Front Matter

Chapter 10 Conditioning and Retraining the Canine Athlete 231

Health screening

Every performance and working dog should be
screened for common genetic and develop­
mental problems. For example, all dogs should
be screened for hip dysplasia, since this condi­
tion is common and can occur even in very small
breeds. All dogs over 30 lb (11 kg) and all dogs of
chondrodystrophic breeds should be screened
for elbow dysplasia, which can significantly
affect the performance of working dogs. Elbow

dysplasia or incongruities can occur even in

purebred dogs with several generations of ances­

tors that have been tested free of the condition

by radiographic evaluation, due to the lack of

sensitivity and specificity of evaluation of elbow

radiographs (Kunst et  al., 2014). In addition,

dogs should be screened for breed‐specific disor­

ders that can affect performance, including mus­

culoskeletal, cardiovascular, hematological, and

ocular disorders.

Nutrition and supplementation

The veterinary sports medicine/rehabilitation

professional should inquire as to what foods

the client is feeding to ensure that adequate

nutrition, particularly appropriate amounts of

highly digestible protein and fats, is being

supplied to meet the requirements not only for

performance but also for healing and repair

after exercise (see Chapter 4). It can be difficult

to keep track of the most popular dog foods

used by clients. One way to deal with this is to

search the manufacturer’s website each time a

client mentions what food they are feeding, and

store the information, including the nutritional

content and ingredients list, in a file that can be

referred to with subsequent clients. Information

on supplements can be kept in a similar way.

Latissimus dorsi

Site for skin pinch

Figure 10.1 To palpate the layer of subcutaneous fat, pinch the tissues in the area of the dorsocaudal ribs, just ventral
to the latissimus dorsi muscle. In that area, there is just skin and subcutaneous fat overlying the ribs.

Skin

Fat

Rib

Figure 10.2 When the mobile skin and subcutaneous
tissues over the dorsocaudal ribcage are pinched and
pulled away from the ribs, the layer of subcutaneous fat
slips through the fingers first (red arrow).