As the owner of a bigger breed dog, joint health is a constant concern. The Dogue De Bordeaux is a big, solid, loveable goofball of a dog who frequently runs around like a maniac and can turn on a dime… Not a great combination of factors when trying to avoid Cruciate Ligament damage and Hip and Elbow Displasia.
Being mindful of this, Barrett is kept on a “low irritant” diet (what I like to call Lazy Raw Supplemented), given Immune Support supplements, kept well exercised and (in consultation with a Canine Conditioning Specialist Vet) has her own personalised Conditioning Exercise Plan.
This plan is basically preventative physio, aimed at building and balancing the supportive muscles to make injury as unlikely as possible. On the flip side, it keeps Barrett’s weight right down, to the point that people feel free to criticise my care of my dogs – but she has superb muscle tone and great endurance (and eats 3 or 4 big brisket bones a week just to keep her ribs covered so I don’t get abused by perfect strangers). She is lean, strong and well developed and the vet said she is fine to be her current weight (40kg/80-85lb).
In fact, Barrett is better than fine! Her joints are great, muscle development is well balanced, ligaments are in A1 condition and there is absolutely no inflammation or swelling.
For quality of life (and avoiding those vet bills!), I think it’s a brilliant idea for any large (active) breed dog owner and is clearly working for us, when comparing her condition to that recorded during our original consult a year ago.
Oh, and her Staffy brother is in great condition too. Nice, supple muscle and not overdeveloped (for a Staffy). I have to teach him to sidestep and he’s not at all convinced it’s a good idea yet, but he likes the treats and is letting himself be bribed into compliance.
My advice to anyone with a giant breed dog is to find a Canine Conditioning Specialist Vet and get an exercise plan to suit your circumstances – don’t wait for the injury to come to you.
Prevention is so much better than repair or cure!!!
A Dog's Life! 