Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/401545
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 7 8 products touted for this purpose will, in fact, have just the opposite effect, triggering an insulin spike that causes your dog's fat-burning "engine" to shut down. • Instead of adopting a traditional conditioning program that builds in a uniform linear progression, try to mix it up so that the line resembles a series of peaks and valleys, with each successive peak a little higher and each valley a little lower. It's important to schedule rest periods into the program, too, say every three weeks or so. Canine athletes, just like human ones, are susceptible to burn-out. • Don't wait until your dog's thirsty to give him water. Smaller amounts given more frequently (every 15 minutes or so) are preferable to larger amounts given less often. W ith regards to canine sports-medicine, the presenters were Dr. James Cook, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Missouri, and Dr. Jennell Appel, a specialist in non- invasive treatment and rehabilitation of canine sports injuries. • The single biggest thing you can do to prevent orthopedic injury is maintain your dog at a healthy weight (and that goes double for puppies). The Purina Body Condition System (easily accessed online) provides a quick and reliable way to evaluate your dog in this regard. • If you decide to spay/neuter, wait until your dog has attained full skeletal maturity. Early spay/ neuter has been linked to a variety of orthopedic problems, among them increased incidence of both hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament injury. • Don't turn your dog loose "straight from the crate," and don't put him back straight from the field. Ten to 15 minutes of warm- up prior to hunting is critically important, as is a similar period of cool-down after the hunt. • There is no such thing as "minor" lameness. Any lameness that doesn't resolve after a few days of rest, and especially any lameness that recurs, is cause for concern and should be addressed immediately – before it devolves into a chronic condition. • Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate work well to alleviate symptoms of moderate to severe arthritis, but only when combined. And regardless of any claims to the contrary, their effects are purely palliative. They do not have any preventative or regenerative benefits. • While stem-cell therapy holds great promise, the experience of both Cook and Appel suggests that platelet-rich plasma is just as beneficial for promoting healing and regeneration of bone and tissue – and it is considerably less expensive.