Once the rain settles in, the back deck, the wooden steps and the tiled entryway become the three places a Clayton Heights dog is most likely to get hurt. A dog bolts out the back door after a squirrel, the back legs slide out, and they come back in holding one up. Most owners give it a few days.
For some injuries that is exactly right. For one in particular it is the worst thing you can do.
What the slip actually does
A dog accelerating or turning drives hard through the hind legs. On grass the foot grips. On a wet deck or a slick tile the foot keeps going, the leg rotates while the body does not, and the strain lands on the knee.
The knee is the weak point because of how it is built. Unlike a hip, it depends heavily on ligaments for stability, and the cranial cruciate ligament inside it is the single most common source of hind-leg lameness we see in dogs.
One thing is worth understanding here, because it changes what you do next. In most dogs this ligament does not simply snap on an unlucky step. It weakens slowly and quietly over months, and the slip is the moment a ligament that was already failing finally gives way. That is why a dog can do it turning on dry grass in their own yard, and why a sound ligament hit by real force is more likely to pull a chip of bone away than to tear.
Two things follow. Better footing cuts down slips of every kind, which is worth doing, but it is not a guarantee against this particular injury. And because the same slow process tends to affect both sides, a substantial number of dogs go on to do the same thing on the other knee, often within a year or two. The reported figures vary widely between studies, somewhere between a quarter and a half, but it is common enough to plan for rather than be blindsided by.
Cats injure their knees far less often than dogs, and when they do it is usually after a bad fall rather than a slip off a deck. They are also much better at hiding it, which is why any limp in a cat is worth a look.
Not every limp is the same
Three broad patterns, and they behave very differently:
A true sprain or strain. Mild to moderate lameness that improves noticeably within about forty-eight hours of genuine rest. The dog uses the leg, just carefully. These usually do well.
A cruciate injury. Classically a sudden, marked hind-leg lameness after a slip or a turn. The telling pattern is that it seems to improve over a week or two, then comes back, or never quite goes away. Owners often describe a dog who is fine on short walks and lame after long ones, or lame every morning after resting. Partial tears behave exactly like this, which is why they get missed for months.
Something else entirely. A broken nail, a cut pad, a foreign body between the toes, or pain referred from the back. Worth ruling out before assuming a joint.
The thing that makes it worse
The instinct is to keep the dog gently moving so the leg does not stiffen. For a cruciate injury that is counterproductive. An unstable knee that keeps being loaded develops further damage inside the joint, including to the cartilage cushions. Most partial tears go on to become complete ones in time, and hard loading hurries that along, so restricting activity is about protecting the joint rather than about guaranteeing an outcome.
Short leash walks only, no stairs where you can avoid them, no ball, no off-leash running, no jumping in and out of the car. This is boring and it is not optional. If you are not sure which injury you are dealing with, restrict activity as though it were the serious one until you know.
The other thing that makes it worse is giving human pain relief. Common human pain and fever products are harmful to dogs and some are lethal to cats, and they also mask the signs we need to see. Nothing from the cupboard, not once, not a small amount.
When to book
Come in without delay if your dog will not put any weight on the leg at all, if the leg looks misshapen or swollen, if there was a yelp and they have not used it since, or if you can see a wound. Come in within a day or two for a limp that has not clearly improved after forty-eight hours of rest, a limp that keeps coming back, or any limp in a cat.
A limp that waxes and wanes over weeks is not a limp that is resolving. It is usually the signature of something structural, and it is the single most common reason a cruciate injury reaches us late.
What we do
Assessment starts with watching your dog walk, which is why we would rather see them move than have you carry them in. Specific manipulations of the knee tell us a great deal about stability, though a tense or painful dog can mask this, and sedation is sometimes needed to examine the joint properly.
Radiographs show us joint changes, fluid within the joint and anything bony, and they rule out the fractures and other problems that can imitate a soft-tissue injury. Pain relief comes early, and our medical services team will set out a rest plan with you that is realistic for your household.
Where a knee is genuinely unstable, rest alone will not restore it, and we will talk you through the orthopedic and soft tissue surgical options and what recovery actually involves. Many smaller dogs and some partial injuries do well without surgery. The honest answer depends on the dog, their size and how unstable the joint is, and it is a conversation rather than a formula.
Making the surfaces safer
None of this makes a knee injury impossible, for the reason above. What it does cut down is the slips, strains, and torn nails that make up most of what we see through the wet months.
- Outdoor rubber matting or runners on the deck and the top and bottom of the steps, where dogs accelerate and land.
- Rugs on tile and laminate along the route from the back door, which is where the indoor slips happen.
- Keep the hair between the pads trimmed. Long foot hair gets between the pads and the floor, and the pads are where the grip is.
- Keep nails short. Long nails change how the foot contacts the ground and reduce traction.
- Slow the exit. Asking for a sit before the back door opens removes the sprint start that causes most of these.
- Watch the weight. Every extra kilogram goes through the same knee, and it changes both the risk and the recovery.
Our hours
We are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. If your dog is in severe pain, cannot stand, or has an open wound when we are closed, go to an open emergency veterinary hospital rather than waiting for us to open.
Common questions
My dog was limping yesterday and is fine today. Do I still need to come in?
If it was brief and mild and they are genuinely normal, watching is reasonable. If it happens again, book. Intermittent lameness that comes and goes is the pattern we most want to see early.
How long should I rest a sprain before worrying?
About forty-eight hours of real rest. No improvement, or a dog still not bearing weight, means it needs looking at that day. But improvement at forty-eight hours is not an all-clear on its own, because a partial cruciate tear improves early and then comes back. If the limp returns at all, book.
Can I give my dog anything for the pain in the meantime?
No. Nothing from the human cupboard is safe, and it will obscure the examination. We can provide appropriate pain relief the same day.
Do small dogs get cruciate injuries?
Yes, including small breeds, and in small dogs it often coexists with a kneecap that slips out of place. It is not only a big-dog problem.
My cat is limping but still jumping up. Is that reassuring?
Not especially. Cats push through pain and limit themselves in ways that are easy to miss. Any limp in a cat lasting more than a day is worth a visit.
Speak to the team at Avon Animal Hospital
If your dog has slipped and come up lame, rest them properly and book a visit rather than waiting to see whether it settles. The limps that come and go are the ones worth catching early.
Published by the team at Avon Animal Hospital.
This article is educational in nature and is not a replacement for hands-on assessment of your own pet by a veterinarian.
Avon Animal Hospital
19475 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC V3S 6K7 (Clayton Heights)
Phone: (604) 532-7600
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm; Saturday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm; Sunday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm