Sasha Foster - The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog: A Physical Therapy Approach

The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog

A Physical Therapy Approach

Sasha Foster, MSPT
Ashley Foster, BS, CPDT

The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog

A Physical Therapy Approach

Sasha Foster and Ashley Foster

Dogwise Publishing

A Division of Direct Book Service, Inc.

403 South Mission Street, Wenatchee, Washington 98801

509-663-9115, 1-800-776-2665

www.dogwisepublishing.com / info@dogwisepublishing.com

2009 Sasha Foster and Ashley Foster

Illustrations: Ashley Foster with exception of Illustrations 2.1-2.17 and 7.2 by Sasha Foster

Photos: Ashley Foster with exception of Photos 3.13.15 and B.2 by Sasha Foster

Graphic Design: Lindsay Peternell

Patent-Pending Joint Stabilized Straight Plane Movement Stretching is the proprietary system of Love Dogs. Stretch Dogs. LLC. All Rights Reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:

The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of the instructions and suggestions contained in this book.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Foster, Sasha, 1971

The healthy way to stretch your dog : a physical therapy approach / Sasha Foster, Ashley Foster.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-929242-54-2

I. DogsHealth. 2. Stretching exercises. 3. Massage for animals. I. Foster, Ashley. II. Title.

SF427.F74 2008

636.708937182dc22

2008019630

ISBN13: 978-1-929242-54-2

Printed in the U.S.A.

To Diesel, for throwing himself on the floor, and to Serendipity.

Thank you for this opportunity!

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would not have been possible without the help and enthusiasm of a large group of human-dog teams. We would like to thank Debbie Garfield and her Irish Setter, Hogan. Hogan was our dog stretch hero in the development of this book but unfortunately he was unable to grace these pageshis magical red feathers made it difficult to see the stretches clearly. Debbie helped in immeasurable ways including bringing Hogan to multiple short-notice photos shoots, helping with set preparations, and thoroughly editing the manuscript prior to submission. A special thank you Ginger Sammonds and her Vizsla, Savannah, for their time and flexibility on so many levels. Ginger was one the first people we called to discuss the stretch method and her support throughout the process has been tremendous. What would we do without her? Thanks to Karlene Brumfield and her beautiful beagle, Puzzle. We are happy to have had the opportunity to capture Puzzles sweet demeanor in print before she passed away. Thanks to Helen and Chris Holmquist-Johnson and their yellow Lab, Aspen; her kind face warms every page she is on. Thanks to Vicki Harris (Imagemaker Dobes) who entrusted Diesel Foster, the big black boy who started this whole project, to Ashley.

A very special thank you to Debra and Mark Holmes, DVMs, who were supportive of this book from the beginning; Dr. Debra guided the original draft and then took the time to mull over each and every page of the final draft even while her family was home for the holidays. A special thanks to Dr. Mark and all of the Paws crew for their care and compassion during Diesels cancer treatment. Without Diesel, this book would not be. Thanks to Travis Martin, a great business mentor, who helped inspire the business plan that will allow us to share these stretching technique with the world. Thanks to all of our friends and family whose love and support continues to encourage us to listen to our hearts and follow our dreams.

A deep well of gratitude to Dogwise Publishing who has provided us with kind support and education through the publishing process. We had everything to learn and their expertise turned our ffity-page manual into the beautiful book you see today.

And last but not least, to sisters and best friends who made the choice to allow their relationship to change and grow as the book evolved. For us, the tangible manifestation of this process is this beautiful book; the spiritual one is the love and effort that transformed our lives in the process.

With gratitude,

Ashley and Sasha

My training as a veterinarian and acupuncturist has opened my eyes to the rapidly evolving world of veterinarian medicine. Massage therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal medicine, holistic medicine, nutrition, and physical therapy are quickly becoming important complements to mainstream veterinary medicine. When I was first introduced to the concept for The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog, I was very excited. I realized this could be an important adjunctive tool for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and pet owners alike.

I have first hand experience of what happens when tissue and muscles and joints are overused and abused. I see many canine patients with muscle tension in their neck, back, triceps, groin, and shoulders. In fact dogs with muscle discomfort and stiffness are often displaying early signs of arthritis. These dogs stretch themselves more, take a little longer to get moving in the morning, and try to take weight off of the painful joint, thereby causing muscle tension and strain in other areas. Proper stretching has become a daily recommendation of mine for many of my canine patients. There is rarely a day that goes by where I dont encounter a patient that would benefit from stretching. A gentle, but consistent, stretching program can truly impact a pets life. Now, with The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog, there is a tangible guideline for owners to follow and positively impact the quality of their pets life.

Finding new ways to help pets live longer, happier lives,

Debra Q. Holmes, DVM, CVA

While stretching can be extremely beneficial to your dog, there are certain medical orthopedic conditions under which stretching can very harmful. These include but are not limited to hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, anterior cruciate ligament tears, arthritis of any joint including the spine, osteochondrosis dissecans, intervertebral disk disease, wobblers disease of any origin, and other occasionally lameness. Many of these conditions may be silent, meaning they are not seen when is dog is in his normal environment. However, when the dog is examined by a veterinarian and assessed by specialized orthopedic testing procedures and/or x-rays, there is an indication of the disease being present.

Before beginning this or any other stretching program, we recommend that you consult with your veterinarian. Bring this book with you so your veterinarian can note on the Veterinarian Stretch Screening Form () which exercises are safe for your dog and which ones should never be used. For example, if your dog has hip dysplasia, your veterinarian may advise you not to use the hip stretching exercises but will encourage you to stretch the spine, neck, and shoulders.

And please do not stretch dogs under 18 months of age. For many dogs, bone growth plates do not completely ossify until this age. Stretching your young dog may put your dog at risk for injury.

The Attention Icon

We do not recommended skimming the text as we feel a thorough understanding of the process of stretching is very beneficial to the quality of the stretches. However, we have provided our readers with a way to quickly access the instructions that are of critical importance to the safety of the dog. The Attention icon is used in the text to bring notice to the extreme importance of reading the content in that portion of the stretching instructions. We sincerely thank you for bringing your awareness to this icon throughout the manual.