I just read an article about how to help our dogs maintain great flexibility with gentle stretches written by Dr. Becker on Mercola. And they only take a few minutes a day!
She wrote that stretching adds to well-being AND longevity of our pets. Especially the following friends would benefit from these gentle stretches:
- dogs with joint problems
- loss of muscle tone
- decreased flexibility
- athletic dogs
- large and giant dogs
She describes in detail how to do the stretches, and suggests that if you want to feel more confidence doing these stretches, it might be a good idea to ask your vet to demonstrate them to you.
There are photos in the article to show how to do these stretches.
Below this photo is an excerpt from the article.
Here’s an excerpt from the article by Dr. Becker:
Providing daily walks followed by a short session of gentle stretching can do wonders for your pet both physically and mentally.
There are three areas of your dog’s body for which stretching is especially beneficial – the hips, shoulders, and back.
The following stretches, done slowly and gently, are well tolerated by most dogs.
- Stretching the hip flexors.Benefits your dog will receive from this stretch include increased movement and flexibility in the hips and spine, improved conditioning of the lower back, hip and leg muscles, and a reduction in arthritis-related discomfort and pain.
- Stretching the shoulder flexors. …this stretch improve the integrity of shoulder structure, it also benefits the wrists and elbows, and increases your dog’s breathing capacity by loosening her chest muscles.
There are more stretches in the article.
CLICK here to read the entire article and SEE photo illustrations.
Article source: Dr. Becker on Mercola
Image source: Ben Wren on Flickr
