my dog's German Sheperd 9 years old and haven't gone for walk for a long time almost a year and has arthritis due to obesity , so I started to exercise him and propel him for a walk about 2 times a day , 20 minutes each which is 40 minutes a day , is that enough as it's his first time ?
keerok
That may be enough but you should have done it the moment you got him. GS have the tendency to have hip dysplacia. Their hind quarters weaken as they grow old. It's genetic. Regular exercise is the best preventive measure. At 9 years, it's probably full blown by now. I advise you consult a vet about it.
bluebonnetgranny
Has your Vet put him on pain pills for the arthritis? He needs to loose some weight to make walking easier. Put him on a diet. Stop feeding people food. He probably has hip dysplasia.
What is the meaning of hip dysplasia?
Hip dysplasia is the medical term for a hip socket that doesn't fully cover the ball portion of the upper thighbone. This allows the hip joint to become partially or completely dislocated. Most people with hip dysplasia are born with the condition.Mar 20, 2020
Hip dysplasia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinicwww.mayoclinic.org › symptoms-causes › syc-20350209
Almost all GSDs have it cause BYBers don't breed this severe fault out of their GSDs.
You dog is in severe pain & needs to be medicated for it, cause he is suffering from it now.
Maxi
Short and often daily walks ON SOFT GROUND is better than a long lead walk and arthritus is helped by the correct amount of daily exercise, get his obesity under control this is totally your responsibility to ensure his weight is right and get your dog to the vets to make sure there are no other underlying health issues
Jojo
First of all cut his food down if he is obese as this will aggravate his arthritis even more.
Start walks gently for about 15-20 minutes and work up gradually to an hour at least, over 3-4 weeks.
I assume he had some medication for his arthritis from the vet
If not he should have.
He should never have been allowed to get so overweight in the first place and should have been exercised daily, even if he had arthritis, as without exercise the arthritic joints will seize up making mobility worse.
Where is his arthritis? Legs, hips, elbows?
It`s essential you cut down on food and treats to help him get back to a fit state.
Although 9 is considered `old` for a GSD, most fit and healthy GSD`s live until an average age of 12 years and some a lot longer.
My old fellow lived until almost 15 years old and I never allowed him to get overweight. He was coming on 3 - 4 hour walks when he was 9 years old and still walking on 2 hour walks at 13 years old. No signs of any arthritis either.
Blood Strike
Since he is older and a little chubby, I'd say that's the perfect amount of time.