Ankle Sprain for Dogs

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Your dog stands on its toes, its ankles in the air, and knees thrust forward. Doing this all through the day is not an easy task. Immense stress and weight is put on the dog's joints and muscles. Ankle flexibility is essential to chase cats and scratch behind its ears. The ankle also helps it to playfully wrestle with other dogs and jump on to your bed. The joint also plays an important role when it leaps to get toys. The problem starts when your dog overdoes it, resulting in putting excess pressure on its front legs and also on its back legs. The ankles, as a consequence, are put other strain. It may break if sufficiently bad conditions exist.

CCL a serious cause

Do understand that sprains and strains are not the same. A dog suffers sprain when the ligaments connecting the bones get harmed. The result is joint damage. An injury can happen in hunting dogs who jump many hurdles. An average canine can suffer a sprain while jumping down from the sofa. It could also suffer strains when it mistakenly steps into a hole. Dogs commonly sprain themselves in the knees and the wrists. A severe injury in this list is the tearing of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). This ligament connects the knee bones.

You will know your dog has suffered a strain when it begins to limp. The canine could also suddenly become lame, meaning it cannot use its leg. If such a condition continues for more than one day, then you should take the dog to the veterinarian.

Behavioral changes

Strains can be either acute or sudden or chronic or ongoing. It can range from the mild to the severe. The veterinarian will figure out a course of treatment depending on the injury suffered by the dog. The medical professional will write a prescription depending on what you inform and the result of the various tests which the dog has done. You must explain to the veterinarian as to how your dog acts differently when you compare present-day behavior with what it used to do in the past. In case you saw the injury happen in front of your eyes, the veterinarian will ask what your dog was doing at the time of injury. You will also be asked questions on what the dog is not doing from the time it was injured. Is it not keen to walk in the park? Or have stopped eating? The veterinarian will examine the dog's joints and muscles. The canine will be first given a thorough visual examination and be touched on some points to see if they were out of place, swollen, or warm.