Medicine in Motion Veterinary Services

10/19/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆

This study followed 48 Labrador Retrievers throughout their lives, and its findings helped establish a lasting connection between nutritional management, healthy body weight, and longevity in dogs.

Here’s what the research found:

𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻: Dogs fed 25% less food than their pair-matched controls had a median lifespan of 13.0 years, compared with 11.2 years in control-fed dogs—a difference of 1.8 years.

𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: Food-restricted dogs developed age-related chronic diseases later in life, with osteoarthritis among the particularly notable conditions.

𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: The study linked greater fat mass and declining lean body mass with mortality, highlighting the importance of maintaining a healthy body composition.

𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: The dogs followed their respective feeding regimens from puppyhood, emphasizing the potential importance of nutritional management throughout life.

Although initially published in 2002, this is still as important today.

Because healthy weight management is more than an aesthetic goal. It is an important component of preventive veterinary care, with potential implications for both lifespan and healthy ageing.

For veterinary teams, this research reinforces the value of regularly assessing body condition, individualizing feeding recommendations, and discussing nutrition with pet owners before excess weight becomes a problem.

Subscribe to VetEd to help us access more veterinary journals.

Kealy RD, et al. Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. JAVMA. 2002;220(9):1315–1320.

Lawler DF, et al. Diet restriction and ageing in the dog: major observations over two decades. British Journal of Nutrition. 2008;99:793–805.

10/07/2026

Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease is a progressive degeneration of the main stabilizing ligament in the dog knee that is most similar to ACL in humans. In dogs, the fibers tend to break slowly and then can progress to full rupture, maximum instability, and pain. Full rupture is often accompanied by meniscus damage, which can sometimes be appreciated as a repetitive click on flexion of the joint, and pain signs in the pet such as limping.

The first image is of something called medial buttress, a firm thickening on the inside of the knee that is an indicator for knee dysfunction — common with cruciate damage or osteoarthritis. Your veterinarian may note medial buttress before other clinical signs are noted such as limping. This might also be present even without some of the more definitive motion dysfunction tests like Cranial Drawer or Tibial Thrust. Medial buttress shows that something has been going on in this knee for some time, and may prompt more definitive diagnostic recommendations such as an x-ray (radiograph.)

Treatment options depend on suspected level of damage, patient size, patient lifestyle, and amount of pain. Partial tears have a higher likelihood of responding to non-surgical options like physical therapy, so catching abnormal joint findings and gait changes early is important through regular thorough musculoskeletal exams.

09/13/2026

Hindlimb PSD doesn't always present as the obvious lameness we might expect.

It is often bilateral, and horses may instead present with subtle performance changes such as:

🐴 Reluctance to collect
🐴 Difficulty with canter transitions
🐴 Reduced impulsion or poor push-off
🐴 Low-grade, persistent lameness
🐴 Performance that appears worse under saddle than in-hand

But finding proximal suspensory pathology may only be part of the picture.

Hindlimb PSD can occur as a primary repetitive strain injury, but it may also occur alongside hock osteoarthritis, sacroiliac dysfunction or distal limb pathology.

Conformation and hoof balance may contribute too, with straight hocks, long-toe-low-heel conformation, negative plantar angles, poor hoof balance and fetlock hyperextension all potentially influencing the loads experienced by the proximal suspensory ligament.

👉 The rehab implication?

Don't stop looking when you find one lesion.

Consider the whole horse, the movement pattern, the structures above and below the injury, hoof balance, workload and the demands of the horse's discipline.

And once we have a diagnosis, management isn't necessarily as simple as “rest and rehab.”

Progressive controlled loading plays an important role in rehabilitation, but hindlimb PSD can be challenging to manage conservatively - and in some cases, surgical intervention may be considered.

So, where does surgery fit into the treatment pathway?

This month, Dr Henk Offereins from Equine Tendon joins Onlinepethealth to explore the surgical management of proximal suspensory disease, helping us better understand the surgical options available and where they may fit within the bigger rehabilitation picture.
This webinar is available to all Onlinepethealth Equine Members.

Comment PSD1 if you would like to read our blog on Pathology of the Suspensory Apparatus: A Vet Rehab Therapist’s Guide

09/10/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟭𝟰-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?

A recent JAVMA study looked at 129 cats aged ≥12 years that their owners reported as being in good health or clinically stable.

Here are some of the findings:

𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: 82 of 82 cats with teeth examined (100%) had dental disease. 40 of these 82 cats had moderate to severe disease.

𝗢𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: 63 of 81 cats (77.8%) had orthopedic disease.

𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀: 75 of 81 cats (92.6%) had some degree of muscle loss. At the same time, 39 of 83 cats (47.0%) were overconditioned, showing why body condition score alone may not reveal loss of lean muscle mass.

𝗖𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝘆𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 54 of 128 cats (42.2%) met the study's criteria for findings consistent with feline cognitive dysfunction syndrome. None had previously been reported to have FCDS.

The diagnostic testing was also revealing.

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: Of the 104 cats that could be staged using available blood and urine data, 80 (77%) had findings consistent with CKD. Of those 80 cats, 49 (61.3%) were newly identified.

𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Of the 125 cats that had blood pressure measurements, 56 (44.8%) met the study's definition of hypertension. Of those 56 cats, 54 (96.4%) were newly recognized, and 30 (53.6%) had severe hypertension (≥180 mm Hg).

𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗺: Of the 127 cats with total T4 measurements, 17 (13.4%) had concentrations above the reference interval. Of those 17 cats, 11 (64.7%) were newly diagnosed.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁:

Owners often didn't notice the changes associated with disease.

Among the 45 cats with CKD and available owner questionnaire data, 34 (75.6%) had no owner-reported change in urination.

Thirst was even harder for owners to recognize: only 1 of 78 owners reported increased water intake.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲?

A cat appearing normal at home does not necessarily mean there is no clinically important disease.

The authors support a proactive, prioritized approach to senior feline screening. When a complete diagnostic workup isn't feasible, they identified several particularly informative assessments:

• Thorough physical examination
• Urine specific gravity
• Renal parameters
• Total T4
• Blood pressure

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: The study included two cohorts: 46 cats enrolled in 2022–2023 and 83 cats enrolled in 2024. The 2024 cohort underwent more detailed physical examinations and owner questionnaires, while diagnostic testing was performed across much of the overall study population. As a result, the denominator varies depending on the assessment being reported.

Study cited in the comments:

09/04/2026

Feeling lucky to have designed a practice that works closely with patients, clients, and other talented animal health care providers.

Wishing everyone a happy and restorative holiday weekend!

08/31/2026

Exercise and nutrition is NOT always enough. Bodywork can get your horse to the next level.

08/28/2026

What can you expect at your animal chiropractic visit? Patience, precision, and professionalism.

Dr. Meg aims to be fully in the present for you and your animals in the goal of improved mobility and wellness.

Tails Animal Chiropractic Care

08/27/2026

08/05/2026

If you have recently ordered Adequan lately (dog or horse), please check your bottle size & lot number as there is a recall!
Please go to the FDA Website for more info (link below) - but this is the info regarding what lots/products are affected. If you have one of these bottles, stop its use immediately & contact American Reagent (listed on the FDA site). If you do not have one of these bottles, don't worry, you are still using a great product!

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/american-regent-inc-animal-health-issues-nationwide-recall-two-lots-adequanr-canine-and-two-lots

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 31, 2026 – Shirley, NY, American Regent, Inc. Animal Health is conducting a nationwide recall of two lots (25011 and 3369) of Adequan® Canine Injection (for dogs), 100 mg/mL 5mL multi-dose vials and two lots (24416 and 25265P) of Adequan® i.m. Injection (for horses), 500mg/5 mL single-dose 5mL vials to the consumer level. The products are being recalled due to the presence of glass fibers found during testing of internally retained samples.

07/25/2026