Muscle Spasms?

Question
HI there,

Ive got a brain buster of a question for you.  I have an Australian Shepard, Pit-bull mix dog about 1.5 years old.  He is in great shape, perfect weight, and runs about 70 miles a week with me.  

My question is this:  When we get home from vigorous runs, or play fetch or chuck-it in the yard, right after stopping his hind legs are still shivering or spasming like his muslces are still freakin out!  Its been in the 50's. 60's nd 70's lately and regardless of temp it still happens.  

It stops soon after the games and runs end, it lasts for maybe 5-10 minutes.  

He is not under or overfed and is in great physical shape.  He also gets no table scraps or people food of any sort.  

He is not in any discomfort when this is happening, it just looks like he is not ready to stop playing and is still jazzed up!  If you grab his shaking leg it usually either stops for a second or just quivers while you hold it.

Do you have any ideas what this is all about and if it is harmful to him.  Like I said, he doesn't seem to mind and I have seen to adverse reactions to any of his exercise.  No limps, no soreness.....nothing.

Hope you have an idea and can't wait to hear back from you!

Nolan Taylor
runningrock@hotmail.com

Answer
Hi Nolan!From your descrition,you arr taking excellant care of your dog!keep up the good work!

As our dogs age, much like us they develop various age related ailments such as Osteoarthritis. Additionally due to over, in, and gross breeding, some breeds have come to be more prone to genetic related joint conditions.
I can offer a few suggestions to help your pet in either case. First, make sure he is not overweight, excess weight puts more stress on joints, causing more long term damage, if he is obese than you can put him on a strict weight loss diet, (green beans, lean boiled chicken and powdered vitimin supplements), however if he could only stand to lose a few pounds, switching his diet to a "lite" or senior formula will help provide less fat and higher fiber..
Regular exercise is also indicated, to help not only keep him in shape, but to keep the joints flexible. If you live in a colder region of the country make sure he has ample warmth. Cold weather plays havoc on achy joints. Place a heating pad or extra blankets in his bedding to help keep him warm on chilly days and nights. In the same fashion, applying a heated compress or hot water bottle to his achy joints twice daily will help provide relief.
Buffered aspirin can be administered (if you get the go ahead form your veterinarian), you can offer one quarter of a 325 milligram tablet per ten pounds of body weight.
Finally, there has been the introduction of several positive dietary supplements on the market for both people and pets within the last couple of years. Glucosamine sulfate and Methylsulfonylmethane, (MSM) are the two I recommend most. I have found that they can be costly, however that formulas indicated for people over pets is less expensive and can be found at most discount retails stores. Look for a combination of the two in one capsule, and use a generic brand.($5-$10 for a bottle of 100). There is no difference as long as the dosing equals around 1000 milligrams of Glucosamine, and 1500 milligrams of MSM.
Vitimin C and E supplements can also be added daily to reduce inflammation in the joints and cartilage. Your veterinarian can offer you recommended anti-inflammatory, however they can add up in cost very quickly, as some of the medications can average around $1.00 a pill. I recommend you try the Glucosamine and MSM supplements first; it may take up to six weeks to see some positive results, but I have had the best success with them verses prescription medication. There is some great information available on the internet about these supplements, and I invite you to research them. I hope this is helpful and good luck!Please keep me posted and give him kisses for me!Sending waging tails your way!
Nicole.D.