Just like us humans, dogs can also pull a muscle. Maybe you know it, that your dog just ran happily and wildly with his dog friend and suddenly limps and does not want to put any more weight on his leg? One cause of this may be a strain. It is also extremely painful for our four-legged friends. Since our dogs’ perception of pain is extremely similar to that of humans, it is easy to understand how painful a strain can be for our dogs.
What happens in the case of a strain?
In a strain – also called distension – there is an injury to muscles, tendons or ligaments. This happens due to a jerky contraction, trauma, a sudden overload or a non-physiological stretch. Depending on the region affected, one then speaks of a muscle strain, tendon strain, ligament strain or groin strain.
Possible causes of a strain in a dog
As described at the beginning, a strain can be caused, for example, by an unfortunate movement while playing, jumping or running. Being overweight can also lead to a strain. But also incorrectly executed stretching movements can cause distension in the worst case.
Which areas of the body are particularly affected?
In our dogs, the areas of the hip or thigh are particularly affected.
The signs of a strain in a dog
Dogs often show the following symptoms when they have pulled a muscle:
- Protection of the affected run
- Yelp
- Limp
- Swelling of the affected area
- Changed behavior
In any case, it is a good idea to take your dog to the veterinarian for an appropriate diagnosis. In addition, more serious injuries to the musculoskeletal system should always be ruled out. Your veterinarian will examine your dog appropriately, palpating him and possibly taking an x-ray to rule out a fracture.
What you can do to help your dog with a pulled muscle
If your dog has pulled a muscle, for example, you can give him relief with cooling wraps, such as a quark wrap, to ease his pain and make the swelling in the affected area go down faster.
In any case, you should take it easy on your dog until the injury has really subsided. Wild play, jumps, etc. should be avoided at all costs. If your dog strains too much again too soon, it can cause the symptoms to re-intensify and delay healing.
Only when your dog runs absolutely symptom-free for several days, you should slowly and step by step increase the exercise and walks again. Strain in dog
All the love, Tina
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