How to Safely Exercise Your Dog During Chemotherapy

Why Activity Still Matters During Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy affects the entirety of your dog’s body, some dogs experience more side effects than others, but generally, chemotherapy treatments for canine patients are designed to help your dog get better efficiently without making too big of an impact on their quality of life. 

It may feel like it makes more sense to keep your dog comfortable and still indoors, but exercise that matches their energy levels can be very beneficial for their treatment process. 

For one, your dog likely doesn’t understand that they are undergoing treatment. Sure, they’ll have the knowledge that they went to the vet’s office, and that they maybe don’t feel totally normal —but they won’t know any of the details of what’s actually going on with their body. They’ll still enjoy the same things that they had fun with before they were getting chemotherapy treatment, so it’s great for their mental health as well as good for their physical health to get some exercise in. 

Getting your dog up and moving will help with their circulation, and that in turn will help cycle the treatment through their bodies. It can also affect the metabolism of cancer cells and create some anti-tumor properties which can help slow the cancer down.¹

Of course, there are some cancers that may not benefit from certain kinds of exercises while undergoing chemotherapy treatments. For example, dogs with osteosarcoma in a leg could develop more pain from going on a walk, whereas a dog with a nasal tumor is unlikely to be negatively impacted from such exercise.  It’s important to discuss with your vet about your specific dog’s needs and how they can benefit from exercise and what options would be best for your pooch.² 

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Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue In Dogs

Giving your dog appropriate exercise for their energy levels is one of the more important aspects of keeping them active during their treatment. Every dog will have a limit of what they’re capable of doing with the energy they have while undergoing chemotherapy treatment. For any patient, you absolutely do not want to push past that limit, and for most, they would benefit from staying comfortably below that energy limit. 

Chemotherapy will affect every dog differently, a majority of dogs feel good during chemotherapy treatments. Many may be slightly “off” for a couple days after therapy but this should not be profound. Any side effects should be reported to your veterinarian so adjustments in medications and therapy can be made to make sure your dog is living the best life they can.⁴

There are many reasons that your dog may be fatigued while going through chemotherapy treatment, and some of those are due to the medications effects on their body. Chemotherapy affects your dog's bone marrow, which is where red and white blood cells are produced, as well as platelets. Lowering red blood cell count can directly lead to lethargy because red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body and oxygen is one of the body’s main fuels. It is rare for chemotherapy to cause anemia which leads to noticeable behavior changes in your pet. White blood cells are responsible for your dog’s immune system—they help the body fight off infections—and a weakened immune system can also create fatigue.^5,6 

It’s important that you are still paying attention to your dog for signs that they may be in distress rather than just experiencing the expected fatigue from the treatment. Talk with your vet about what they think you should look out for as red flags in your dog. 

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Safe, Low-Impact Exercise Ideas for Dogs on Chemotherapy

Keeping your dog’s energy levels in mind for developing their exercise lineup is important. Low-impact exercises can make a big difference in their experience during their treatment, and can keep them moving without having the potential to overstep their capacity as easily as trying to modify their normal exercise activities would.³ 

Short, Modified Focus Walks 

Planning shorter routes for your walks with your dog while they’re going through treatment can be much more beneficial for their health. You won’t overwork them and you can change the focus of the walk from primarily physical to a more mental activity.

Taking your dog on short walks either in a common area that they have been through before and allowing them to sniff around anywhere that piques their fancy, or driving your dog to a new location with a short route planned to allow new smells and mental stimulation for the duration of their walk can make a big difference on their emotional health. The benefit of the sun, outdoor air, and potential for mental stimulation is much more impactful than trying to push them through their healthy-distance walk. 

Gentle Indoor Games 

Some dogs may have trouble with the extremes of the weather, and may not want to go outside and take a short walk, or have a situation that would make walks less beneficial for them. Indoor games and puzzles may be a good way to mentally stimulate them and get their bodies moving in a minimal, non-strenuous way. 

Food puzzles, scent hunts, and games that you can play with them from a seat on a couch or the floor can be enough to get your dog’s blood moving without straining them. 

We’ve got some examples of puzzles and easy fun in our post here for senior dog play. 

Swimming 

Swimming or hydrotherapy may be a way to get your dog moving with some light exercise. However, it’s important to check with your vet if this is something that your dog would benefit from, as it’s not universally helpful. Swimming takes some of the pressure off of your dog’s body to hold themselves up and create movement on their own, but—especially for hydrotherapy—it can be helpful to just offer a gentle push in the right direction. 

Movement-Free Blood-Flow Stimulation

Some dogs may not have the energy to get up and move, they may not have the drive to try and solve a puzzle, or the appetite to work for a food reward. You can still help them gain blood flowing and the benefit of circulation without getting them up and moving. 

You can take some time to groom your dog, gentle brushing can help a lot to get your dog comfortable and ease some of the potential inflammation as well as encourage blood flow. Use a soft bristled brush with a gentle hand to pass over your dog’s body, or if your dog doesn’t like brushing, run your hands through their fur. 

You can also help them by offering warmth through a warm (not hot) washcloth, by gently brushing it over their body as well. Make sure to keep in mind that dogs are built with their own temperature regulation, and tools that are used for human comfort like a heating blanket or pad may produce too much heat for your dog’s body and do more harm than good. 

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Adjust The Activity Based On Your Dog’s Chemotherapy Schedule 

During your dog’s treatment, it may make sense to develop a schedule for when they are exercising and what kinds of exercise they may have the energy for around when they are getting treatment. Many dogs will need some time to recover right after a treatment, and are more likely to take to exercise and activity a few days after their treatment. 

Prioritizing their comfort for the beginning of a treatment cycle and keeping a close eye on how they are taking this round of chemotherapy will be the most positive thing for your pet's recovery. Your vet can help you narrow down when the best window to introduce exercise back into their schedule should be. 

Your dog may also benefit from a more flexible daily schedule of exercise, where rather than having a set “Walk: 7:30am-8:00am” schedule, it may benefit both you and them to lose some of the rigidity of the schedule and allow for decisions to be made based on what your dog seems they are up for. 

Perhaps they don’t have the energy to go on a walk around the block, but maybe they have the strength and interest in being taken to a new place where they can explore the new scents for 10-15 minutes.  Or maybe your pooch doesn’t have the energy to be outside in the extra warm or extra cold weather, and you can have an exciting game of tug of war inside instead. 

For some pet parents, in the actual moment, it may be tricky to identify the signs of certain energy levels. However, the learning curve can be made easier to climb by keeping a journal as the days go on. Something to have reference to, like “X-days since treatment, energy to go for a walk for 5 minutes” or “Slower than normal zoomies at 8pm X-days since treatment.” The journal details can help you collect information and plan for what your dog’s energy levels may look like on any given day and time during their treatment. It won’t always be a perfect expectation, as some rounds of treatment may affect your dog more or less than others, but it will be very helpful to go off. Your vet may even have some use for it in the future. 

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Red Flags When It Comes to Exercise—When To Take A Break And Let Your Dog Rest

First of all, it’s incredibly important for your exercise plan to include a lot of rest and recovery time. There’s more going on inside of their body than outside, and while the exercise helps what’s going on internally, having the time to let the medicine do what it needs to is the important part. If your dog is—for whatever reason—exhausted after play or exercise, that’s a whole new battle for their body to handle while it’s already in the middle of a bigger fight. 

Some signs that you should stop the exercise your dog is doing immediately and take a break to let them rest include: 

• Drooling
• Aggressive behavior or abnormal behavior
• Vocalization
  
  • Barking, growling, whining, etc. can all be signs that your dog is in pain and doesn’t wish to continue. 
• Breathing issues
  
  • Excessive panting, choking, sniffling, etc. 
• Vomiting
  
  • If they are vomiting before or after exercise, or on a regular basis. Especially if they have a lower appetite as well. 
• Refusal to move
  
  • Your dog will communicate their needs in whatever way they can. If they aren’t going to move then they probably shouldn’t, don’t force them. 

If you’re ever in doubt about what your dog is feeling, be sure to contact your vet and let them know what signs you are seeing. Your vet also wants the best for your dog during their treatment, so anytime you are concerned or questioning something they should be a go-to resource for you. There’s nothing wrong with double checking. 

Learn How You Can Help Your Dog Get The Most Efficient Chemotherapy Treatment For Canine Lymphoma With ImpriMed’s Personalized Prediction Profile

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