Have you ever stayed up late at night wondering to yourself, “What is the most common cause of broken bones in dogs?” No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. Veterinary Pet Insurance, one of the largest providers of pet insurance in the country, reviewed 5000 claims from 2008 and summarized the most common causes as follows:
10. Car accidents. The truth is, most people don’t securely restrain their animals while driving, and even accidents at low speeds can turn a pet into a projectile.
9. Getting stepped on. This is so common, especially with the little guys!
8. Running into object. The half-blind Lhasa Apso I had growing up had a series of unfortunate collisions with the sliding glass door until we figured out a better system for her.
7. Caught in or between objects.
6. Hit or struck with object. I suppose this includes both intentional and unintentional strikes…
5. Running and slipping.
4. Fight with other pet/animal.
These seven account for about 20% of the claims. The following two make up another 40%:
3. Falling
2. Jumping (these are pretty similar-the only difference is intent.)
And coming in at a solid number one, accounting for 40% of the claims:
1. Hit by car.
Regardless of the cause, once a dog has a fractured bone you are probably looking at a pretty pricey fix. Some situations you can control, others, not so much. One client of ours had a little puppy break both arms in two separate incidents, both while she was at work and her five kids were alone with the dog. Had she chosen a sturdy labrador instead of a teeny teacup chihuahua, things might have gone differently for the little pup, who eventually was adopted out.