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How to Treat Dog Paw Knuckling
What is proprioception? How does it affect my pet? What can be done to help my pet? Why does my dog struggle with paw placement? These are common questions I used to hear from my Rehabilitation clients. Let’s dive right in and understand what this term means and how we can help.
What is Proprioception?
Proprioception is the awareness of the position and movement of the body. Dogs diagnosed with proprioceptive or CP deficits have abnormal body positions or movement due to a lack of ordinary perception.
In many cases, dogs with CP deficits experience paw knuckling or dragging while walking. Knuckling occurs when your pet stands on the top of the paw, instead of normal paw positioning and has no idea that his paw isn’t in a correct position. Paw knuckling is a sign of a neurological disease.
Conditions that Affect Proprioception
Dogs with proprioceptive issues struggle to place their paw the way they should. This could mean walking on the tops of their paws or dragging their feet and toes. A dog's paw knuckles under typically when there is pressure in the spinal cord or spinal nerve damage; here are a few of the most common causes of knuckling in dogs:
Causes of Paw Knuckling
Paw knuckling can impact dogs of any size or breed, and the underlying cause can range from a minor paw injury to a neurological condition; here are a few of the most common causes of knuckling:
- Cervical Vertebral Instability (CVI) or Wobbler's Syndrome
- Cervical Disc Disease
- FCE
- IVDD (affecting the rear paws)
- Neurological Disorders causing paw knuckling
If your pet is recovering from spinal surgery or injury, you’ve likely been told your pet needs to improve its proprioception. Physical Rehabilitation along with the No-Knuckling Training Sock can play a crucial role in your pet's recovery process.
Rehab Therapy for Paw Placement
If Physical Rehabilitation is prescribed for your pet, your rehab professional will design an exercise program based on your pet’s individual needs. There are many rehab techniques to help your pet reach their goals.
Your pet will be guided through exercises designed to improve paw placement and increase its overall strength. Strength training is vital, as most pets with proprioception deficits in the rear also suffer from hind end weakness. Your rehab professional can also help teach you additional exercises for at-home training.
Common Proprioception Exercises
- Cavaletti Poles: Commonly used in a rehab setting. This is when your pet steps over poles to make them think about paw placement.
- Underwater treadmill sessions with “patterning” or the use of the No-Knuckling Training Sock are effective in helping your pet build strength and proprioception. Enhance hydrotherapy sessions by introducing the No-Knuckling Training Sock to encourage your dog to lift their leg as they walk.
- “Patterning” is when the therapist moves your pet’s legs for them to help retrain a normal gait.
Proprioception Solutions
According to Dr. Sarah Wooten, DVM, CVJ, a "veterinarian may recommend a training sock as part of the rehabilitation process, which is designed to enhance proprioception and encourage the pet to pick their foot up and place it correctly.
For dogs who knuckle when they walk, the No-Knuckling Training Sock for rear or front legs can help to correct your dog's gait. This training tool helps to improve your pet's paw placement by encouraging your dog to lift its paw off the ground. After watching several of my patients struggle to lift their legs due to hind end weakness, I created the sock.
The training sock is lightweight and simple to use. The sock's straps wrap above and below the joint to provide additional joint support.
- Wrap the No-Knuckling Training Sock around your pet's leg and secure with touch fastener straps.
- Place the elastic cord between your pet’s center toes.
- Pull slowly at top of cord to tighten.
- Check your dog's reaction. If at first your dog isn't lifting their paw, gradually tighten the cord to increase the cord tension.
How the No-Knuckling Training Sock Works
The elastic cord stimulates the nerves in your pet's paw, triggering a withdrawal or flexor reflex, causing the pet to pick up the leg. The hip, knee, and hock will flex (bend) with the help of the sciatic nerve when this withdrawal reflex is engaged—slowly retraining the pet to pick up its affected foot while walking.
The No-Knuckling Training Sock can be used on walks at home by pet owners and only needs to be worn for two to five minutes at the beginning of every walk or as directed by your Physical Rehabilitation professional. Incorporate the NKTS into your pet's rehab sessions to enhance their training. Training Socks are available for both the front or back paws to help any pet dealing with knuckling.
Many exercises and techniques in human medicine have been incorporated into Veterinary Rehabilitation, and now human medical advancements are being used to help our pets. With the combination of rehab and the proper tools, your dog's proprioception abnormalities can be improved.
