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Guide

Movement: a used body lasts longer

Walk, hunt or thermoregulate — it changes with the animal.

1. AAHA asks for daily exercise by age, breed and temperament. No official 30–60 minutes for all.

   Ask for a movement plan that fits.

   guide AAHA checklist · AAHA toolkit

   Where: Ask at the clinic.

2. Daily walking was associated with less lameness in dogs with hip dysplasia. Weight control delays OA.

   Walk; do not wait until it “cannot climb.”

   guide AAHA nonpharmacologic

   Where: At home and outside.

3. The cat’s third environmental pillar is play and predatory behavior.

   Hunt-play today with a wand.

   guide AAFP/ISFM 2013 · paper · Ellis et al., JFMS

   Where: At home.

4. A rabbit home should ideally allow three hops each way. Wire floors hurt.

   Give space and a solid floor.

   guide AEMV rabbit

   Where: Ask at the clinic.

5. Reptile movement includes being able to thermoregulate. UVB does not go through glass.

   Check the thermal gradient; skip the hot rock.

   reviewed fact Merck reptiles

   Where: Ask at the clinic.

Nutraceutical evidence is low except omega-3 in dogs (AAHA 2022). We do not build a supplement shelf.