Exercise.

There's compelling evidence that dogs experience "runner's high," a euphoria-inducing buzz experienced by regular runners and other athletes. The discovery, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, could mean that nature rewards many animals with this pleasant feeling, encouraging them to run and jump around. David Raichlen of the University of Arizona and his colleagues wrote that "a neurobiological reward for endurance exercise may explain why humans and other cursorial mammals habitually engage in aerobic exercise despite the higher associated energy costs and injury risks, and why non-cursorial mammals avoid such locomotor behaviors." In short, we're fools for exercise ...

Have you seen the video of the otter playing basketball? He has arthritis, and his veterinarian recommended he get more exercise to help keep his joints as healthy as possible. The otter's caretakers came up with the ingenious idea of training him to dunk a basketball. I bring up the otter video, not just because it'll put a smile on your face, but also because it serves as a good reminder of the importance of exercise in the treatment of arthritis. The old phrase "use it or lose it" certainly applies. There's no doubt that an arthritic joint is painful, and our natural reaction is to avoid the activities that cause the pain. We treat our pets in the same way. If it hurts a dog to go ...

The most persistent disconnect that I have encountered in 30 years of veterinary practice is the owner perception that if they have a fenced, large backyard, then their dog is active. I have lost count of the number of veterinary exams that feel like the movie Groundhog Day, where I live the same scene over and over. For example: I am in an exam room and an overweight dog is lying on the floor in the exam room and hasn't moved in the first 10 minutes of the history-taking portion of my exam process. When I finally do get to the issue of weight and exercise information the owner insists that this immobile lump of canine at my feet is an unbelievable athlete when it is alone in the ...