Dog with a limp

The dog's joints are put to a severe test, without always warming up beforehand. Two types of accident are unfortunately common: osteochondritis dissecans and cruciate ligament rupture.

Osteochondritis dissecans usually occurs in large, young dogs. It is caused by the rupture of a small piece of articular cartilage following an impact (landing after a jump). This small piece of cartilage will persist in the joint, resulting in a limp. To prevent this kind of accident, large-breed dogs should not be allowed to jump over jumps until they are 2 years old.

Cruciate ligament rupture affects all breeds and all ages. It's caused by the rupture of one of the knee ligaments, following a torsion of the knee: for example, the dog twists its leg when walking in a hole made by a field mouse. This kind of accident can happen at any time, but more often at the very start of exercise, when the dog is not yet warmed up, or at the end of the day, when the dog is tired and his muscle tone and reactions are weaker. You should therefore ensure that the dog warms up progressively before making intense efforts. After a sustained effort, we monitor his reactions and if he shows signs of fatigue, we stop running him, especially on uneven ground.