A classic event, when you put your dog in the car to go for a nice walk. When arriving and opening the boot, the dog leaps out, rushing off from a standing start into a crazy run/gallop. This involves going from cold muscles into a high level of activity with a rush of adrenaline, which is never good for a dog.

A similar situation is when they are having a nice nap on the sofa and rush to greet their owners at the door. This activity repeated day by day could lead to minor back/shoulder and carpus (wrist) injuries. These can cause scarring of the muscle or any minor thorns on it that reduces it’s ability to function properly, putting stress on the joints.

There comes a time when the dog starts a compensatory process trying to find a posture where there is no pain. For long nothing happens then all of a sudden a little lameness after a big run, or after a bad jump they show some pain in a specific area of the body, or simply the relevant part of the body is a bit warmer than normal. This continuous stress may have a major impact on both the muscular and skeletal systems.

And these activities have even more potential in causing harm when the dog is very young and is in their growing stage.

How can we avoid these issues?

Help your dog to get in and out of your car. If you have small dogs, just pick them up. If you have bigger ones, put your hand under /behind their front legs to assist. If you have a huge one using a ramp could be very useful.

At home: Put another level between the floor and your bed, providing another step. Teach your dog to use it in both directions. Make sure there is something on the floor which isn’t slippery, like a carpet, a mat or a cushion.

Jumping out of the car, jumping on and off the bed/sofa/furniture