ABSTRACT: Competitive Obedience is a sport enjoyed by handlers and dogs alike. The competitive Obedience dog is an elite canine athlete, and as such is exposed to additional stresses and strains over and above those experienced by the average pet dog. Owners of competition dogs have high expectations from their veterinary practice in terms of the treatment and prevention of sport-related injuries, and this demand for highly-specialised care has led to the development of canine sports medicine.

Author

Nicola Hopkins BSc(Hons) CertEd V1 D32/33 RVN

Nicola started working for the PDSA in 1996, qualified in 1999, and went on to become a Head Nurse in 2002. In 2003 she moved into education, and combines teaching animal- care students with working for Vets Now. She is currently developing a veterinary nursing degree for delivery at Carmarthenshire College. Nicola and her German Shepherd Dog, Echo were part of the Welsh Inter-regional Obedience team at Crufts in 2015.

Keywords: Clinical, Care, Obedience

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 30 (06) • June 2015 • pp172-175

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