Active and passive physiotherapy exercises for everyday life with your older dog
Whether you want to take preventive measures or have already noticed physical limitations in your dog, I am delighted that you want to do something for the health of your aging or elderly dog and would like to accompany you on your journey.
There is no reason not to give your dog painkillers for a few days in consultation with your trusted veterinarian if they are in acute pain.
However, regular administration of painkillers shouldbe the last step on the pain scale. Before you consider this step, there are a few adjustments you can make. A diet tailored to your dog's needs and appropriate dietary supplements are two important building blocks, while homeopathic support and acupuncture are complementary options that you can find out more about. My aim is to teach you passive and active exercises as part of physiotherapy for older dogs. These include massage and stretching exercises as well as short, tailored exercise sessions that will help your older dog to continue or resume participating actively in your everyday life together.
In this context, "passive" means that your dog lies on its side while you massage and stretch its muscles according to instructions. "Active" exercises are short joint tasks during which your dog stands or walks slowly and you guide it, for example, to alternately give its front paws or train its balance.
You can easily learn both active and passive exercises with the program I have developed and implement them at home. With regular training, they can help your dog, with your support, to
- keeps all of his muscles fit for longer,
- maintains the mobility of his joints,
- maintains its nerve functions and
- can train their coordination and movement sequences.
You may be wondering what the point of all this is. The answer is quite simple: in old age, your dog, like an aging human, depends on your support and love. It cannot help itself. With passive and active exercises
- you slow down your dog's aging process
- you improve their mobility and promote their independence,
- Do you relieve muscle and joint pain by
- Muscle relaxation and
- reduces compensatory postures and lameness as a result.
The time required per week is manageable and can be easily integrated into your daily routine: it depends on the severity of your dog's difficulties and how much time you have available each day. Detailed step-by-step instructions are provided in the program itself.
Forprophylaxis —i.e., preventive work with your dog—you will need about two hours per week if you support your dog with one passive session per week and short active sessions six days per week. If your dog has slight difficulties with its musculoskeletal system or even acute problems, you should honestly plan more time for your exercises, especially at the beginning of the program.
With these targeted exercises, you can do so much to improve your older dog's quality of life and relieve their pain—at the same time, you will deepen your relationship in a very special way, because your dog will sense that you are doing something good for them and will thank you for it. 🖤