Dog shoulder anatomy: Superficially we have the trapezius, deltoids, triceps and bracialis with the rhomboids, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres major/minor and biceps sitting deeper as you can see in the 2 images below.

Feeling tired or lack of energy Stiffness for a day or two Feeling wobbly immediately after the session Weakness especially in dogs with neuro conditions who can tire quickly Drinking more

An anatomical bridle is designed to avoid the infraorbital and mental foramen and the temporomandibular joint. But what are these things?

Problems in these muscles, due to their size, can be tricky for pet owners to notice so are often missed until they become larger more debilitating issues. But knowing where these muscles are and what they do can help you notice small changes sooner.

Unlike in humans the quads in our dogs and horse's are set deeper than in humans, meaning that it’s often hard to assess their true muscle mass. This is particularly important if your pet has stifle issues as the quad and stifle are directly linked as you’ll see in a moment!

Ultrasound (US) is most commonly used in cases of tendon and ligament injury as well as muscle strains and fibrotic myopathy. US is suited to treating these conditions as it enhances collagen production and alignment leading to enhanced healing.

NMES is used to reduce atrophy (decreased muscle), increase neurological signals- stimulating muscle movement, muscle strength, ROM and blood flow in conjunction with a remedial exercise program.

What's the Longissimus Dorsi and Why do we find muscle spasms there?

The biceps brachii muscle in our pets lies down the front of the forelimb as shown in this video. In the dog the bicep brachii starts just below the shoulder joint at the supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula and proceeds down the front of the forelimb to the radial tuberosity and proximedial ulna which is just before the elbow joint.

This is the muscle that allows our dogs to lift their limb up to go upstairs or over objects on the ground such as cavaletti or roots in the woods. The brachialis is a small muscle but has a huge function in the movement of the forelimbs in both our dogs and horses.

So the Tricep is the main antigravity muscle of the forelimb, this means that its responsible for keeping our pets upright and keeping their forelimb underneath them.

The major muscles of the hindlimbs are: The hamstrings- semimembranosus, semitendinosus, bicep femoris The quadriceps Sartorius Gastrocnemius Gluteals

The glutes are an interesting muscle group as they are quite different in their placement in the dog and the horse.