New leash on life

Welcome summer! Time to put down that remote and jump off the couch! What? You’re not able to move that quickly? Can’t quite spring into action after the April showers brought May flowers? While you’ve been playing Angry Birds and Tweeting, your faithful pooch is tired of watching Puppy Bowl reruns and is chomping at the bit to get outside.

He’s probably become lazy and a bit overweight, too. An easy remedy to kick start a healthier lifestyle for both of you is as easy as putting one foot (and paws) in front of the other.

I think we all know the benefits of walking but did you know how important it is for your dog, too? The Humane Society recommends most dogs get an hour of exercise daily to keep them happy and healthy.

By happy, I also mean well-behaved. Behavior problems such as biting, chewing, barking, digging, and little unwelcome presents on the carpet can disappear when a dog is getting enough exercise. You’ll also reduce their risk for cardiac conditions, cancer, osteoarthritis, diabetes, and painful hip and joint ailments.

Our grown son’s lab, Bear, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Lack of exercise and weight gain were contributing factors. Both issues could have been avoided. Bear now requires two insulin shots a day. Someone has to be home at those injection times every day and he has to go “potty” every two to three hours as a result of diabetes. He’s on a weight control dog food and has lost weight. ”Grandpa” took over and started walking Bear every day. He doesn’t let “Grandpa” forget when walking time is, either, and has actually settled down as a result of the consistent exercise.

We’re hoping when he’s re-tested he will be able to decrease or eventually get off the insulin. While any breed can be overweight some are more prone to it than others. Labradors, dachshunds, corgis, shelties, basset hounds and beagles, to name a few, can be at risk. Just one pound on the frame of a 10-pound dog is equivalent to more than 20 pounds on an average human!

If your pooch hasn’t seen more than the oak tree to do his daily business you may want to check with your vet first. After Bear’s diagnosis, our vet recommended just a mile a day to start.

Just as comfortable and supportive walking shoes are important for you, your dog’s paws/toenails should be considered. Be mindful of hot pavement, it can scald paws. Test the temp of the pavement with the palm of your hand. If it’s too hot to the touch, don’t take him on that route.

Choose a dirt or grass area. Sand can get very hot too, but if it’s cool enough for him, walking in the sand will torch up to 50 percent more calories than walking on a level surface. If you can hear a click, click when he walks, it’s time to clip the nails. When nails get too long they actually push back into the toes, causing him to roll or rotate his foot to compensate.

You can easily do this at home with clippers sold at pet stores but some dogs, like Bear, are highly sensitive and won’t let you near him with a nail clipper so a vet or groomer will have to get the job done.

Your dog could probably outwalk you on most days because they love to exercise and be with you so keep an eye out for these signs that it’s time to go home:

• lags behind after initially leading the way

• breathing very heavy or tongue hanging down

• becomes clumsy or looks awkward or unusual

• tries to stop, lie down or halts walking late in the walk

Heatstroke is another issue to watch for this summer. Dogs have a harder time staying cool than humans so you need to take extra precautions when the heat rises.

While humans and dogs both evaporate water to cool their bodies, humans sweat the entire surface of their bodies but dogs only sweat a bit from the pads on their feet and through an evaporative surface on their tongue. Larger dogs are prone to overheat more easily as their evaporative surface-to-volume ratio goes down with increasing size. Please take water for yourself and your dog while walking this summer. Collapsible water dishes and backpacks, similar to what hikers use are great for carrying extra water. If it’s a heatwave week, walk before 10 am or after 7 pm.

Signs of heatstroke include:

• Exhaustion Staggering/lack of coordination

• Vomiting Labored breathing and panting

If you see these signs, call your vet immediately.