Dog Injury Prevention

It is sometimes impossible to avoid a dog injury but there are measures you can take to reduce the risk at home and on outings. A vigilant owner can do many things to avoid things like chemical ingestion, acl/knee injuries, paw or pad injuries and more.

Avoiding Injuries at Home

This process begins by taking note of what is in your house and considering how your dog may be hurt. Just as your would child-proof a home for a curious toddler, so you should also take the same precautions for your dog.

  • Remove any access to household chemicals - Store chemicals or liquids that could be hazardous to both humans at pets in a cabinet outfitted with a child lock or out of reach.
  • Install steps or ramps - If you have an older dog or one with joint or hip issues ramps placed around the house can help prevent knee and other injuries and make it easier for your dog to access their favorite spots. Ramps are also suggested for use when getting your dog in and out of the car.
  • Look for possible choking hazards - Just a infants mouth objects to learn about the world around them, so do puppies and some adult dogs. Inspect your dog's toys for any choking hazards and look around the house closely for any objects of interest that your dog may chew on and remove them.

Avoiding Injuries in the Yard

Many objects in your backyard may seem like simple decorative landscape features but can pose a hazard to your pet. Following are things you should look for in your yard and remove immediately if your dog has access to an area with these hazards.

  • Metal landscape edging - Torn pads and muscles are common injuries resulting from metal landscape edging. Remove any edging made of metal and replace with a more pet-friendly plastic edging.
  • Lava Rock/Landscape Rock - Porous or thick rocks can cause loss of padding on a dogs feet. If you dog is typically left outside to run on these hard surfaces it may increase their likely hood of pad injuries. Replace any lava or sharp landscape rocks with gravel or mulch.
  • Inspect fencing - Make sure there are no loose planks or links and repair or replace them to avoid injury from attempted escapes.

Avoiding Injuries on Outings

Taking your dog on daily walks or outings to the dog park should be part of your routine but there are injuries that can be prevented with simple measures.

Cover your dog's paws in cold weather - Extreme cold can damage a dog's sensitive padding and paw covers are a good way to reduce the risk of injury. Leash your pet on walks - By keeping your dog on a non-retractable leash you are helping to prevent ingestion of harmful chemicals or foreign substances. The best long-term strategy is to keep your healthy is to maintain his weight by proper feeding and exercise and with regular visits to the veterinarian for vaccines and well care.

 

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