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running on concrete

Beetlecat
September 15th, 2005, 10:17 AM
I exercise my dog (Australian Cattle Dog) by running him on the sidewalks and roads. There really is no other option, so I am interested in ways and methods to protect his feet and joints.

I've thought about dog booties, but that would really just protect his pads from abrasions, and my primary concern is his joints. Even if he doesn't have problems now, I want to prevent setting him for problems later in life.

We run about 3.25 miles/day. Any other exercise is on grass or in the home.

Prin
September 15th, 2005, 12:13 PM
A human running that without shoes would probably be suffering after one day! I don't know if they make doggy running shoes, or if they are comfortable...

Here are a couple I found....
http://www.seniorpetproducts.com/shandlegwr.html
http://www.neopaws.com/shoes.html These look supercool!

Puppyluv
September 15th, 2005, 01:03 PM
This has been a concern of mine too, because Layla and I run 10-12 km every day, half of it on concrete. I talked to my vet about it a couple of times, and he felt pretty confident that it wouldn't cause any serious problems. We did however run inital x-rays of her hips and legs. And have/will continue to take them every 3-4 months to monitor things. She also takes glucosamine sulfate for her joints as a preventitive measure. So far she seems fine, so it can't be too bad.

Prin
September 15th, 2005, 02:21 PM
How the hey do you guys run so much?!? Wow. I'm really proud of you guys (and a little jealous). :D

Puppyluv
September 15th, 2005, 02:23 PM
lol just find time i guess.... every night 6:30-7:30 is run time.

Prin
September 15th, 2005, 02:26 PM
It's not the time really- it's the distance! Even if I had 6 hours to spare, I couldn't run 12 kms!! :eek: :o

Puppyluv
September 15th, 2005, 10:52 PM
lol. you'd be suprised. the day before I started running again, I thought I might last 2 km tops. But an ipod with a good audiobook on it can get you a long way without you realizing it :p

Beetlecat
September 16th, 2005, 10:18 PM
Puppyluv, how long have you two been running for? And you've detected no problems at all.

And how do you go 12 km in only one hour? lol, it takes us 20 or 25 minutes each way, so that's 40 to 50 minutes for 5 1/2 or so km for us (I coverted it from miles. Felt guilty using them since I am Canadian after all :p ) and I'm even rollerblading lol.

Either you're very fast or you must have one nice trail to follow.

Prin
September 16th, 2005, 10:32 PM
She's that girl you love to hate 'cause you're jealous- the one who is getting into med school, is super fit, is probably much prettier than you, and is nice to the point where you can't hate her at all. Mumbly grumbly.... :rolleyes: :D :evil:

StaceyB
September 17th, 2005, 06:08 AM
Every path that I take that is concrete is usually bordered by grass. Would you be able to run on the edge so your dog would be able to run on the softer ground. Running on concrete will harm anyones joints over a prolonged time.

Puppyluv
September 17th, 2005, 10:44 AM
Puppyluv, how long have you two been running for? And you've detected no problems at all.
I started running with Layla in April; At that point, her growth plates had fused, and the vet gave us the ok. No problems have been detected as of yet. Her last set of x-rays showed that her joints ae exactly the same as the first set. Her paws are fine too, no cracks or anything. Also, although some say it's a mental thing, I really do think the glucosamine will help in the long run.

And how do you go 12 km in only one hour? lol, it takes us 20 or 25 minutes each way, so that's 40 to 50 minutes for 5 1/2 or so km for us (I coverted it from miles. Felt guilty using them since I am Canadian after all :p ) and I'm even rollerblading lol.

Either you're very fast or you must have one nice trail to follow.

Running is the only form of exercise I'm good at. Put me in a pool for a swim, and you're going to be waiting a LOOOOONG time for me to finish. ALthough Compared to Layla, I look like I'm a slow lumbering object on the path. The middle 8 km, she gets to run offleash (shhhh don't tell the cops) and it's pretty much me going along slow and steady, and layla accelerating from rest to the speed of light and back to rest every 30 seconds. (I think she totals about 15 km at least each run :eek: )

Puppyluv
September 17th, 2005, 10:45 AM
She's that girl you love to hate 'cause you're jealous- the one who is getting into med school, is super fit, is probably much prettier than you, and is nice to the point where you can't hate her at all. Mumbly grumbly.... :rolleyes: :D :evil:

LOL let's just wait on the "getting into med school" let alone all the other things. :o

Prin
September 17th, 2005, 11:02 AM
LOL I'm counting on you to get in. What would your specialty (or whatever they call it) be?

Puppyluv
September 17th, 2005, 11:21 AM
I really want to get into Pediatric anesthesiology. (when I tell my american friends this, they look at me like :eek: and exclaim "do you realize how much your malpractice insurrance will be? you're going to be poor for life!!!"

I used to want to do neurosurgery, but then I came to McGill, where EVERYONE wants to be one (I guess that's what happens when you're at the MNI-not exactly a shoddy institute) And realized it really wasn't for me.

Prin
September 17th, 2005, 11:33 AM
I knew a pediatric anaesthesiologist once. When I had my ears cropped when I was little...
"Count backwards from 10, ok?"
"ok....zzzzzzzz" :D

Puppyluv
September 17th, 2005, 11:42 AM
yeah that's how most people remember their anesthesiologists. that, or "s/he was a total @$$hole"

StaceyB
September 17th, 2005, 04:38 PM
My sister had that done to her ears when she was young. I am sure you are referring to them being pinned back so they don't stick out.

Beetlecat
September 18th, 2005, 10:16 AM
Every path that I take that is concrete is usually bordered by grass. Would you be able to run on the edge so your dog would be able to run on the softer ground. Running on concrete will harm anyones joints over a prolonged time.


For the parts that have grass, my dog has that option. But I have to be on the concrete, since I'm on rollerblades, and he seems to prefer going down the middle of the sidewalk. There are a couple straightaways (when we're moving against traffic) where he goes nearly as fast as he can. I think the oncomming cars act like a'rabbit' and draw him.

And we can't really go another route, even if he wanted to walk on grass since this is how we get to an off leash area everyday. We play there for around half an hour, so I feel better knowing he has a bit of a rest on turf before pounding the concrete home.

Beetlecat
September 18th, 2005, 10:20 AM
I knew a pediatric anaesthesiologist once. When I had my ears cropped when I was little...


Okay, unless you're channeling a pup, I'm very confused :confused: If it's okay, could you please explain this. Is it, like, an eastern Canada :ca: thing or something :crazy:

Prin
September 18th, 2005, 01:30 PM
Hee hee... I sort of meant that pain-wise and anatomy-wise, my brother and I got cropped... I had a piece about 2 cm thick removed from behind my ears and then they were pinned back (it was apparently a very dramatic surgery to watch as my ears were only connected to my head at the front...). And my brother had a bit less removed from behind and he also had his lobes reduced. So we got cropped... :D So now I feel I can "know" how it feels for a doggy to be cropped because these surgeries left my brother and I bedridden for a week and the pain was unimaginable. I still remember it exactly...

Puppyluv
September 18th, 2005, 02:39 PM
lol yeah i was going to ask if when you said "cropped" you meant "pinned". It's pretty common, but hey who knows.. you could have had the lobes chopped off or something... :eek:

Prin
September 18th, 2005, 03:21 PM
That's what my bro had... His lobes were cut...

But pinned- what a nice way of saying it... Sounds like they just staple your ears back. No... No, they take a big chunk out. Mmmmm.

Puppyluv
September 18th, 2005, 03:32 PM
oh really they cut the lobes off?
Yeah "pinned" is a really nice way of saying it.. but i guess that's like a lot of surgery... the less graphic the better

StaceyB
September 18th, 2005, 05:34 PM
From what I could tell they slice behind the ear and pull the skin tighter on the ear and stitch, kind of like a face lift.

Prin
September 18th, 2005, 05:46 PM
Well, I had pinning, but my brother had 1 inch lobes (which were abnormally long for a 12 year old) so they cut the lobes. They cut sort of a "V" out and then tape it back together.

Puppyluv
September 18th, 2005, 05:48 PM
ahhh ok. see i find this really interesting (that's the science student in me)
anyways, i'm off to go run on concrete :p

Beetlecat
September 18th, 2005, 06:52 PM
Well.. okay. I've never heard of a person getting their ears pinned either (and yes it's a very funny picture)..

Well, we're done our exercise for the day (and my was it hot :cool: In the future I'll hang around closer to home on really hot days, too hard on the dog to be running on hot concrete) so now I have to go reseach this weird cosmetic surgury thing. Never introduce me to something new 'cause then I have to know absoulutly everything about it :rolleyes:

Thank you internet for making research easy :D