Front Matter

Chapter 8 Therapeutic Exercise 183

muscles. Many variations are possible includ­
ing placing different height blocks under front
and rear feet or placing only the diagonal feet
on the blocks.

Land treadmill

When shopping for a treadmill, belt length is a
key component. Human treadmill belts are gen­
erally 4 to 5 feet long. This length is acceptable
for small dogs, but large dogs require a 6‐foot or
longer belt—these can be found only on dog‐
specific treadmills (Figure 8.5). One downside to
the canine treadmills is that the belt is generally
narrower, so the therapist cannot walk on the
belt with the patient. Incline and or decline capa­
bility is important. The ability to move in reverse
is nice, but not essential as the dog can be placed
on the belt facing the opposite direction or the
machine turned 180° to replicate the belt moving
in reverse. The belt should start with a simple
one‐button push or turn, rather than the patient
having to start walking before settings can be
altered, and it should have a starting speed less
than 0.4 miles per hour. The speed control must
be such that the patient cannot increase the
speed of the belt by running faster.

Balance discs

Inflatable discs are used as low, unstable sur­
faces. The patient is asked to balance with one
or more feet on the disc. Discs are used for

balance and stabilizer muscle strengthening,

and are easier than standing on a ball. The

patient who is able to stand with his front feet

elevated on a chair can progress to doing

this  while his rear feet are on the disc

(Figure 8.6). This can be made more difficult by

having front feet on an unstable surface and

rear feet on a disc while the therapist gently lifts

one pelvic or thoracic limb off the supporting

surface for short periods of time.

Tunnels

Tunnels can be created using children’s tunnels,

agility tunnels, a line of chairs, or cavaletti poles

attached to adjacent cones. Tunnels are used to

encourage the patient to crouch or crawl,

strengthening the thoracic limbs, trunk, and

pelvic limbs primarily through eccentric con­

tractions (Figure 8.7).

Air mattress

An air mattresses can be used to enhance pro­

prioception and balance. Initial work is done

with the patient standing on the mattress

while it is fully inflated. Difficulty increases as

air is removed until the patient can begin to

make contact with the floor. To further

increase the difficulty, the patient can be

encouraged to walk on this unstable surface

or someone can walk on the unstable surface

next to the patient.

Figure 8.5 Healthy dog trotting on the land treadmill. Source: Photo by Whitney Rupp.