We're excited to introduce you to a really cool veterinarian (that's the best way to describe him, really) that Parental Unit met at the most recent BlogPaws conference in August, Patrick Mahaney, who maintains a holistic veterinary practice in Los Angeles. He's also a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA), and his practice combines traditional, western medical practices with both acupuncture and Chinese veterinary medicine to maintain his patients' overall robust health. Dr. Mahaney describes it as "Traditional medicine combined with innovation to provide the best care for your pets", which sounds to us like an optimal health plan for our four-legged friends. He makes house calls in the Los Angeles area and consults via telephone or e-mail with pet owners everywhere. You may contact him at: patrick@patrickmahaney.com to arrange for a consultation.
Here's a photo of Dr. Mahaney and his dog, Cardiff, who has his own blog, too!
In the meantime, we're happy to have Dr. Mahaney as our guest blogger this evening, and hopefully as a regular guest to share his insights and perhaps field a few of your questions.
In this article, originally posted to Dr. Mahaney's blog in late August, he discusses the benefits of exercise for both you and your pet.
If you and your dog are new to exercising, begin with a consistently paced, low-impact activity, such as short walks or hikes, then increase the duration and challenge. Consistently paced activity has less injury causing potential than high-impact or high-intensity activities, such as sprinting and jumping.
Should your dog show any overt signs of distress while exercising (trouble breathing, weakness, fatigue, reluctance to move, lameness, etc), please schedule an examination with your veterinarian before further partaking in physical activity.
Here's a photo of Dr. Mahaney and his dog, Cardiff, who has his own blog, too!
In the meantime, we're happy to have Dr. Mahaney as our guest blogger this evening, and hopefully as a regular guest to share his insights and perhaps field a few of your questions.
In this article, originally posted to Dr. Mahaney's blog in late August, he discusses the benefits of exercise for both you and your pet.
Back to School Canine Fitness Tips by PATRICK MAHANEY on AUGUST 22, 2011
As our summer crawls to its inevitable conclusion and America’s children return to school, families must disallow the hectic nature of academia and extracurricular activities from contributing to reduced activity and emotional stimulation for our animal companions.
Obesity is clearly an epidemic affecting people and pets. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), an estimated 51% of dogs and cats (approximately 89 million pets) in the United States are overweight or obese.
Besides the unhealthy effect on the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments), carrying excessive body mass is unhealthy for the cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels), respiratory (lungs and trachea), endocrine (glands, such as the adrenals, liver, kidneys, and pancreas), and digestive organs (stomach and intestines).
The PPET (People Pets Exercising Together) Study, which was a partnership between Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, showed that people who regularly exercised with their dog were better able to stick with their workout plan than dog-less participants.
Flexcin, makers of FlexPet joint supplement, recently conducted a study on dogs living in households where physical activity is reduced (due to a new human family member being brought home) have the unfortunate trend toward being overweight and suffering joint problems. This study’s findings can be extrapolated to parents’ apparent loss of time associated with the new school year’s commencement.
Besides the unhealthy effect on the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments), carrying excessive body mass is unhealthy for the cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels), respiratory (lungs and trachea), endocrine (glands, such as the adrenals, liver, kidneys, and pancreas), and digestive organs (stomach and intestines).
The PPET (People Pets Exercising Together) Study, which was a partnership between Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, showed that people who regularly exercised with their dog were better able to stick with their workout plan than dog-less participants.
Help to prevent the “freshman 15” (or weight gain regardless of your academic class) by starting, maintaining, or intensifying a physical fitness program for both you and your dog.
Should your dog show any overt signs of distress while exercising (trouble breathing, weakness, fatigue, reluctance to move, lameness, etc), please schedule an examination with your veterinarian before further partaking in physical activity.
Getting outside and being active with your dog provides innumerable physical and emotional benefits for both the humans and their canine participants. At the start of this new school year, seek refuge in the stress reducing, family friendly benefits of participating in activity with your dog.
Please feel free to leave your comments or communicate with me through email (patrick@patrickmahaney.com) or Twitter (@PatrickMahaney).
Thank you for reading my article. To receive my next veterinary posting via email, please press the “Don’t Miss a Blog Post” button on the right upper corner of this page or follow this link.
Make sure to follow my adventures in veterinary medicine by friending Patrick Mahaney: Veterinarian Acupuncture Pain Management for Your Pets on Facebook.
Copyright of this article (2011) is owned by Dr. Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr. Patrick Mahaney. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr. Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr. Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.
3 comments:
We are big advocates of keeping your dogs in shape and at a healthy weight. While physical activity is very important, I see so may overweight dogs due to the lone fact that their owners overfeed them or feed them fatty, unhealthy people food. It bothers me when I hear the owner of an overweight dog say "I just can't say no when he asks for snacks.". As a responsible owner it is your JOB to say no. I wish people would get that.
Yes, we agree. Here's our version: rules, boundaries and limitations, along with lots of exercise and affection and occasional healthy treats are the best way to go.
Because my PU is a bit absent-minded these days, I do get the occassional stolen, bad-for-you treat, like that half doughnut I inhaled a few weeks ago...she shouldn't be eating those either!
We agree with that stuff. He is a cool V-E-T
Benny & Lily
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