Take Care on the Stairs!

How many times a day does your dog negotiate stairs? This includes stairs in the house, steps in the garden and their local environment!

Things that rise…

Does your dog follow you everywhere around the house? Do they trail behind you as you ascend the stairs or run past you and wait at the top? Do they sneak upstairs to lie on your bed?

…will eventually fall!

Does your dog run down the stairs every time they hear the rustling of a packet (potential food), the doorbell ringing or a member of the family walking through the door?

Whatever the reason, did you realise that negotiating stairs several times a day is one of your dog’s harmful habits? Therapists of the Canine Massage Guild regularly see and treat dogs with soft tissue injuries which have been caused or aggravated from dogs repetitively using the stairs. Discover why this happens and what you can do to minimise the risk of your dog sustaining an injury.

Let’s look at the biomechanics

Biomechanics refers to how the musculoskeletal system of the dog’s body including muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments, work together to create movement using pulleys and levers. The bones are the levers and the skeletal muscles which attached to bone via tendons are the pulleys that create movement. In a stand, dogs are designed to carry approximately 60% of their body weight in their forelimbs and 40% in their hindlimbs. The hindlimbs are designed for propulsion and the forelimbs are designed for support, shock absorption and direction.

Stairs allow us humans to simply and easily move between levels, but navigating stairs present unique challenges for your dog as they are required to shift their centre of gravity to propel themselves up and control their descent. This puts them at an unnatural angle which in turn places increased pressure on their muscles and joints. In addition, your dog is unable to ‘naturally’ adjust their stride length to achieve the necessary propulsion and control, due to the height of the stair riser and the width of the tread. 

Ascending stairs

When ascending the stairs, your dog’s weight is transferred to the hindlimbs. This causes the joints, especially the stifle (knee) and hip joints to increase flexion (bend). Your dog’s muscles, particularly the hip flexors and hamstrings work harder to stabilise and propel them forwards and up the stairs.

Descending stairs 

Descending the stairs requires a greater amount of control and stabilisation as up to three times your dog’s body weight is placed on their forelimbs, especially when descending the stairs at speed. Unlike the hindlimbs which articulate to the skeleton via the ball and socket joint of the hip (head of the femur and the acetabulum of the pelvis), the forelimbs are not attached skeletally. Instead, the muscles of the shoulders create a ‘thoracic sling’ to attach the forelimbs to the body. This places considerable pressure on the joints of the shoulders, carpals (wrists), elbows and surrounding muscles. This puts your dog at a greater risk of sustaining or developing a musculoskeletal injury or issue when descending the stairs.

Let’s take a closer look at stairs

Stairs come in a variety of materials, styles, shapes and sizes and can be found in a range of private and public spaces. Sometimes stairs can be avoided and other times they are a necessary obstacle. Imagine you are a dog navigating the stairs on all fours, a dog that is suffering with an orthopaedic condition such as luxating patella (slipping kneecap), a dog that has no choice but to navigate two flights of stairs several times a day, with slippery flooring and a 180-degree bend in the middle. How would this impact your life?

Dogs at higher risk

Navigating stairs can be very problematic for dogs with a variety of musculoskeletal issues.

• Size – smaller breeds such as Chihuahuas or Terriers will struggle to negotiate stairs due to the height of the stair riser whereas larger breeds such as Great Danes or German Shepherds will struggle due to the width of the treads.

• Length of back - breeds that have extra-long backs including Dachshunds, Corgis and Bassett Hounds find it difficult to balance on stairs, increasing their risk of slips, falls and injuries. They are also prone to developing spinal issues such as Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD). Just the slightest jolt to their spine when navigating the stairs can cause pain.

• Orthopaedic issues - dogs with orthopaedic conditions (such as hip dysplasia, luxating patella or arthritis) may find the greater range of motion required to ascend stairs difficult and painful.

• Soft tissue injuries – navigating the stairs with a pre-existing muscular injury, or poor muscle strength can be painful and cause more damage.

• Poor muscular strength – muscle atrophy (wastage) or weakness makes it considerably harder and uncomfortable for your dog to navigate the stairs.

• Senior dogs – will have a range of issues with their balance, coordination, strength, and movement. This puts them at a much higher risk of sustaining serious falls or injuries.

 Preventative measures

As humans we can adapt our environment and install mobility aids such as stair lifts, grab rails or wheelchair lifts to help us negotiate the stairs. Therapists of the Canine Massage Guild regularly suggest the following preventative measures to clients and members of the public to support their dog and to help prevent injury. 

• Reduce - reduce the repetitive use of stairs to once or twice a day or install a stair gate.

• Surface – carpet will provide considerably more traction for your dog than slippery wooden or tiled stairs. Consider using non-slip stair treads or carpet runners to provide good grip.

• Train – it is inevitable that your dog will encounter stairs throughout their lives. Teaching them to negotiate stairs slowly, safely and carefully will help prevent injury.

• Assist - smaller dogs can be carried up and down the stairs. If you have a larger dog or a dog that does not like to be carried, use a well fitted harness to support their weight. Install ramps, with a non-slip surface on sets of steps (inside and outside the house). This creates a shallower incline where your dog can adjust their stride length.

• Lighting – stairs which are built in can be very dark and narrow. Ensuring the stairs are well lit will help your dog see where they are going. This also applies to dogs with deteriorating eyesight.

• Hazards – keep the top, bottom and treads of your stairs free of clutter as this will allow your dog to move more freely.

• Paws – ensuring that your dog has regular nail trims and hair trims between the paws will help them gain purchase.  

• No stairs - Dogs with orthopaedic and muscular issues should be discouraged from using the stairs as it will aggravate their condition. Instead consider how you can spend more time downstairs, so your dog does not feel isolated from the family.

So next time your dog uses the stairs take a moment to think about the impact that it is having on your dog’s musculoskeletal system and the preventative measures that you could put into place to minimise the risk of injury.

Author - Jessica Barton Owner of Forest Canine Massage

Case Study - Buddy- the puppy who got his puppyhood back

Buddy is a 2-year-old Cavachon (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel X Bichon Frise) puppy who lives with his owner Emma in Glasgow. Buddy and his owner are a very active pair who enjoy hill walking and trips to the seaside.  Whilst out on a walk in a local park, Buddy received a high impact knock to his side from another dog when playing.  He immediately stopped and started to yelp and was limping on his left hind leg.  Buddy was put on pain relief and rest by his vet, but his symptoms waxed and waned for almost a month.  The symptoms included intermittent lameness, hopping and general malaise. 

Upon further investigations, Buddy was diagnosed with Luxating Patella.  At one point, Buddy was in so much pain that his owner walked him in a pram to try to prevent further injury.

Luxating Patella occurs when the kneecap (Patella) comes out of the femoral groove.  This condition is less common in larger breeds and more prevalent in smaller breed dogs.  Symptoms can include intermittent lameness and hopping.  On some occasions the limb will lock at a strange angle temporarily, then return to normal.

Buddy’s owner Emma had been researching Luxating Patella and found that massage could be beneficial for the condition.  Emma got in touch with me and I invited them to an event where I gave Buddy a free muscular health check and also a Veterinary consent form for their vet to complete.

Buddy’s initial treatment began with a consultation, where Emma and I discussed his medical history, activities of daily living, diet and any concerns she had about his progress.  I then proceeded to palpate Buddy’s muscles and quickly discovered that he had quite severe Myofascial pain and associated fasciculations and local twitch responses, particularly in the thoracic lumbar region of his back.  It was also evident that his affected knee joint was inflamed and very hot to the touch.  Upon undertaking a gait analysis his spine appeared roached and hind leg movement was stiff, he was hopping and his knee was locking intermittently.

Unfortunately for Buddy, he lives in the top floor of a Glasgow tenement building so has to climb 3 flights of stairs to get into his flat.  Another problem for Buddy was that the entire flat had laminate flooring.  I explained to Buddy’s owner that stairs and laminate flooring can pose a conundrum for dogs and can exacerbate issues such as Luxating Patella.  I advised Emma to carry Buddy up and down the stairs and to put non-slip rugs down on the floors to avoid Buddy slipping.

During his first treatment, Buddy was a little unsure as to what was happening

and was clearly sore, but was more comfortable towards the end of the session.  I advised Emma to apply ice therapy to his inflamed knee.  At the second session, Buddy’s Myofascial pain had reduced as well as the inflammation in the knee joint.  His owner commented that he appeared happier in himself.  I advised to continue with icing his knee and carrying him up and down the 3 flights of stairs.   By the third session, I could see that Buddy’s Myofascial pain had significantly reduced and his posture was showing great improvement.  His owner commented that he was walking better, locking of the knee had reduced and he was a different dog.  During his treatments I used The Lenton Method™ which aids with releasing painful fascia and bound muscles, whilst encouraging proper movement and ultimately relieving pain. 

After his three sessions Buddy’s demeanour improved which is possibly due to the fact that his pain levels had reduced.  His back was not roached and the inflammation in his knee joint had dissipated.  It was advised that it may be beneficial to Buddy that he continues with maintenance massages to keep on top of his pain levels. 

A year later and Buddy receives a monthly maintenance massage to control his pain levels. His owner Emma has also had the flat fully carpeted to help him gain better purchase when manoeuvring around the flat. Buddy watches for me at his window and is excited to see me, and sad to see me leave.  He appears to really enjoy his treatments and comes over to lie down with me to get started.  His owner commented “Jude is very calm and soothing with your dog.  A genuine person who has the expertise and commitment to help your dog get better after injury.  Jude doesn’t rush and takes care to ensure your dog feels comfortable.  Her knowledge is very good and she will happily take the time to explain what’s going on and why.  I am very happy with how Buddy has responded to his treatments.”

Buddy is now back to doing the things he loves with his owner, hill walking and visits to the seaside.  Buddy’s owner now knows the signs to look out for and also carries Buddy in a dog backpack if she feels the walks are too much for him.

I have really enjoyed being part of Buddy’s journey back to health.  Seeing how dogs can improve and come on leaps and bounds with Clinical Canine Massage therapy is what I enjoy seeing the most.

Author - Jude Anderson Owner of Perfect Stride Clinical Canine Massage