Dog behavioral problem - can anyone help?

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

Oh, trust me. Slowness isn't the issue. Right now I'm walking about half the two miles. And I am not exactly fleet of foot when I'm "running", either.

Whatever, at least I'm doing it.

[aggieAXO]

If your dog is not use to running 2 miles i would not take her on a 2 mile run. start with maybe a 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile and then work up to the 2 miles. It may take several weeks. Before exercising her I would have your regular vet do a physical on her and a geriatric profile (bloodwork) to make sure all is well. If she has a heart murmur she may not be able to exercise too much. If she is having joint problems I would get her on a glucosamine/chondroitin product like Cosequin. It can take 6 weeks before you see a change bit it may help with her stiffness. It is a pretty safe drug.

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

I heard you can use the glucosamine/chondroitin marketed for people on dogs. Is that true?

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu

Hey vets - am I right to think a 10 year old dog can't go on a 2 mile run? I run slow, but Marley seems so stiff and achy when she gets up... I don't want to make her miserable. She always ACTS like she wants to go...but then, she also acts like she wants to get in the car when we're going to the vet, too.

At 10 years old, that's equivalent to about age 65. It could be joint issues, but at the same time as with people, the overall metabolism of a pet has a tendency to slow as years advance. As dogs age, they don't suffer from many of the cardiovascular challenges that humans do. When I say this, I'm not really referring to the heart itself, but the hardening of arteries and atherosclerosis. As your dog gets older though, her heart will still become less efficient at pumping blood during exercise, so be careful with long distant runs. As SWTXBelle said, there could be some joint challenges here as well. Arthritis is one of the more common ailments affecting dogs as they grow old. I'm not sure what kind of breed your dog is, you may have mentioned it earlier, but a lot of the larger breeds can suffer from vertebral spondylosis. It's a bad back condition. Also, muscular problems start to arise too. A lot of age related protein loss is one of the causes of many muscular challenges. Still, walk her as much as you can though, because muscular problems also occur due to lack of exercise, because there isn't much muscular activity happening without it.

Meds are fine, but I would watch her diet because they might not be needed. If she's not already getting it, I would add plenty of vitamin C to her diet, maybe 500 to 2000 milligrams a day depending on her size. There are other vitamins and supplements that are especially important like vitamin E, and vitamin A and D combination. Like aggie said, talk to your vet and I would also ask about what kind of diet to put her on. That's important and it will make a big difference in your dog's health as she grows older.

I'm just a vet student, but I hope that helps.

[Tyrese]

i gots a question to da vets too. check it out. i gots a pit bull and i be enterin him in dog fights. he be gettin' scarred up like a muh fuh but he aint never lost none tho. you know what im sayin? do his heart be beatin fast when he be fightin? it aint gonna make him sick is it? if i gives him vitamints and sht does yall thinks ita help him fight better?