TEACHING YOUR DOG TO FETCH - THE FETCH GAME!!!

Fetch Command
The fetch game is probably the most popular and most used dog activity for rewarding your dog and giving him exercise at the same time. Giving your dog regular exercise is essential in keeping your dogs health up to scratch and helping them live a more exciting happy life.

Playing the fetch game with your dog is very easy and takes as much effort as you want to put into it. Simply take some form of ball, Frisbee, or stick and get your dogs attention with it, as soon as your dog has their eyes on the swinging stick, throw it as far as possible and command your dog to fetch the stick and pointing in the direction you threw it in with some enthusiasm to make it seem fun for your dog.

Dogs love this game and are happy to play it all day long with you, some dogs like the game more than others due to breed tendencies to please the owners. There are many different products available to help you with this command if you suffer from a bad back or similar and are incapable of bending down or throwing, this product is a long stick that cups the ball and makes it easier to throw and pick up the ball.

This activity can be an energetic exercise for both you and your dog if you want it to be. Running around after your dog and throwing for your dog to fetch is a way used by many to keep fit and not just their dogs. A helpful two in one exercise to keep both parties healthy can't be a bad choice!

SOURCED FROM: http://www.dog-behavior-training.co.uk/teach_dog_to_fetch.html

Although this is a great game, you have to be careful with rottweilers doing this type of exercise.

The tight turns they tend to do when reaching the ball, stick or frisbee are one of the main causes of cruciate rupture, and I've seen a good few of those over the years as our breed is so prone to it.

agree with chicco it is so easy to throw something for your dog but how do you know there aren't any hidden holes in the ground..........snapped cruciates are easilly done by doing this. & to be honest i cant see how it is good exercise for you & the dog

wildheart wrote:agree with chicco it is so easy to throw something for your dog but how do you know there aren't any hidden holes in the ground..........snapped cruciates are easilly done by doing this. & to be honest i cant see how it is good exercise for you & the dog

When a dog is out on a walk off lead, it can be running along and fall down any small hole and get hurt, whether you play fetch or not doesnt mean that the dog is going to fall down a hole and break its leg or get snapped cruciates!!!! BE REAL PEOPLE!!!!

I haveplayed enough fetch with lots of dogs over the years and i have never had a dog get hurt or fall down a hidden hole in the ground! If this happens then it cannot be helped, dont get too paranoid about your dog playing fetching games!!!

If you'd seen as many cruciate repairs as I have over the years then you would do all you could to protect them.

However --- good exercise built up gradually is ideal for helping with joint problems etc as the good muscle tone helps hold the joints stable. It is just the twisting action when a dog suddenly stops and turns to get the ball or whatever.

Sorry Jen, that is real, and a fact, and you really have to be careful with rotties in particular.

Chicco wrote:If you'd seen as many cruciate repairs as I have over the years then you would do all you could to protect them.

However --- good exercise built up gradually is ideal for helping with joint problems etc as the good muscle tone helps hold the joints stable. It is just the twisting action when a dog suddenly stops and turns to get the ball or whatever.

Sorry Jen, that is real, and a fact, and you really have to be careful with rotties in particular.

Actually chicco i have actually seen a cruciate operation on a few dogs whilst i was monitoring the dogs vital signs when i was working at the veterinary practice a few years ago! i no how much work is involved in this operation and how long it takes to complete.
Everything exercise wise can cause problems and if people worried about it as much as it is being made a big deal about then our dogs would not get any exercise or get toys thrown for them to retrieve!

I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree regarding the fetch games Jen. Sorry.

However I've had a dog cruciate go when the plonker jumped at the hoover, although the dog was a rescue and had been overexercised as a pup and therefore was particularly straight in the stifle, and also therefore was already fraying in the ligament.

Another went just saying hello to somebody, but the same scenario - came to me already at least middle-aged and needing one done, which I paid for, and several years later the other one went just when someone called in, but again straight in the stifle joint.

However I am very interested in cruciate repair and am interested to see what operations you observed, whether nylon band and which method, or TPLO etc. I like to hear of experiences of this op just to broaden my knowledge of it, as there are varying views on not only the operation but the aftercare needed.

There are several different techniques used to correct a cruciate ligament rupture, smaller dogs, cats ect, are often left to fix themselves and put on crate rest untill it improves but larger dogs need surgical interverntion, the most common surgical techniques are=
1, Over-the-top fascial graft
2, lateral fabellar inbrication suture.
3 , Tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO)

There is no agreement to which is the best technique but reasearch shows non of the outcomes are very different.

In the long run, all joints with cruciate ligament rupture will develope some degree of osteoartheritis, however most dogs respond to the surgery very well and the osteoartheritis does not cause a problem for several years.

Over-the-top fascial graft;
A fascial graft or "over the top" repair is a soft tissue repair where a strip if the dog's own tissue is harvested from the fibrous tissue covering the muscle of the thigh and placed within the joint to mimic the path and function of the failed ligament.

A long incision is made along the outside front centre line of the leg and a strip of fibrous tissue detached from the top of the leg, near the hip and carefully peeled down the leg to where the patellar (kneecap) ligament goes into the tibia. The stifle joint is then opened and the diseased ligament cut away using a fine blade. The body will remove the redundant ligament in time but it is thought that removing as much of the diseased tissue as possible will allow a more speedy resolution of the inflammation. Then, the cartilages are carefully inspected for damage and any damaged portions removed.

The graft is passed between the condyles (knuckles) of the femur and round the back of and over the top of the outside of two little bones called fabellae. The graft is then sutured down to the outside of the femur and the end taken down and sutured to its starting point for a more robust repair.

The joint is then flushed of clots and debris with sterile saline and then flushed with local anaesthetic which promotes a more comfortable recover.

The joint and the fascia is then closed. The harvesting of the graft means that after closing the gap the fascia is pulled tight. This adds to the stabilisation of the joint provided by the graft.

The remaining tissues are sutured, routinely.

TPLO ;
Tibial plateau levelling osteotomy or “TPLO”
What is a TPLO?

TPLO is a surgical technique used for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament failure in dogs. When the cranial cruciate ligament ruptures, the tibia slides forwards (cranially) when any weight is put on the foot. This sliding force is affected by the slope of the tibial joint surface and it is known as the “cranial tibial thrust force”. The images below show the tibial plateau slope and the tibia in its displaced position. If the tibial plateau is surgically altered so as to level this slope then the cranial tibial thrust force is counteracted and the tibia no longer slides forward. A bone plate and screws are used to hold the repositioned tibial plateau in position whilst it heals (this usually takes 8-12 weeks). Plate removal is not usually necessary.




Why choose a TPLO?
There are many techniques available for stabilising joints with damaged cruciate ligaments. Some rely on replacing the ligament with a strip of muscle sheath/tendon (the “Over-the-Top” technique). Others rely on placing a strong and permanent stitch on the outside of the joint to counteract the sliding force (“Lateral Fabello-Tibial Suture” technique).
So why choose TPLO?

The cranial tibial thrust force is very large and it often overcomes the restraint provided by the over-the-top or lateral fabello-tibial suture techniques.


In our experience dogs that have had TPLO will walk on the operated leg much sooner than those that have had the over-the-top or lateral fabello-tibial suture techniques

Heavy/boisterous dogs or dogs with bilateral cruciate ligament ruptures/other orthopaedic disease tend to put a lot of their weight on the operated leg very soon after surgery. TPLO has two advantages in this regard:


It is strong enough to allow immediate but controlled weight-bearing


Dogs are comfortable enough to stand and walk on the operated leg very soon after surgery (more often than not within 24-48 hours)

Dogs with partial cranial cruciate ligament tears may not have unstable joints. These are also good candidates for TPLO for two reasons:


TPLO reduces the load on the damaged and painful ligament

There is no point trying to stabilise an already stable joint!

What is the post-operative care after TPLO?
Exercise. For the first 6 weeks after surgery, patients should be confined to two adjacent rooms downstairs. Running, jumping, flights of stairs and slippery floors should be avoided. Short lead walks are permitted (preferably only in the garden) for toilet purposes only. One or two steps outside (e.g. patio) are OK as long as they are taken slowly and under close control. Walking slowly using the operated leg is beneficial for post-operative healing/rehabilitation and is an indication of good post-operative progress. Patients are expected to be putting weight on the leg within two or three days of surgery. A steady improvement in both comfort and use of the leg should be seen for 6 weeks.

Diet. In an effort to minimise changes to the daily routine it is best not to change the type of food given or the times of feeding during the recovery period after surgery. Dietary intake should be reduced by around 20% to minimise the risk of weight-gain whilst exercise is limited.

Stitches. If present, these should be removed 10-14 days after surgery (by your own vet).

Follow-up care. After 6 weeks, follow-up radiographs should be taken to assess healing of the osteotomy. These can either be taken by your own vet and forwarded to us with a progress report or an appointment can be made to return here. If returning here, please make an appointment at least 3 weeks before the radiographs are due. No food should be given on the day of the re-examination as a sedative or general anaesthetic will be needed for the radiographic assessment. If the radiographs show that the bone is healing satisfactorily then progressively increasing lead walks are permitted with the intention of allowing off lead exercise 12 weeks after surgery. You should allow three to four hours for the revisit appointment and radiographs.

the point in all this though Loppylou is that nobody agrees on the after care of any of these ops or the methods that should be used.

The person I trust most in the whole country is Gary Clayton Jones, and in his opinion he will decide which way to go by the angulation of joint and other factors, which definitely does not always mean the TPLO.

I have seen some really bad TPLO's done with life long changes once the bone ends are changed.

Not sure where you have taken the information above from but there is also the method used most widely where the nylon thread is used. This also is used in different ways.

The method using the dogs own tissue was how one of my dogs had his done 20 years ago. Not heard of that in a long while.

Not long before that vet's would only refer to one of the vet colleges for any cruciate repair, and it is only since then that vet's have taken it on themselves.

Then when TPLO came into existence, it was pioneered by a Mr. Slocambe from the US. Hence its other name - the Slocambe method. The only vets that were allowed to perform the TPLO method had to have been to the states and trained by him.

Now everyone jumps on the bandwagon with not too good a result.

Tplo is now known to cause bone cancer in dogs who have had it and many US vets are now refusing to use this method.

My own bitch had the conventional surgery in June for a partial rupture and her exercise and recovery regime was quite different to what you've cut and pasted earlier. There is many differeing opinions on the post -op care so I listened to my vet then the vet nurse who specialises in rehabilitation. My bitch was only crated for 10 days then gentle exercise every day, along with hydrotherapy once a week. She has been walking for an hour a day for some good 8 weeks now I think and I am pleased to say, I am absolutely over the moon with her progress.

I source this information for a few different places on the net and they all seem to agree with each other, iv never experienced any of these operations so im not commenting on experience just posting what i read.

Chicco i posted this information as you said you were interested in the different techiniques used, i simply had to time to look into it and found the information posted.

Sorry loppylou -- and I really didn't mean for you to go out of your way to look up what you did, that was really nice of you. Everyone will find it useful and interesting anyway.

I really am sorry, as it is not that I don't know about the different methods, more the difference in professionals as to which operation to do and the aftercare of it.

What you have sourced is very useful and well worth reading ---- especially with our breed. I know of three dogs recovering from cruciate ops at this very moment --- another four who were done earlier in the year, and another two just gone and at the point of having an op.

Hence my concern with the tight turn a dog does when fetching a ball.

Thanks for your time on that.

no probs if you find anything about these ops or the aftercare make sure you post it, im quite interested now.!

Let's just say that I prefer the old nylon band method loppylou, and have had good results from the ones I have nursed through and the other three I have helped through it this and last year.

It really is a case of firstly good surgeon, secondly good - no excellent aftercare making sure the dog only wees onlead in the garden etc, then hydrotherapy and gentle regular build up of exercise lasting months. A course of cartrophen helps as well.

I'm afraid it really is a bit of a booger with our breed.