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The Dog's Internal Anatomy: Part 2 Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments-Part2

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...... they can regain their strength and motion. But if the injury is ignored, and more damage continues to occur, it will result in obvious pain. Without rest and treatment, tendons and ligaments will never regain their original strength or range of motion.

Tendons are made up mostly of collagen protein, along with other proteins. They have a poor blood supply, and when they suffer injury, they are difficult to treat, and often do not heal well.

Ligaments are similar to tendons in structure, but attach bone to bone.

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Changes in the mechanical motion of a limb also affects changes the tendons and ligaments. When tendons and ligaments are gradually placed under increasing stress, they can adapt and become stronger and more flexible. This occurs in athletic dogs and dogs that perform daily work such as herding, pulling sleds, and other activities. When dogs gradually work up to a certain work level, the tendons and ligaments adapt as well.

When your dog lays around all day, and all week, then you take them to the park to play fetch on the weekend, your dog is placing great stress on their tendons and ligaments when they are suddenly running hard, making quick turns, and putting compressional stress on their entire skeletal system.

Stretching out your dog's muscles before any type of exercise, and making sure that they are warmed up before any activity will help decrease any chances of injury or damage on the cellular level. Take time to stretch out your dog's legs by taking each limb, moving it in all directions, and holding it in place for a few seconds.

For example, grab one of your dog's front legs and stretch it all the way out, and hold for a few seconds. Then stretch it all the way in the other direction and hold. Repeat this a few times. Make sure to stretch his leg at the elbow and the wrist as well. Repeat this for all limbs. Then walk your dog for at least 10 minutes before any activity to make sure he is warmed up and will not be working with "cold" muscles.

Another stressful situation placed on your dog is when you have them jump in or out of your vehicle with cold muscles. As described above, this places stress on your dog's entire skeletal system. Over time, this will cause problems such as arthritis and hip dysplasia. Young puppies should never, ever be allowed to jump or run before they are at least one year old. To see the reason why, refer to part 1 of this series, The Dog's Internal Anatomy: Part 1- Skeletal at the Pet Care 4 Our Animals website.

In order to reduce stress on your dog from jumping in and out of your vehicle, or on and off of your bed or couch, read about how to increase your dog's longevity and keep him youthful.
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Joints

A joint is simply the place where two bones meet. Each end of the bone is covered by a layer of cartilage called articular cartilage. The entire joint structure is covered by a joint capsule called the articular capsule. This capsule is lined on the inside by the synovial membrane, which produces joint fluid, called synovial fluid. The synovial fluid provides lubrication for the bone, muscle, ligament, and tendon at that joint.

This is a generalization, because there are many different types of joints depending on their location in the dog body, and their structure and purpose. What I have described above is called a synovial joint, which is a freely moving joint. Note that the two bones are separated by a cavity.

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Synovial joints are further divided into two different types. A Hinge Joint is a freely moving joint that can only bend in one direction, such as the knee. A Ball-and-Socket Joint will allow rotaional movement and can move in all planes. An example of this would be the hipbone joint.

There are also two other types of joints. One, called Fibrous Joints are immovable joints. These joints hold bone together tightly, such as in the skull. The skull consists of many bones that do not move.

The other type of joint is called a Cartilaginous Joint. These joints allow some movement and are found mostly in the vertebral column. Each vertebrae is divided by a cartilaginous joint, which provides protection and cushion between vertebrae. Continual jumping up and down from high places can cause damage to these joints, and lead to back problems in dogs.

About the Author

Richard Delgado brings his 15 years of pet care experience to the internet community to teach all dog lovers to properly care for their dogs. His current website Pet Care 4 Our Animals at http://www.4ouranimals.com

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