Pooch to 5k – Page 10 – Running with dogs

Research Reveals that your Dog’s Paws act as Natural Snow Boots for Cold Protection

by Admin

A guest post provided by VetDepot.com.

As a dog owner, you may wonder how your sweet pooch handles walking on cold, wet or sometimes even snow-covered ground without hesitation. Until now, no one really understood why dogs are able to tolerate the cold on seemingly poorly insulated paws. Recent research released in the journal of Veterinary Dermatology reveals that although your dog’s paws may lack the fur that protects the rest of his body from cold, the paws actually act as “built-in snow boots” to keep warmth in the body.

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Hydrotherapy for Sporting Injuries

by Admin

This is a real case history provided by Neville and Marion Allen of the Canine Fitness Centre. Published with permission from Amber’s owner.

Hydrotherapy: Amber’s Story

Amber used to chase wallabies. She didn’t ever catch them, but every time she saw one, she’d optimistically bound after them, feathery gold tail the only thing visible above the long grass.

One day, while trotting back, tongue lolling, she suddenly yelped and started limping. That was her first torn cruciate ligament. She already had some arthritis in a front paw, but that hadn’t stopped her from running. The torn ligament did – particularly when she tore another one a year later.

After surgery, the ligaments seemed to take a long time to heal, and she kept limping. The vet recommended I take her to hydrotherapy. I had no idea what was involved, but I hated seeing her looking so uncomfortable, so I thought I’d give it a try.

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Product Review – The Buddy System

January 22, 2012 by Audrey

I’ve never been a big fan of hands free leashes/waist running belts for running with Guinness. To be honest, the idea scared me – he’s strong and fast and I had visions of myself flying through the air after him, or having the world’s worst rope burn around my middle.

One of our forum readers (thanks Crankygoat!) mentioned in a thread that he used the Buddy System. I had a look and noticed they had a bungee attachment, aptly named the Lunge Buster, and I wondered if that would make any difference.

The only way to find out was to try one!

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January Running Buddy of the Month – Kandoo

January 13, 2012 by Admin

Sarah and Kandoo live in Pennsylvania, USA and this gorgeous Border Collie is proof that you don’t need to be able to see or hear to be a great running buddy.

“Blind and deaf? What quality of life will he have? He’d be better off dead.” That was the response I got many times over when I told people about the new puppy I was getting. Later it was “Oh, the poor thing…” when they were introduced. Now that he’s grown, people ask what his name is and what do I do with a handicap dog. And that’s when I get to smile and say : “This is Kandoo, and he can do everything.”

He can go up and down stairs, navigate the back yard, swim at the lake and come when the porch light blinks. He sleeps in bed, goes to dog events, has even hiked on the Appalachian Trail. He’s 65lbs of bouncing border collie love, has never met a stranger and everything is his favorite, except for running. Running is his very favorite.

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Pooch to 5k Meets Parkrun

January 13, 2012 by Audrey

Parkruns are free timed 5k runs which are conducted by volunteers, and are held in many countries around the world. There are three parkruns in Australia, with a fourth on the cards for next year.

We’ve been trying to get along to a parkrun for a few weeks now, but work commitments and weather haven’t made it possible. Yesterday was the day!

The run was in New Farm Park, Brisbane, and the route followed the boardwalk along the riverbank. It was flat, and lots of people were out walking or cycling, enjoying the fine weather and the view. We were made to very welcome by the organisers; it’s always nice to see people relaxed about dogs joining in a fun run.

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Foot Pad Injuries

by Audrey

You can see the small injury to Sinner’s footpad on the photograph, I didn’t notice he had a problem until he started leaving little bloody footprints. It’s most likely that he stepped on a sharp rock or stick, or even a piece of glass.

What should you do if your dog has such an injury? In Sinner’s case, there was no foreign body sticking out so I chose to play the waiting game. I cleaned it thoroughly with dilute iodine, and I didn’t bandage it. I think a bandage would have lasted two seconds!

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