Common Dog Injuries and How to Treat and Protect Them

Dog owners can protect their pooches from common injuries by understanding how to prevent them in the first place. While dog owners can't always prevent the common injuries in dogs that are caused by running and jumping, they can take extra steps to protect their dogs from other common dog injuries. This blog explains how to prevent and treat some of the most common dog injuries and why these injuries happen.

Trauma

Traumatic events can lead to a slew of different injuries in dogs. Many times the traumatic event is something like getting hit by a car, but that's not necessarily all there is to it. In fact, much like humans, the traumas may be internal in addition to external. Common symptoms included major bleeding and tearing of internal organs, bone fractures or rupture of ligaments, nerve damage or paralysis, and trauma related to joints.

Other symptoms include head trauma and even skin lesions (in this case we often call them "road rash") due to friction against the animal's skin from another hard surface (like asphalt). Many dogs end up getting into trouble while their owners are away.

If your dog is a bit difficult to handle, you need to keep it on a leash while outdoors and never allow your pet the freedom to roam free. A hand-free dog leash like a UFO dog leash can help if you like to go on jogging. It is easy to use and gives you complete freedom when outside.

Also, make sure that the gate or barricade to your balcony closes so that the dog will not fall accidentally. These precautions may seem excessive but they can help prevent tragedy from happening in case your beloved pet decides to stick its head out of one of those open windows for example. In case of injuries give first aid and then consult your vet.

Eye Injuries

Eye injuries are relatively rare in dogs but it does happen from time to time, and for a variety of reasons. Pets can get hurt in their eyes when plant life whips against them, for example. Their eye can also be injured by getting caught up with the claws of a cat when running around or fighting with another dog.

Eye injuries can be serious business and not just for dogs! Some of them are easily avoidable as well. One important thing to do is to make sure that you're keeping an eye out on how your pup interacts with other animals and plants too. Check him regularly throughout the day to make sure he's not rubbing his eyes in general while he's playing or swimming since this can cause them to become irritated.

Dog Fight Injury

When dogs are involved in a serious fight, it can result in serious injuries for both of them. Dogs bite each other with their teeth causing punctures and lacerations to the underlying soft tissue and skin. In case of deep injuries the body walls, muscles, bones, etc will be affected. Lacerations may have some extensions that reach into important organs or cause significant blood loss.

In case of any above injuries immediately rush to the nearest veterinary clinic. A normal dog also has a lot of bacteria in his mouth and a bite wound can get infected in no time. Also, it takes longer than you think for traumatized tissue to repair itself so wait too long, and wound treatment can be much more complex and may have adverse effects.

Scratches and Cuts

All dogs are active and energetic. One of the main things to keep in mind with owning an active dog is that it's possible your dog could sustain injuries when playing. And sometimes some of these injuries can affect the feet, or paws, of your dog.

There are also times when cuts and scrapes occur from stepping on debris that potentially causes an injury such as barbed wire or unsecured nails which, if done enough times, might lead to infection.

The most popular way for this to become a problem for dogs is that it gets infected and you'll probably know when you're walking them around because there will be a white foamy discharge coming from their wound along with excessive limping and crying.

In case of minor cuts, your dog needs first aid but in severe cases, your pup needs antibiotics to prevent infection. Anti-inflammatory medications are also given in case of swelling and pain.

Mouth Injury

When a dog gets an oral injury, it's usually because something was in his mouth. A dog may have been chewing on sticks or bones that punctured the soft tissue of his tongue or gums. A bone might become lodged around a tooth and cut the gum tissues.

Scrapes and cuts in the mouth can be treated with certain over-the-counter medications but larger cuts and broken teeth will need surgery.

Toenail Injury

Many dogs can experience accidentally catching their toenails on something. This can often be a very painful experience. If a dog catches a toenail on something like a metal cage, it is possible for the nail to rip out of its nail bed entirely.

For some dogs, the long nails may split and break. If this happens, there needs to be an immediate evaluation by a vet to ensure that there isn't any further damage. The dog will need local anesthesia and possibly sedation simply to keep them comfortable during the procedure. Your vet will then use clean trimmers to cut down the nail beyond where it has already broken and trim back your dog's nails as far as possible. Sometimes this requires cutting back to the nail bed.

Antibiotics will also be required to fight off any infections that occur after your dog's surgery and more medications such as pain relievers will help reduce swelling.

Conclusion on Dog Injuries

Dogs are always super excited to go on walks. They love to run so it’s important to keep them safe while they’re out on the town. In this blog, we cover how you can keep your dog safe while they’re on the go. With all of these tips, we hope you’ll be able to keep your dog safe and healthy this summer.