fiji, a 14-month-old puppy. His owners left him in the car while they went to a mall. A neighbor alerted a policeman of the situation who, along with other people, did everything possible to help the animal.

WARNING: These images may hurt sensitivity

Unfortunately, Fiji died hours later at the veterinary clinic due to internal bleeding caused by heat stroke.

It is obvious that we should NEVER leave an animal inside the car unattended, even if the temperature is not high (these events happened in February) but what to do if we believe that our friend may be suffering from heat stroke?

WE MUST GO TO A VETERINARIAN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

We will wet the abdomen and nape of the neck abundantly and fan, since the evaporation of that water lowers its surface temperature. We should never try to get the animal to walk. If we have to travel it by car to the clinic, we will use the air conditioning “butt” or, failing that, we will leave all the windows wide open.

It is not advisable to use ice, as it causes a vasoconstriction that would make heat exchange even more difficult. NEVER use medication on your own, as many of them could worsen the condition.

In situations of heat stroke, a multisystem failure occurs, which is why it is so important to go to a veterinarian. Normally these dogs must remain one or two days admitted, since, although the temperature has been lowered, there are usually problems of blood coagulation and severe renal failure.

Existen prendas especiales para favorecer la pérdida de calor por parte del animal, como este chaleco refrigerante.

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Laura Pérez – Orthocanis Veterinarian

Perros Francia

 

Thanks to an amendment approved on January 28 by the National Assembly of France, companion animals will be considered as “living beings endowed with sensitivity”.

Until now in France pets were considered “movable property”, that means that for many years dogs, cats and horses had the same legal value as a piece of furniture.

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It has been thanks to an amendment proposed by the legislators of a party, and with this modification the animals would be protected by the law to avoid mistreatment or abandonment, because the owner would face a prison sentence.

This legislative amendment is the response to a petition launched two years ago by the animal protection foundation “30 Millions d’Amis“, according to the French newspaper Le Monde.

Both the Rural Code and the Criminal Code explicitly or implicitly recognize animals as “living and sentient beings”, however, the Civil Code did not, so it was necessary to apply the modification.

About 89 percent of French people are in favor of this modification of the Civil Code, according to a survey by the ifop company for the “30 Million Friends” foundation.

In Spain, there has recently been a reform of the Criminal Code (LO 1/2015) in which several points have been added and modified. For example, the sexual exploitation and/or abuse of domestic animals is now considered illegal (yes, I know what you are thinking. Indeed, until now it was legal…). In addition, there is an increase in convictions, but unless the offender has a record, the prison sentence is rarely enforced. While most of us would like the animal protection law to be much tougher in our country, this reform has been a breakthrough that, in the medium or long term, will possibly open the door to fairer legislation with our friends and colleagues.

Orthocanis Team

Ayudas para perros con artrosis

 

Belltown, a city in Seattle (USA), is watching these last weeks as a 2-year-old farmer gets on and off the bus alone and even does what she can to indicate that her stop is about to arrive.

Seattle dog's rush hour ride: on the bus, by herself, weekly

His stop is that of a dog park where he likes to play and spend time and there he travels without anyone else. The initial surprise of the neighbors, to see a dog traveling alone by bus, became a concern later, thinking that the animal had no owner. However, this dog whose name is Eclipse, has an owner named Jeff Young.

Eclipse and his owner live very close to a bus stop that they often take to go to the park. Jeff tells Komo News, Eclipse’s solo getaways began by chance. Every day while they were both waiting for the bus to arrive, Jeff lit a cigar and gave him time to smoke it before the bus that took them to the park arrived. But, one fine day the bus arrived before Jeff finished it and Eclipse’s impatience made her climb alone without waiting for anyone. The surprise was when he found that he had gotten off at the stop he was playing and arrived at the park without problems. “We separated, she took the bus without me, but I caught up with her at the pipican,” Jeff said. “It is not very difficult to get there, you go up right in front of the house and get off in the park which is only four stops away.”

Seattle dog's rush hour ride: on the bus, by herself, weekly

Now everyone who usually takes this bus knows her but at first, she kept receiving calls from friends telling her that they had found her and that they were taking care of her. He had to explain to them that he had a self-sufficient dog and that he already knew what he was doing, that they didn’t worry… who would return alone by bus.

Cama ortopédica para perros

derby-protesis-mainThe development of 3D printers is allowing very important advances in the field of medicine. Initially, this technology was used to create parts perfectly adapted to the body of each individual, using plastic materials. Medicine is already going further and organs are beginning to be created with biological materials in order to temporarily or permanently replace parts of the body.

Custom prostheses created with 3D printers have been used in humans, but this time the beneficiary has been Derby, a dog. It is an adopted dog, with a birth deformity on its front legs.

The adaptation of the prostheses are perfect, since the “mold” is obtained from Computerized Tomography of the dog’s limbs. The first prostheses used have been of low height so that it can be adapted to them to, in the future, make the definitive ones.

Soporte para carpo

Home for Hope

The brand of Swedish origin Ikea in collaboration with the protective Animal Lovers League Shelter and Save Our Street Dogs have launched an original adoption campaign. This is Home for Hope. It takes place in Singapore and aims to help find a home for dogs that are crowded in the shelters.

The idea is simple: start with a photo shoot to get life-size images of the dogs. A QR code is added and displayed in Ikea stores, integrated into the decoration. In this way, anyone can scan them with their mobile and obtain the dog’s information, facilitating their adoption.

At the moment, this initiative is only applied in Singapore, we hope that the results will be favorable and homeless dogs from other countries can also benefit.

Don’t buy, adopt.

Arneses para perros con movilidad reducida

In Ortocanis we have the opportunity to meet many dogs (along with their owners) that go through difficult situations. And we increasingly realize that we have a lot to learn from them. Dogs live in the moment and are capable of the best, without the filters or self-imposed worries of humans.

This is a magnificent video of overcoming and positivity. We encourage you to enjoy it and learn a lot from it, learn to be more dog.

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Unfortunately, the Internet is sometimes used to disseminate videos, images and advocacy of animal abuse. This information is known to most Internet users, but what can sometimes go unnoticed is that the fact, due to indignation, of sharing that material and making comments of rejection has very undesirable effects:

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  • Contributes to its dissemination (for better and for worse)
  • It puts the author/abuser on notice, so it is likely that they will remove the content being then impossible to trace by the authorities.
  • It motivates the abuser since, by exalting the population, he obtains the stimulus he seeks.

And then… How to act?

In the event of a case of animal abuse on the network, we basically have to gather as many evidence as possible and get it to the authorities.

To gather evidence, everything works: social media profiles, images, videos, links,… All this information must reach the security forces. For this we have several ways:

  • Send a report to the National Police Corps (telematic crimes): click here to enter.
  • Send a complaint to Seprona (Civil Guard): [email protected]
  • Send the information to the Observatory of Defense and Animal Justice. They sign and manage the complaints, which allows the citizen to maintain anonymity and increases the effectiveness of the complaint, since they have lawyers to provide legal support. They themselves further investigate the case and file the complaint. You can send the information to: guardiandelared@justiciaydefensaanimal
  • Contact a protector. Some have legal services.

From Ortocanis we encourage you to denounce abuse and its apology.

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Orthocanis Team

Silla de ruedas para perros y gatos

Perro-Feldenkrais

Feldenkrais® is a method that is based on the learning capacity of the Nervous System using movement and attention directed to the body as a vehicle to access the brain and its ability to create new neural connections and new movement patterns.

In this way, the brain is educated through the messages of the Nervous System. Postural habits are highlighted, new neuro-muscular schemes are investigated for a better availability of movement and the interconnections between the different parts of the body are discovered.

Dr. Feldenkrais

This method was developed over 40 years of study and research by PhD in Physics Moshe Feldenkrais (image). It is a revolutionary approach to understanding the functioning of the human being and to improving physical and mental performance. It uses movement to enhance our natural ability to discover, learn, change, and continue to develop throughout our lives.

In no case does it replace a medical treatment, it is an educational method. Their goal is to overcome pain and limitations and achieve a state of physical, mental and emotional well-being and vitality.

The sessions can be individual in which the teacher mobilizes the student’s body with his hands or group sessions in which the teacher verbally leads the students to perform simple but unusual sequences that involve thinking, feeling and acting imaginatively.

Método Feldenkrais perro

The Feldenkrais method can also be applied to animals, helping in cases of chronic pain and support alterations, such as cases of hip dysplasia or osteoarthritis among many others.

In the Feldenkrais method in dogs, a teacher directs the owner, who is the one who applies the movements to the dog to the animal.

With the application of this method to the dog we will get:

  • Improve your mobility by recovering your natural pattern.
  • Regain its stability by improving its activity.
  • Increase your vitality and joy.

We hope you find it helpful.

Ortocanis.com Team

Curso del metodo Feldenkrais para perros