Since pets can’t talk, dealing with dog injuries from running can be challenging. Whenever they exhibit unusual behavior, it’s normal to scramble, wondering whether their issue is severe or not. Especially when early injury diagnosis is vital to providing them with the best treatment.
Thankfully, knowing the most common injuries canines get from running helps you understand what your pet can’t say in words. Among these typical running injuries are dog shoulder injuries. We’ll explore the types of shoulder injuries pets may get from running, what warrants a dog shoulder injury diagnosis, and how to treat them properly.
What is a dog shoulder injury?
If you notice your pet limping on its front leg, it may indicate a shoulder injury caused by a traumatic accident or an underlying health condition. While any dog can experience lameness in their front legs, this issue is most common among large dog breeds like Labradors and Collies.
The symptoms to watch out for if you think your dog has hurt its shoulders are lameness and limping. Depending on the severity and leading cause of your dog’s shoulder injury, both symptoms may manifest suddenly or slowly over time. Dog shoulder injuries range from mild dislocations to severe tendon injuries.
For your pet to fully recover, early detection is critical. Knowing whether your dog has hurt its shoulder straightaway gives your pup an advantage in its recovery process.
Diagnosing Dog Shoulder Injury
To make a proper dog shoulder injury diagnosis, veterinarians conduct clinical examinations like X-rays, Computed Tomography (CT), and physical tests.
Before these, your vet will conduct a physical checkup to test the range of motion of your pet’s joint through palpation tests. If the veterinarian observes that both of your canine’s shoulders are not symmetrical or if they feel like a bone is out of place, they’ll perform imaging tests to look for joint damage or fractures.
Depending on your dog’s condition, the veterinarian may recommend undergoing further CT scans to analyze the affected area in more detail. This examination helps your veterinarian look for degenerated tissue that’s harder to see in basic X-ray tests.
Different Dog Shoulder Injuries You Must Know About
There are two common dog shoulder injuries you need to be aware of.
Shoulder Luxation
The luxation of the shoulder, or dog shoulder dislocation, is one of the most common dog injuries from running. This injury occurs when the upper bone of your pup’s front leg leaves its normal position and moves towards its shoulder blade. Depending on the case, your dog’s dislocation could be subluxated (partially) or luxated (entirely).
There are two reasons why some dogs dislocate their shoulders: severe trauma and congenital disease. When your pet falls or gets into an accident, its joint capsule tears and becomes damaged, affecting the muscles and tendons that support and stabilize its joints. On the other hand, some puppies are born with malformed and unstable shoulders.
Shoulder Instability
Veterinarians describe shoulder instability in dogs as a wide range of soft tissue injuries to the shoulder’s ligaments, tendons, and muscles. If your dog suffers from this, you’ll notice a change in its gait. This condition affects all sizes and breeds of dogs, but it’s especially prevalent among agile dogs.
Vets have yet to determine whether the cause of shoulder instability is purely traumatic or is a result of the degeneration of the tissues. However, the condition is observed chiefly among middle-aged canines.
While this issue typically affects one shoulder, a small percentage of dogs may experience this in both shoulders. Your local veterinarian may recommend orthopedic and neurologic examinations if they think your dog has shoulder instability.
How to treat a dog shoulder injury
Now that we’ve explored the two common dog shoulder injuries, we’ll explore the proper treatment required for shoulder luxation and instability.
Treatment options for shoulder luxation
The severity of your dog’s situation determines the kind of treatment they need. For instance, if your pet dislocated its shoulder due to a traumatic accident, the vet will administer general anesthesia and attempt to pop it back into place through a closed reduction procedure.
If the shoulder joint doesn’t move, your vet will place it on a bandage sling or splint for a certain period. The length of this treatment depends on whether the dislocation took place inside or outside the shoulder joint. The vet will recommend surgical intervention if both remedies don’t work and your pup’s shoulder becomes dislocated again.
After the procedure, it’s best to restrict their activity and maximize rest for about two weeks. Your vet may prescribe pain medication and physical therapy to aid recovery during this period.
Treatment options for shoulder instability
The treatment for lower-grade shoulder instability injuries typically entails non-surgical treatments like anti-inflammatory medication, exercise modification, and physical therapy. Conversely, high-grade injuries may require prosthetic stabilization, shoulder fusion, or total shoulder replacement.
Prosthetic stabilization is a surgical technique modeled on human methods for managing rotator cuff tears. On the other hand, shoulder fusion involves surgeons joining the bones forming a dog’s joint together, eliminating room for movement. Lastly, total shoulder replacement is a new treatment wherein veterinarians replace the patient’s shoulder joints with implants.
Ensuring Your Dog’s Shoulder Health
Our canine companions rely on us to live their best lives. For this reason, immediately diagnosing a dog’s shoulder injury early is crucial so you can get them the best treatment possible. To ensure that you don’t overlook any underlying health issues, we recommend regularly taking your pup to your veterinarian for annual checkups. If you want to learn more about how you can keep your dog happy and healthy, visit our blog here.
