CC240: Get Out in Front: A Focus on Forelimb Health and Strengthening

Most dogs, with the exception of our three-legged tripawds, have four legs. The two front legs often give the dogs a majestic look when coming down from the chest. And then, of course, the two back legs assist with the stance and posture of the dog, as well as the power. I often think of the forelimbs for their stability and the hindlimbs for their power. This is not always the case, but as we learn more about the forelimbs and their crucial role in the dog’s body, we will delve into that!

The front legs, or the forelimbs, take an extremely important role in the biomechanics of the dog.  Normally, the front legs hold sixty to seventy percent of the dog’s weight while standing. This percentage will increase when the dog is trotting, running and jumping. The health of the forelimb complex is essential for all dogs, and especially so for active dogs.  

The forelimbs are attached to the rest of the body by primarily muscles and ligaments. The muscles and ligaments, or soft tissue, play a significant role in stabilizing the forelimbs. If the muscles are weak, injured, or have increased laxity for whatever reason, there will be more mobility. More mobility will create a need for more stability. This will be an important fact and statement throughout this course. If there is too much mobility, the body will need to stabilize to compensate. More to come on this.  

Here is a crash course in anatomy of the forelimb. This will be important if you need to identify an area for any source of injury, soreness, or discomfort.

            Upper Arm: This bone is called the humerus.  It starts at the shoulder and ends at the elbow. It is similar to our upper arm. 

            Elbow: This is the hinge joint located below the chest. The elbow bends and straightens. The point of the elbow should point straight back to the back legs. 

            Forearm: The long bone that runs below the elbow on the foreleg is called the forearm.  There are two bones in the forearm: the radius and theulna. 

            Wrist or carpus: This is the lower joint below the elbow. It is sometimesreferred to as the pastern especially by horse people.

            Carpals: These are the small bones that comprise the wrist joint. There are three joints that comprise the wrist joint. The carpal bones are important components of the joints.  

            Paw: Dogs have their foot or paw at the end of each leg. Most dogs, except for tripawds, have four feet and four paws!

            Toes: The toes are comprised of little bones and are mobile. They are similar to our fingers and toes. However, our fingers and toes are usually more mobile. 

            Nails or claws: These are part of the last bone of the toes and are located at the end of the toes. 

            Dewclaws: Some dogs do have dewclaws naturally. This would have been the dog’s fifth appendage or thumb. 

            Pads: At the bottom of the foot, there are five main pads, and an accessory carpal pad.  There is one large pad, and a pad under each toe. The accessory carpal pad is located behind the accessory carpal bone. 

These videos demonstrate the way to locate the areas: 

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As we continue with the forelimb, we will need to look at the motion of the forelimb. When we discuss angulation of the shoulders, we will focus on how structure can impact range of motion.

Flexion involves a motion which decreases the angle. Extension involves a motion which increases the angle. For example, reaching out to give a high five involves shoulder and elbow extension. So while we are looking at the motions, think about extension as opening up the joint or the angle, and flexion asclosing it.   The photo below is shoulder extension. 

In the shoulder, we have two main movements of shoulder extension and flexion. Shoulder extension will be reaching out, and flexion will be bringing the shoulder back. There are also four other movements: abduction, adduction, internal rotation, and external rotation. Abduction involves moving the shoulder outward. Too much motion to the side can lead to problems, and we have commonly seen shoulder injuries in agility and working dogs. See the link to some specifics on shoulder injuries.  https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/259/9/javma.259.9.1001.xml

If abduction is beyond thirty degrees, it may be indicative of a shoulder problem. It is important to look at both shoulders and determine if the motion differs from side to side, and if it causes any discomfort. This is a video of a dog with a left forelimb lameness and excessive abduction.  If you look closely, you will also notice a slight clunk or hitch in the passive movement as well. 

Adduction involves the opposite movement and brings the shoulder inward.

External rotation brings the shoulder rotated out, and internal rotation brings the shoulder rotated inward. 

This video demonstrates flexion and extension of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.  " style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">

Signs of a potential injury in the forelimbs:

Lameness – specifically a head bobbing lameness.  When the dog walks and strikes with the forelimb, the head may bob or move up in varying degrees. The dog is doing this to reduce the weight on the forelimb. This video demonstrates a right forelimb lameness.  This dog is walking along the dynamic gait analysis in my clinic." style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">

Short stepping – decreased extension, reach or not bringing one or both of the forelimbs forward will be considered short stepping. The dog is not extending the forelimb completely, and this may be due to pain, weakness, structure or a combination of the three. The dog in this video has a very slight shortened stride on the left side.  Watch it a few times to see if you can pick up on it. " style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">

Muscle weakness or muscle atrophy - if there is a loss of muscle in the shoulder region, we may see more of a bony prominence along the spine of the scapula. We may also notice more of a weakness on one side then the other.

Pain in any part of the forelimb – from the toes up to the neck.  We will discuss this more!

Not placing weight on the limb – this may seem obvious but reluctancy to place weight on the limb may be a musculoskeletal issue, a neurological issue, or other (malignancies, nutritional deficits, etc.)  The photo below demonstrates non-weightbearing on the left front limb.

Shaking when standing – occasionally, when the dog places the limb down on the ground and they are experiencing pain, we may see a shaking or a trembling of the leg.  This may be due to pain, and/or weakness. 

Uneven standing posture – when a dog stands evenly, the forelimbs accept approximately 60 to 70% of the weight on the forelimbs and the remaining 30 to 40% on the hindlimbs.  It is important to learn what is normal for your dog as far as a stance.  I often ask the dog to stand for ten seconds and determine if they can stand evenly.  I look to see if they are shifting their weight or unweighting a limb. Part of our homework will be to look at this on our dogs.  

Excessive biting or licking in one area – dogs cannot tell us if they are experiencing pain, paresthesia, or pins and needles.  They will commonly lick a chew a certain area.  This is not to be confused with skin allergies but will be a small area on the forelimb.  This also may be due to neck pain.  I once worked with a very grumpy Jack Russell terrier I nicknamed Hannibal because he had titanium canine teeth – all four.  He would develop shoulder lameness about once a year and would always begin licking a spot on his mid forelimb.  The lameness was actually related to his neck.  Once we worked on the neck, restored the range of motion on the forelimb, and got his strength back, he was fine.  

We will discuss identifying problems in the forelimb throughout the course, as well as how to prepare your dog for all of the activities your dog participates in! 

Homework:  

• In a video, point out the areas of the forelimb
• In a video, perform shoulder flexion and extension, and elbow flexion and extension
• Ask your dog to stand for up to ten seconds, and speak about what you are seeing with regard to their forelimb and their posture
• Talk about your goals for this class, with your dog and for yourself with regard to the class. 

Coming Soon