Front Matter

Chapter 8 Therapeutic Exercise 179

exercise for success in the show ring (Wakshlag
& Shmalberg, 2014). Noncompetitive pet dogs
can benefit from regular, focused exercise pro­
grams for general as well as emotional health.
This is particularly true for geriatric dogs, which
can benefit from a daily routine of gentle exer­
cise to prevent disuse atrophy and progressive
loss of independence.
In addition to the commonly recognized use of
therapeutic exercise for orthopedic and neuro­
logical disorders, therapeutic exercise is rou­
tinely recommended for patients that may not
show overt musculoskeletal abnormalities. These
include dogs with nonclinical (or not‐yet clinical)
musculoskeletal disorders such as hip laxity, and
those with nonorthopedic disorders such as dia­
betes, hypothyroidism, and heart disease.

Evaluation

In addition to assessing the patient for specific
areas of weakness, the rehabilitation therapist
should evaluate the patient’s emotional and
intellectual abilities. Is this patient able to
follow commands? Are they able to focus long
enough to learn new skills? Are they willing to
please or are they obstinate/aggressive? Finally,
what is the patient’s job or sport?
In addition, the client should be assessed.
What is their ability to understand the patient’s
issues and our goals? The therapist should assess
the client’s ability to commit the time required to
complete a planned program. Their physical
strength must match the home exercise plan for
the patient (Millis, 2015). What is their level of
experience and skills? Is this a trained profes­
sional with experience (athletic trainer, physical
therapy professional) or a well‐meaning layper­
son? Finally, what are the client’s expectations for
return to function?
Evaluating the athlete is particularly challeng­
ing for the rehabilitation therapist, because in
addition to overt injury, canine athletes often pre­
sent with very subtle impairments that have led
to diminished performance. Evaluation of these
dogs requires tests that are specific and sensitive
enough to detect weaknesses in otherwise very
fit individuals (Steiss, 2002). The authors often
find certain patterns of impairments in this group
of patients including evidence of overtraining,
residual impairments from previous injuries,

fatigue or poor conditioning of paraspinal mus­

cles, and poor balance.

Setting goals

The rehabilitation therapist should have both

short‐ and long‐term goals for each patient, based

upon the patient’s age, life stage, and progress

since injury, as well as the client’s commitment to

the program (Price, 2014). If the expectation for

complete recovery seems unrealistic, short‐ and

intermediate‐term goals should be set, with pro­

gress reassessed at each visit.

Goals should be set for each component of the

program. Proprioception goals range from

decreasing ataxia in the neurological patient to

increasing body awareness in the immature ath­

lete in an effort to prevent injuries. Strength goals

for an athlete might be to carry a dumbbell over a

jump, while those for the geriatric patient might

be to climb stairs and get on the bed. Endurance

goals for a hunting dog might be to complete five

150‐yard retrieves in water, while the endurance

goal for an IPO‐3 dog might be to run 5 miles. For

a pet dog, an appropriate goal might be to walk

around the block with the client. Examples of gait

training goals include eliminating a crabbing gait

in the conformation dog, correcting persistent

pelvic limb circumduction in the dog whose lum­

bosacral pain has been resolved, and increasing

stride length in the racing or agility dog.

In the human clinical setting, care plans are

often developed on functional progressions,

including SAID (specific adaptations to imposed

demands), and manipulating workout varia­

bles—FITTR (frequency, intensity, time/dura­

tion, type/mode, and rate of progression)—(Chu

& Shiner, 2007). Progression from rehabilitation

to performance conditioning for the injured

canine athlete should be no different.

Variables

Each therapeutic exercise program described in

this chapter will have five variable parameters:

(1) Frequency of working (daily, multiple

times per day, weekly).

(2) Speed/intensity (rate of completing a

repetition while maintaining proper form).