View Full Version : Runnin' W/ My Dog . . .
Runnin' W/ My Dog . . .
I have an 8 year old Aussie/Lab mix who weighs about 50 lbs. He's been a great running partner for
the last year and up until 3 months ago was doing great. Now, when we get back from the usual 5+/-
mile run on a flat fire road, his back legs seem to have little to no strength left. I usually run
at noon and for the rest of that day and most of the next day, his back legs are weak. He has a hard
time getting up off the ground and really doesn't move too much. But after that day and a half, he's
ready and VERY ready to go. He sees me in my running outfit and goes crazy waiting to head out. But
I've been leaving him home b/c I don't know if he has an arthritis problem or if this is common for
a dog of his age.
I know that I can get a little sore after running and figure he must be the same way. Has anyone
else had this experience and if so, how long did it take for your dog to get into "running shape"?
He's due for a checkup at the vet, so I'll be taking him sometime this month to get looked at.
Thanks.
WTF you buttnoid! This is a RUNNING NEWSGROUP you mental midget, not a veternarians.
On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 12:26:55 -0800, "Tom C." <tomc@fastnetit.com> wrote:
>I have an 8 year old Aussie/Lab mix who weighs about 50 lbs. He's been a great running partner for
>the last year and up until 3 months ago was doing great. Now, when we get back from the usual 5+/-
>mile run on a flat fire road, his back legs seem to have little to no strength left. I usually run
>at noon and for the rest of that day and most of the next day, his back legs are weak. He has a
>hard time getting up off the ground and really doesn't move too much. But after that day and a
>half, he's ready and VERY ready to go. He sees me in my running outfit and goes crazy waiting to
>head out. But I've been leaving him home b/c I don't know if he has an arthritis problem or if this
>is common for a dog of his age.
>
>I know that I can get a little sore after running and figure he must be the same way. Has anyone
>else had this experience and if so, how long did it take for your dog to get into "running shape"?
>
>He's due for a checkup at the vet, so I'll be taking him sometime this month to get looked at.
>
>Thanks.
"Tom C." <tomc@fastnetit.com> wrote in message news:bp0pea0eid@enews2.newsguy.com...
> I have an 8 year old Aussie/Lab mix who weighs about 50 lbs. He's been a great running partner for
> the last year and up until 3 months ago was
doing
> great. Now, when we get back from the usual 5+/- mile run on a flat fire road, his back legs seem
> to have little to no strength left. I usually
run
> at noon and for the rest of that day and most of the next day, his back
legs
> are weak. He has a hard time getting up off the ground and really doesn't move too much. But after
> that day and a half, he's ready and VERY ready
to
> go. He sees me in my running outfit and goes crazy waiting to head out. But I've been leaving him
> home b/c I don't know if he has an arthritis problem or if this is common for a dog of his age.
>
> I know that I can get a little sore after running and figure he must be
the
> same way. Has anyone else had this experience and if so, how long did it take for your dog to get
> into "running shape"?
>
> He's due for a checkup at the vet, so I'll be taking him sometime this
month
> to get looked at.
Let me get this straight--you ran with your dog for 9 months with no problems, then three months ago
he started getting so lame after your runs that he laid around and had a hard time getting up off
the ground for the day and a half. This has been going on for 3 months and you are only now thinking
about talking it over with a vet, "sometime this month," and only because he's got a checkup
scheduled anyhow? Sure, you get sore after you runs. If they left you lying on the couch for the
next 36 hours, though, how long would it take you to figure out something was majorly wrong? Now,
understand, I'm not one of those animal freaks who believes that dogs should be treated better than
people, but nevertheless, I do believe that pet owners have a responsibility to take care of their
animals when they show sign of injury or illness.
My guess is that your dog's injury is something not directly attributable to running--just about any
healthy medium-to-large dog should be able to quickly build up to 5 miles, several times a week, on
a soft surface like a fire road (dirt, I presume?). It's more likely that the dog has an injury or
illness that is being exacerbated by running (could be a strain or a sprain, intestinal blockage,
bad hips, cancer...any number of things). Your dog wants to run again after a couple of days because
he's a very high energy breed, not because he's necessarily "ok" or "all better."
For what it's worth, right now I'm running about 20 miles a week, a mix of pavement and trails,
almost always with my 8-yo beagle. I didn't take her with me nearly as much during the middle of
summer, though, since she gets balky when it's too hot. She lept right back into in Sept. and didn't
really need to "retrain" to get back to where I was at. And that's a beagle, which is not nearly as
athletic a breed as Aussies. An Aussie should be able to run 5 miles on soft surface at a moderate
pace with no special training at all, and still be up for catching frisbees in the back yard as soon
as you get home.
Out of curiousity, did you get your dog from a shelter? Do you know anything about his puppyhood? I
ask, because my sister's last Rott was a rescued dog that had been malnourished as a puppy, and he
had very brittle bones as a result. Got minor stress fractures a couple of times doing nothing in
particular, and then a very serious hip fracture just from cutting a tight corner running in the
yard. Had to put the dog down, 'cause the vet said he'd spend his whole life breaking bones. They've
got an Aussie Lab mix now--cute as the dickens, but crazy-hyper--if that dog spend a day laying
around and not wanting to get up off the floor, we'd all know something was seriously wrong.
Hey Tom:
I had a golden retriever that ran with me for years... he was the same as your dog when he saw the
running shoes go on he went crazy. As he got older I had to literally wait for him along the trail
as he caught up. Eventually it came down to taking him out for walk and I did my running alone. It
broke my heart as well as his. We are (supposedly) the more intelligent creature and must do what is
best for the less intlellgent animal. Your "best friend" needs to go walking now.
Len
DrLith,
Looking back at my initial post, I guess I didn't explain myself clearly - sorry about that.
I ran those first 9 months only once or twice a week at the most - and sometimes it would take me
two weeks until I ran again - didn't have a set training schedule. But the last three months or so,
I've upped the running to at least 3 times a week and that's when the problems start. And after the
first few runs I've had to leave him home b/c I didn't think he was up to it. That's why my question
was stated along the lines of "how long did other dogs take to get into shape". I was wondering
about starting a dog off of his type.
I would guess I couldn't take a Great Dane out for a 5-mile run, but I figured an Aussie/Lab mix of
8 years old would be able to handle it. Sounds like I'm wrong and will need to help him build up to
the distance.
Thanks for the input.
- Tom C.
"DrLith" <drlith@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:bp1laf$5ms$1@ngspool-d02.news.aol.com...
>
> Let me get this straight--you ran with your dog for 9 months with no problems, then three months
> ago he started getting so lame after your runs that he laid around and had a hard time getting up
> off the ground for the day and a half. This has been going on for 3 months and you are only now
> thinking about talking it over with a vet, "sometime this month," and only because he's got a
> checkup scheduled anyhow? Sure, you get sore after you runs. If they left you lying on the couch
> for the next 36 hours, though,
how
> long would it take you to figure out something was majorly wrong? Now, understand, I'm not one of
> those animal freaks who believes that dogs
should
> be treated better than people, but nevertheless, I do believe that pet owners have a
> responsibility to take care of their animals when they show sign of injury or illness.
>
> My guess is that your dog's injury is something not directly attributable
to
> running--just about any healthy medium-to-large dog should be able to quickly build up to 5 miles,
> several times a week, on a soft surface like
a
> fire road (dirt, I presume?). It's more likely that the dog has an injury
or
> illness that is being exacerbated by running (could be a strain or a
sprain,
> intestinal blockage, bad hips, cancer...any number of things). Your dog wants to run again after a
> couple of days because he's a very high energy breed, not because he's necessarily "ok" or "all
> better."
>
> For what it's worth, right now I'm running about 20 miles a week, a mix of pavement and trails,
> almost always with my 8-yo beagle. I didn't take her with me nearly as much during the middle
> of summer, though, since she gets balky when it's too hot. She lept right back into in Sept.
> and didn't
really
> need to "retrain" to get back to where I was at. And that's a beagle,
which
> is not nearly as athletic a breed as Aussies. An Aussie should be able to run 5 miles on soft
> surface at a moderate pace with no special training at all, and still be up for catching frisbees
> in the back yard as soon as you get home.
>
> Out of curiousity, did you get your dog from a shelter? Do you know
anything
> about his puppyhood? I ask, because my sister's last Rott was a rescued
dog
> that had been malnourished as a puppy, and he had very brittle bones as a result. Got minor stress
> fractures a couple of times doing nothing in particular, and then a very serious hip fracture just
> from cutting a tight corner running in the yard. Had to put the dog down, 'cause the vet said he'd
> spend his whole life breaking bones. They've got an Aussie Lab mix now--cute as the dickens, but
> crazy-hyper--if that dog spend a day laying around and not wanting to get up off the floor, we'd
> all know something
was
> seriously wrong.
C'mon folks! How can you be fooled by such an obvious troll? It's no wonder trolls around the world
have heard about this NG being so easy.
On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 23:26:44 -0500, "DrLith" <drlith@hotmail.com> wrote:
>"Tom C." <tomc@fastnetit.com> wrote in message news:bp0pea0eid@enews2.newsguy.com...
>> I have an 8 year old Aussie/Lab mix who weighs about 50 lbs. He's been a great running partner
>> for the last year and up until 3 months ago was
>doing
>> great. Now, when we get back from the usual 5+/- mile run on a flat fire road, his back legs seem
>> to have little to no strength left. I usually
>run
>> at noon and for the rest of that day and most of the next day, his back
>legs
>> are weak. He has a hard time getting up off the ground and really doesn't move too much. But
>> after that day and a half, he's ready and VERY ready
>to
>> go. He sees me in my running outfit and goes crazy waiting to head out. But I've been leaving him
>> home b/c I don't know if he has an arthritis problem or if this is common for a dog of his age.
>>
>> I know that I can get a little sore after running and figure he must be
>the
>> same way. Has anyone else had this experience and if so, how long did it take for your dog to get
>> into "running shape"?
>>
>> He's due for a checkup at the vet, so I'll be taking him sometime this
>month
>> to get looked at.
>
>Let me get this straight--you ran with your dog for 9 months with no problems, then three months
>ago he started getting so lame after your runs that he laid around and had a hard time getting up
>off the ground for the day and a half. This has been going on for 3 months and you are only now
>thinking about talking it over with a vet, "sometime this month," and only because he's got a
>checkup scheduled anyhow? Sure, you get sore after you runs. If they left you lying on the couch
>for the next 36 hours, though, how long would it take you to figure out something was majorly
>wrong? Now, understand, I'm not one of those animal freaks who believes that dogs should be treated
>better than people, but nevertheless, I do believe that pet owners have a responsibility to take
>care of their animals when they show sign of injury or illness.
>
>My guess is that your dog's injury is something not directly attributable to running--just about
>any healthy medium-to-large dog should be able to quickly build up to 5 miles, several times a
>week, on a soft surface like a fire road (dirt, I presume?). It's more likely that the dog has an
>injury or illness that is being exacerbated by running (could be a strain or a sprain, intestinal
>blockage, bad hips, cancer...any number of things). Your dog wants to run again after a couple of
>days because he's a very high energy breed, not because he's necessarily "ok" or "all better."
>
>For what it's worth, right now I'm running about 20 miles a week, a mix of pavement and trails,
>almost always with my 8-yo beagle. I didn't take her with me nearly as much during the middle of
>summer, though, since she gets balky when it's too hot. She lept right back into in Sept. and
>didn't really need to "retrain" to get back to where I was at. And that's a beagle, which is not
>nearly as athletic a breed as Aussies. An Aussie should be able to run 5 miles on soft surface at a
>moderate pace with no special training at all, and still be up for catching frisbees in the back
>yard as soon as you get home.
>
>Out of curiousity, did you get your dog from a shelter? Do you know anything about his puppyhood? I
>ask, because my sister's last Rott was a rescued dog that had been malnourished as a puppy, and he
>had very brittle bones as a result. Got minor stress fractures a couple of times doing nothing in
>particular, and then a very serious hip fracture just from cutting a tight corner running in the
>yard. Had to put the dog down, 'cause the vet said he'd spend his whole life breaking bones.
>They've got an Aussie Lab mix now--cute as the dickens, but crazy-hyper--if that dog spend a day
>laying around and not wanting to get up off the floor, we'd all know something was seriously wrong.
On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 21:12:21 -0800, "Tom C." <tomc@fastnetit.com> wrote:
>DrLith,
>
>Looking back at my initial post, I guess I didn't explain myself clearly - sorry about that.
>
>I ran those first 9 months only once or twice a week at the most - and sometimes it would take me
>two weeks until I ran again - didn't have a set training schedule. But the last three months or so,
>I've upped the running to at least 3 times a week and that's when the problems start. And after the
>first few runs I've had to leave him home b/c I didn't think he was up to it. That's why my
>question was stated along the lines of "how long did other dogs take to get into shape". I was
>wondering about starting a dog off of his type.
>
>I would guess I couldn't take a Great Dane out for a 5-mile run, but I figured an Aussie/Lab mix of
>8 years old would be able to handle it. Sounds like I'm wrong and will need to help him build up to
>the distance.
>
>Thanks for the input.
>
If you are serious, then the problem is LACK of training and consistency. Running twice a week to a
dog is like running twice a month to a human. Would that get you in shape? Or just leave you hurting
after each run?
Tom C. wrote:
> I have an 8 year old Aussie/Lab mix who weighs about 50 lbs. He's been a great running partner for
> the last year and up until 3 months ago was doing great. Now, when we get back from the usual 5+/-
> mile run on a flat fire road, his back legs seem to have little to no strength left. I usually run
> at noon and for the rest of that day and most of the next day, his back legs are weak.
Get the hips x-rayed at your next visit. One of my Aussies has bad hips, and walks suit him much
better than running.
If he's dysplastic, then regular walks are good for him, as good muscle tone around the hips will
support the joint. You should ask the vet about giving him glucosamine and aspirin as well.
If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't run him anymore ... you could always take him for a walk before
your run as part of your new routine together.
My aussies were never crazy about running. One in particular would feign fatigue out of boredom --
right from the start of the run. What they REALLY enjoy is a hike, off-lead, with me through the
woods, where they can spint-sniff-sprint-sniff-sprint-sniff: much more their cup of tea.
Scott (not a big fan of running with dogs)
Get a life.
"TROLL ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!"
<TrollAlert@aohell.com> wrote in message news:1rh9rv0riu76siqmp1fmvbkj2jd0n1ar9t@4ax.com...
> C'mon folks! How can you be fooled by such an obvious troll? It's no wonder trolls around the
> world have heard about this NG being so easy.
>
> On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 23:26:44 -0500, "DrLith" <drlith@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >"Tom C." <tomc@fastnetit.com> wrote in message news:bp0pea0eid@enews2.newsguy.com...
> >> I have an 8 year old Aussie/Lab mix who weighs about 50 lbs. He's been
a
> >> great running partner for the last year and up until 3 months ago was
> >doing
> >> great. Now, when we get back from the usual 5+/- mile run on a flat
fire
> >> road, his back legs seem to have little to no strength left. I usually
> >run
> >> at noon and for the rest of that day and most of the next day, his back
> >legs
> >> are weak. He has a hard time getting up off the ground and really
doesn't
> >> move too much. But after that day and a half, he's ready and VERY
ready
> >to
> >> go. He sees me in my running outfit and goes crazy waiting to head
out.
> >> But I've been leaving him home b/c I don't know if he has an arthritis problem or if this is
> >> common for a dog of his age.
> >>
> >> I know that I can get a little sore after running and figure he must be
> >the
> >> same way. Has anyone else had this experience and if so, how long did
it
> >> take for your dog to get into "running shape"?
> >>
> >> He's due for a checkup at the vet, so I'll be taking him sometime this
> >month
> >> to get looked at.
> >
> >Let me get this straight--you ran with your dog for 9 months with no problems, then three months
> >ago he started getting so lame after your
runs
> >that he laid around and had a hard time getting up off the ground for the day and a half. This
> >has been going on for 3 months and you are only now thinking about talking it over with a vet,
> >"sometime this month," and onl
y
> >because he's got a checkup scheduled anyhow? Sure, you get sore after you runs. If they left you
> >lying on the couch for the next 36 hours, though,
how
> >long would it take you to figure out something was majorly wrong? Now, understand, I'm not one of
> >those animal freaks who believes that dogs
should
> >be treated better than people, but nevertheless, I do believe that pet owners have a
> >responsibility to take care of their animals when they show sign of injury or illness.
> >
> >My guess is that your dog's injury is something not directly attributable
to
> >running--just about any healthy medium-to-large dog should be able to quickly build up to 5
> >miles, several times a week, on a soft surface like
a
> >fire road (dirt, I presume?). It's more likely that the dog has an injury
or
> >illness that is being exacerbated by running (could be a strain or a
sprain,
> >intestinal blockage, bad hips, cancer...any number of things). Your dog wants to run again after
> >a couple of days because he's a very high energy breed, not because he's necessarily "ok" or "all
> >better."
> >
> >For what it's worth, right now I'm running about 20 miles a week, a mix
of
> >pavement and trails, almost always with my 8-yo beagle. I didn't take her with me nearly as much
> >during the middle of summer, though, since she
gets
> >balky when it's too hot. She lept right back into in Sept. and didn't
really
> >need to "retrain" to get back to where I was at. And that's a beagle,
which
> >is not nearly as athletic a breed as Aussies. An Aussie should be able to run 5 miles on soft
> >surface at a moderate pace with no special training
at
> >all, and still be up for catching frisbees in the back yard as soon as
you
> >get home.
> >
> >Out of curiousity, did you get your dog from a shelter? Do you know
anything
> >about his puppyhood? I ask, because my sister's last Rott was a rescued
dog
> >that had been malnourished as a puppy, and he had very brittle bones as a result. Got minor
> >stress fractures a couple of times doing nothing in particular, and then a very serious hip
> >fracture just from cutting a
tight
> >corner running in the yard. Had to put the dog down, 'cause the vet said he'd spend his whole
> >life breaking bones. They've got an Aussie Lab mix now--cute as the dickens, but crazy-hyper--if
> >that dog spend a day laying around and not wanting to get up off the floor, we'd all know
> >something
was
> >seriously wrong.
I never ran with my dog, but he's 14. Starting at about 10 years old he had symptoms a lot like you
describe. It's slowly gotten worse ever since. The vet told us that for larger dogs it's not
uncommon for them to begin losing feeling/strength/control over time as they get old. The nerves in
the spine get pinched or atrophy or something and it is progressive. He can still walk/trot
(probably run if he wasn't blind too), but he has great trouble getting his back end off the ground
sometimes and has an obvious lack of feeling in his rear quarters. Could be this, could just be
fatigue from running. Dogs get old too, probably time to retire him to walking... Andy Hass
In article <bp1o7f02aik@enews4.newsguy.com>, Tom C. <tomcNO@SPAMfastnetit.com> wrote:
>DrLith,
>
>Looking back at my initial post, I guess I didn't explain myself clearly - sorry about that.
>
>I ran those first 9 months only once or twice a week at the most - and sometimes it would take me
>two weeks until I ran again - didn't have a set training schedule. But the last three months or so,
>I've upped the running to at least 3 times a week and that's when the problems start. And after the
>first few runs I've had to leave him home b/c I didn't think he was up to it. That's why my
>question was stated along the lines of "how long did other dogs take to get into shape". I was
>wondering about starting a dog off of his type.
>
>I would guess I couldn't take a Great Dane out for a 5-mile run, but I figured an Aussie/Lab mix of
>8 years old would be able to handle it. Sounds like I'm wrong and will need to help him build up to
>the distance.
>
>Thanks for the input.
>
>- Tom C.
>
>
>
>
I have an Aussie/Collie mix, somewhere between 4-6 years old (is there any way to accurately
determine age?), and she loves to run with me, up to 6 miles. Longer than that and she starts
lagging (a long way). Mix of soft surface and blacktop.
We have been doing this for a year, and take her 3 or 4 times a week. Really enjoys it now the
weather has cooled off.
--mikeb
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