Akitas need plenty of daily exercise to maintain their physical health and sharp minds. Akitas who live in urban dwellings need a vigorous walk or jog every day, while those who live in a rural setting will do well with daily runs around the property. As an Akita ages it’s important to watch for any symptoms of hip dysplasia or arthritis.
Akitas have a reputation for being aggressive hunters in the wild, yet as home pets they are tame and gentle, adapting easily to a quiet family life. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll cuddle up on the sofa and watch TV with you; their instinctive nature tends to keep them alert and responsive to any possible danger.
Akitas make loving, dependable companions and they get along very well with children. They can be a little aloof with people they don’t know, but they eventually warm up to new people and situations. They don’t bark a lot which is good for apartment dwellers, but they’re very intelligent and responsive, making them first-rate guard dogs. Think of them as tough, smart and loyal companions.
Akitas are made for outdoor sports whether it’s hiking, hunting, playing games, or jumping in rivers and lakes. They have weatherproof coats that keep them warm in cold temperatures.
An Akita needs ample daily exercise to maintain its physical health and sharp mind. Akitas who live in urban dwellings need a vigorous walk or jog every day, while those who live in a rural setting will do well with daily runs around the property.
In addition to their boundless physical strength, Akitas also have dominant personalities and need an owner who can devote the time and patience to train them properly.
Akitas have large, sturdy frames covered in thick, water-resistant coats that shed a lot in the spring and fall. Daily brushing becomes a must. They have broad heads with short muzzles, black noses and pointed ears that face forward. Their triangular eyes are dark and deeply set. Their bodies are slightly longer than they are tall, and their thick coats come in black, gray, tan, and brown, all with white markings.
A healthy Akita can live as long as 12 years. Common health issues include immune deficiencies, eye problems, thyroid problems, and hip dysplasia.
Hip dysplasia is a genetic disease that primarily affects large and giant breeds of dogs but can also affect medium-sized breeds and occasionally small breeds. It is primarily a disease of purebreds, although it can also occur in mixed breeds.
To understand hip dysplasia and the resulting arthritis, you need a basic understanding of how the dog’s hip joint is affected. The hip joint is comprised of a ball and socket that forms the attachment of the hind leg to the body. The ball portion is the head of the femur and the socket is located on the pelvis. In a normal hip joint the ball rotates freely within the socket. The bones are shaped to perfectly match each other with the socket surrounding the ball. To strengthen the joint, the two bones are held together by a strong ligament. The joint capsule, a strong band of connective tissue, circles the two bones to provide added stability.
A normal hip joint:
Hip dysplasia is linked to abnormal joint structure and a laxity of the muscles, connective tissue, and ligaments that would normally support the dog’s hip joints. As the disease progresses, the articular surfaces of the two bones lose contact with each other. This separation of the two bones within the joint causes a drastic change in the size and shape of the articular surfaces.
An abnormal hip joint:
Most dogs who eventually develop hip dysplasia are born with normal hips, but due to their genetic make-up the soft tissues surrounding the joint develop abnormally. This leads to the symptoms associated with hip dysplasia. The disease may affect both hips, or only the right or left hip.
The symptoms of hip dysplasia cause afflicted dogs to walk or run with an altered gait, similar to a bunny-hop. They begin to resist any movement that requires full extension or flexion of the rear legs. They will experience stiffness and pain in their rear legs after exercising and on first rising in the morning. Climbing stairs becomes difficult if not impossible. Some dogs will limp and are less willing to participate in normal daily activities, including walks they formerly enjoyed.
It appears that the amount of calories a dog consumes, especially during its fast-growth period from three to ten months, has the biggest impact on whether or not a dog genetically prone to hip dysplasia will develop the disease.
Obesity can increase the severity of the disease in dogs that are genetically susceptible and the extra weight will intensify the degeneration of a dog’s joints and hips. Dogs who are genetically prone to hip dysplasia and also are overweight, are at a much higher risk of developing hip dysplasia and eventually osteoarthritis.
Exercise can be another risk factor. Dogs genetically susceptible to hip dysplasia may have an increased incidence of the disease if they are over-exercised at a young age. Moderate exercise like running and swimming is best for exercising young dogs.
Because hip dysplasia is primarily an inherited condition in Akitas, there are no products that can prevent its development. Through proper diet, exercise, and a daily regimen of Winston’s Joint System, you can slow, and sometimes halt, the progression of these degenerative joint diseases while providing your dog with relief from its pain. Winston’s provides many of the raw materials essential for the synthesis of the joint-lubricating synovial fluid as well as the repair of articular cartilage and connective tissue.
There are different assumptions on how to prevent the progression of hip dysplasia. Poor nutrition, inadequate or improper exercise, and increased body weight may all contribute to the severity of osteoarthritis after the hip dysplasia has developed. By watching the calories your puppy or young dog consumes and preventing obesity in your dog, allowing only non-stressful types of exercise, and a daily regimen of Winston’s Joint System, are the best things you can do for your dog.
How much exercise does your dog need in order to stay healthy and avoid dog pain? Humans need to exercise regularly and so do dogs. Exercise is just one of your dog’s basic needs.
Most dogs need one to two hours of exercise every day to help keep them healthy. Depending on your dog’s age and breed, it may need more or less exercise than that. If your dog is a senior, it may be content to lounge around on your floor or sofa all day long, and if you own an active, younger dog, you may find yourself going for walks 3 or 4 hours a day and your dog will still want more exercise.
Even within the same breed and age group, no two dogs are the same, so determining how much exercise your dog needs could take some trial and error. Start by giving your dog as much exercise as it wants without overdoing it. You may have to work up your own stamina to keep up with your dog if you’re not used to walking or jogging.
Beautiful weather should be inviting for both you and your dog to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. But if it’s a very hot and humid day, avoid strenuous outdoor activities and be sure your dog has fresh, cool water at all times.
While walking , running, or playing, watch closely for signs of exhaustion in your dog such as heavy panting, wheezing, or any lameness in the legs – especially the rear legs if your dog has arthritis or hip dysplasia. Hopefully, if this is the case, you already have your dog on a regimen of Winston’s Joint System if it suffers from a debilitating joint disease like arthritis, hip dysplasia or OCD.
Exercising your dog offers many opportunities for training it to obey your commands. You can use the exercise time to teach your dog obedience and how to react when meeting other humans and animals.
Exercising your dog can entail many different activities including walking, running or hiking. Not only will your dog be getting its exercise but you’ll be getting a good workout at the same time. I have many friends who say they’ve managed to lose stubborn weight after adopting their dog and starting on a regular walking and running routine. If you have a large yard or access to a nearby dog park, you can play fetch with a ball or Frisbee which will give both of you a good workout.
Just how much exercise does your dog need? Start slow and work into a good routine that both you and your dog can handle and will be satisfied with. If you live in an area where it frequently rains in the summer, you may need to devise some indoor games on those days to give your dog some exercise. After a few months of regular activities, both you and your dog should be in better condition than you were before you began your exercise routine.
If you are considering the adoption of a pet dog and are leaning toward an Airedale Terrier, you need to know the facts on hip dysplasia in Airedale Terriers.
Airedale Terriers make ideal companions for active adults and families with older children. Airedales are friendly, strong, high-energy dogs, handsome and huggable. They aren’t couch potatoes and can remain still and relaxed only for short periods of time. They have loads of energy and love to run, play, fetch and dig holes in your yard.
If you enjoy hiking, hunting, or running, your Airedale Terrier will keep pace with you the entire distance. They’re very responsive to obedience training but can be easily distracted by the sudden appearance of small animals such as cats or squirrels.
Airedales are dependable watchdogs, protective and loyal. They have a piercing bark and lots of acrobatic moves. As puppies they are quite rowdy but mellow some with age—but not that much. They are sweet animals and need lots of love and attention.
Airedales are courageous, intense and extremely curious about other dogs and small animals and need to be kept on a leash in public. They love daily walks and games of fetch, and they are accomplished swimmers.
A healthy Airedale Terrier can live as long as 12 years. These dogs are generally healthy, but some can develop hip dysplasia.
Airedales are named for the valley of Aire in England, and were bred from hunting and swimming terriers for the purpose of catching otters and other small animals, in addition to curbing the rat population. Airedales are often used as police and military dogs.
Airedale Terriers have large, lean and well-proportioned frames covered in bristly, wiry coats. Their long, flat heads are somewhat narrow with small, dark eyes and V-shaped ears that fold forward. They are usually groomed to have bushy, hanging ears. They have strong necks that slope down to deep chests, short backs and tails that point straight up. Their coats are usually tan with black and/or red markings.
Hip dysplasia is a genetic disease that primarily affects large and giant breeds of dogs but can also affect medium-sized breeds and occasionally small breeds. It is primarily a disease of purebreds, although it can also occur in mixed breeds.
To understand hip dysplasia in Airedale Terriers and the resulting arthritis, you need a basic understanding of how the dog’s hip joint is affected. The hip joint is comprised of a ball and socket that forms the attachment of the hind leg to the body. The ball portion is the head of the femur and the socket is located on the pelvis. In a normal hip joint the ball rotates freely within the socket. The bones are shaped to perfectly match each other with the socket surrounding the ball. To strengthen the joint, the two bones are held together by a strong ligament. The joint capsule, a strong band of connective tissue, circles the two bones to provide added stability.
Hip dysplasia is linked to abnormal joint structure and a laxity of the muscles, connective tissue, and ligaments that would normally support the dog’s hip joints. As the disease progresses, the articular surfaces of the two bones lose contact with each other. This separation of the two bones within the joint causes a drastic change in the size and shape of the articular surfaces.
This is what a normal hip joint looks like:
Most dogs who eventually develop hip dysplasia are born with normal hips, but due to their genetic make-up the soft tissues surrounding the joint develop abnormally. This leads to the symptoms associated with hip dysplasia. The disease may affect both hips, or only the right or left hip.
This is what an abnormal hip joint looks like:
The symptoms of hip dysplasia cause afflicted dogs to walk or run with an altered gait, similar to a bunny-hop. They begin to resist any movement that requires full extension or flexion of the rear legs. They will experience stiffness and pain in their rear legs after exercising and on first rising in the morning. Climbing stairs becomes difficult if not impossible. Some dogs will limp and are less willing to participate in normal daily activities, including walks they formerly enjoyed.
It appears that the amount of calories a dog consumes, especially during its fast-growth period from three to ten months, has the biggest impact on whether or not a dog genetically prone to hip dysplasia will develop the disease.
Obesity can increase the severity of the disease in dogs that are genetically susceptible and the extra weight will intensify the degeneration of a dog’s joints and hips. Dogs who are genetically prone to hip dysplasia and also are overweight, are at a much higher risk of developing hip dysplasia and eventually osteoarthritis.
Exercise can be another risk factor. Dogs genetically susceptible to hip dysplasia may have an increased incidence of the disease if they are over-exercised at a young age. Moderate exercise like running and swimming is best for exercising young dogs.
Because hip dysplasia is primarily an inherited condition, there are no products that can prevent its development. Through proper diet, exercise, and a daily regimen of Winston’s Joint System, you can slow, and sometimes halt, the progression of these degenerative joint diseases while providing your dog with relief from its pain. Winston’s provides many of the raw materials essential for the synthesis of the joint-lubricating synovial fluid as well as the repair of articular cartilage and connective tissue.
You might also want to consider providing your dog with an orthopedic bed like the Canine Cooler Bed which distributes the dog’s weight evenly and reduces pressure on its joints. The Canine Cooler Bed uses revolutionary SoothSoft Technology to give your dog the very best in comfort, and the fluid-enhanced design offers a dry, cooling effect with superior cushioning and support. It’s perfect for dogs with hip dysplasia or arthritis.
There are different assumptions on how to prevent the progression of hip dysplasia in Airedale Terriers. Poor nutrition, inadequate or improper exercise, and increased body weight may all contribute to the severity of osteoarthritis after the hip dysplasia has developed. By watching the calories your puppy or young dog consumes and thereby preventing obesity in your dog, allowing only non-stressful types of exercise, and feeding your dog a daily regimen of Winston’s Joint System, are the best things you can do for your Airedale.
Airedales make wonderful companions for someone who is active and enjoys exercising with a dog.
Diseases that affect older dogs can be more serious simply because the dog is older.
Our pet dogs are susceptible to many of the same diseases that we as humans have to deal with. Here is a list of the most common diseases that can affect your pet and the symptoms or warning signs to guide you in knowing when to contact your vet. Some are serious and require immediate attention while others may have slow onsets and can be more difficult to diagnose. Many of these diseases affect older dogs more than younger ones, but a dog’s age does not render it immune to any of these debilitating diseases. When deciding whether any of these symptoms affecting your dog are serious enough to warrant a visit to the vet, you should always err on the side of caution and contact your vet when any of these symptoms persist in your pet.
Cancer – Signs and Symptoms
Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow
Sores that do not heal
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Bleeding or discharge from any opening in the body
Unusually strong stinky odor
Difficulty eating or swallowing
Hesitant to exercise or suffers from a loss of stamina
Difficulty breathing, urinating, or defecating
Dental disease – Signs and Symptoms
Bad breath
Difficulty eating or swallowing
Weight loss
Arthritis – Signs and Symptoms
Difficulty getting up from prone position
Difficulty climbing steps and/or jumping
Behavior changes – irritable, reclusive
Urinating or defecating inside the house
Loss of muscle
Kidney disease/failure – Signs and Symptoms
Increased urination and thirst
Weight loss
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Weakness
Pale gums
Diarrhea
Blood in vomit or black, tarry stool
Bad breath and oral ulcers
Behavior change
Prostate disease – Signs and Symptoms
Urinating or defecating inside the house
Dribbling urine
Blood in urine
Cataracts – Signs and Symptoms
Cloudy appearance to the eyes
Bumping into objects large enough to be avoided
Not retrieving objects when thrown
Hypothyroidism – Signs and Symptoms
Weight gain
Dry, thin coat
Lethargy and/or depression
Cushing’s disease – Signs and Symptoms
Thin coat and thin skin
Increased thirst and urination
Pot-bellied appearance
Abnormally increased appetite
Urinary incontinence – Signs and Symptoms
Urinating in the bed or the area where the dog was sleeping
Gastrointestinal disease – Signs and Symptoms
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite
Loss of weight
Blood in stool
Black and/or tarry stool
Inflammatory bowel disease – Signs and Symptoms
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Mucous or blood in stool
Increased frequency of defecation
Diabetes mellitus – Signs and Symptoms
Increased thirst and urination
Weight loss
Anemia – Signs and Symptoms
Exercise intolerance
Very light-colored gums
Liver disease – Signs and Symptoms
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Behavior changes
Yellow or pale gums
As you can see from this list of symptoms, it would be nearly impossible to self-diagnose your pet with any of these diseases that can affect older dogs. If you notice that one or more of the above symptoms persist for any length of time, make an appointment with your vet and have your dog thoroughly checked for these serious diseases. You owe your faithful companion the best care you can afford.
Saint Bernard dogs are powerful, proportionately tall, strong and muscular, big boned and deep chested, and for these reasons you would think that hip dysplasia in Saint Bernards would be something that never occurs.
Known as the giant dogs that rescue people in the Swiss Alps, Saint Bernards are much loved as gentle family dogs with big hearts and friendly temperaments.
Before you decide to bring one into your family you should be aware that they require as much love and devotion as they give in return. Their size alone dictates the need for basic manners and early obedience training. The fact that they can rest their heads on something as tall as your kitchen table requires that they be taught their limits.
Although they love to be with the family children, their sheer size requires close supervision. They would never intentionally harm a small child but a huge paw or strong tail can accidentally knock a child over. They are enthusiastic participants in any family activity, and will sulk if not included. They seldom bark without good reason, making them good watchdogs and protectors of their family, but they should never be considered guard dogs.
Despite their large size and tendency to physically grow very quickly, Saint Bernards generally are slow to mature mentally, and their training should be undertaken with a gentle but firm hand, and a good deal of patience and consistency. A well-trained Saint is a wonderful dog to have and they love to please their human owners.
Because they are slow to mature, Saints should not be pushed too rapidly into formal and serious training. Their giant sized bones don’t finish growing until they are two years of age. Activities as simple as jumping in and out of an SUV or pickup truck can permanently damage their soft bones. For this reason, a Saint Bernard should not be pushed into jumping or pulling heavy loads before two years of age.
Saint Bernard puppies grow at a phenomenal rate during the first year of life, increasing in size an average of three pounds per week. They eat somewhere between 6 and 12 cups of dog food per day. They should never be fed high protein puppy food, but instead should be fed an adult formula containing 22-26% protein. Puppy foods containing too much protein can cause the fast growing puppy to grown even faster, and subject it to any number of bone problems.
A Saint Bernard will not “eat you out of house and home.†Saint Bernards can be raised and maintained on the same amount of food required for other large breeds. Since they are basically placid dogs, they generally require less food per pound of body weight than most smaller, more active breeds.
Because of their large size, hip dysplasia is a problem in Saint Bernards. Hip Dysplasia is an abnormal development of the hip causing excessive wear of the joint cartilage during weight bearing, eventually leading to the development of arthritis, often called degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis.
Some of the symptoms and signs of hip dysplasia are:
Moving more slowly
Difficulty getting up and lying down
Weight shift to another leg
Personality change
Reluctance to walk, jump or play
Refusing to use stairs or get in the car
Change in appetite
Change in behavior
Muscle atrophy
Yelping when touched
Limping
Winston’s Joint System has a history of successful treatment of Saint Bernards suffering from hip dysplasia and arthritis. Winston’s is a combination of three natural whole food supplements developed by a Naturopathic Doctor for his own dog. It contains no drugs and has no side-effects because it’s just good whole food.
Winston’s Joint System provides many of the raw materials essential for the synthesis of the joint-lubricating synovial fluid as well as the repair of articular cartilage and connective tissue. Within the first 30 days of treatment, dogs on Winston’s Joint System show noticeable and often remarkable improvement.
If you’re the proud owner of a noble Saint Bernard and your dog is displaying signs or symptoms of hip dysplasia, see your vet as soon as possible and get a complete examination. Discovering this disease in its early stages and putting your Saint on a regimen of Winston’s Joint System can mean a longer, happier, pain-free life for your pet.
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