Injuries Aren't an Accident

Hi friends,

I have this conversation a lot these days: Somebody's dog got hurt. Somebody's shoulder gave out or they end up with a back injury. And the explanation is almost always the same:

"It just happened." "He jumped funny." "I stepped wrong." "It was an accident."

I used to think that too. After nearly 40 years of watching bodies — canine and human — I don't anymore.

Yes, accidents happen. A dog can genuinely land wrong. But in my experience, most injuries aren't random at all. They're the moment a body that was already struggling and deteriorating finally breaks down. The jump or the step wasn't the cause — it was just the last straw.

So let's actually look at why injuries happen, because once you see the pattern, you can't unsee it. And more importantly, you can start preventing it.

The body is built, not born strong forever

Think of your dog's body, or your own, the way you'd think about a house built to survive a storm. It needs the right building blocks and materials: minerals, proteins, fats, omega-3s, vitamins, and other compounds.

Quality building blocks in sufficient amounts make stronger, more resilient tissue, the same way top-quality lumber, bricks, and roof tiles — and proper framing — make a house that holds up in a hurricane or a snowstorm.

Here's the problem: our food supply doesn't carry what it used to. Soil depletion is real, and it means the raw materials going into the body are often falling short before either of you ever takes a single step.

Processed foods only compound the problem. Wrong or insufficient diet is one of the primary reasons tissue gets injured — it simply isn't strong enough to begin with. This is why I supplement four core nutrient groups: minerals, amino acids, omega oils, and probiotics, along with vitamins. Without those building blocks, repair can't happen properly no matter how careful you are.

It often starts before a puppy is even grown

Here's something I want every puppy owner to hear early, because by the time most people learn it, the damage is already done. A huge amount of the musculoskeletal weakness I see later in a dog's life traces straight back to puppyhood nutrition.

Growing joints and connective tissue need real, high-quality building blocks, not processed, high-carbohydrate kibble built around cheap fillers.

In my clinical experience, I've seen something that still strikes me every time: the dogs who go on to develop hip dysplasia are, almost without exception, dogs raised on processed food.

I have genuinely yet to see that same genetic predisposition fully express itself in a dog raised from puppyhood on a fresh, species-appropriate raw diet. The genetics may be there, but whether they actually switch on seems to depend heavily on what's going into that growing body. This phenomenon is called an epigenetic factor.

This also lines up with something conventional veterinary medicine already accepts: uncontrolled, rapid growth in large-breed puppies — often driven by energy-dense, high-carbohydrate diets — is a well-documented risk factor for developmental joint disease.

I'd take it a step further: it's not only growth rate that matters. It's the quality of the raw material those growing joints and connective tissue are built from. Feed a puppy well from the very beginning, and you're not just avoiding a problem down the road. You're building the foundation that everything else in this article depends on.

When toxins quietly take over

The second reason injuries happen surprises most people: toxin buildup.

Toxins drive inflammation, and inflammation damages tissue. Arthritis (joint inflammation) is one of the clearest examples of this — an inflammatory response that's often rooted in toxicity, whether from a poor diet, preservatives, chemicals, or metabolic imbalance.

When a dog has sore joints, almost nobody thinks "toxicity." But detoxing is genuinely one of the best tools we have for reducing inflammation. Inflamed, congested joints and muscles are simply more prone to getting injured in the first place.

The weak link always pays the price

This is the piece almost nobody understands, and I think it's the most important one: when one muscle group weakens, another group takes over and gets overworked doing it.

Picture a family where one person stops pulling their weight. Someone else ends up carrying the load, and eventually they burn out. Muscles work exactly the same way. It's why, when a dog injures one leg, the other leg often gets injured shortly after — because it's been quietly overcompensating.

Another nice analogy is a plane flying on two engines. If one engine fails, the other engine is under far more stress and strain, and is more likely to fail too.

It's important to mention that the body's core strength is at the center of an enormous number of injuries, in dogs and in people. Knee and tendon problems often trace back to the feet. Neck, shoulder, and arm pain often start with a weak neck. I could give you a dozen more examples, but the lesson is always the same: weak muscles push the workload onto other muscles and joints, and that's where the injury shows up.

I've felt this myself. When my lower back gets sore, I now understand that strengthening my core and hip abductor and adductor muscles with resistance bands makes the back discomfort disappear.

That's not a coincidence. It's the whole point.

This is also why I'll never tell you that chiropractic care, acupuncture, or physical therapy alone is enough. Those therapies matter very much — but if you skip the strengthening, the underlying weakness keeps progressing, and the condition keeps coming back.

Balance protects what repetition breaks

The right exercise prevents injury, but as we all know, it can also be overdone. Dogs who do the same repetitive motion over and over, whether it's fetching a ball, chasing a frisbee, or endless swimming, tend to build one-sided strength and one-sided weakness at the same time. The overused muscles get stronger. The neglected ones get weaker. Eventually, they both end up injured.

I like seeing dogs do a genuine mix — hiking, walking, swimming, playing, and resting. Not the same drill, every single day. Also, two walks around the block are not enough. Anyone adopting a dog should understand they need, ideally, at least two hours of walking a day. It's good for our families, and it's good for dogs.

And to be clear: I'm not denying that some breeds and body types carry a higher risk for certain injuries, like cruciate tears, back pain, or hip dysplasia. But that doesn't change the bigger picture — most injuries, in most dogs, are preventable once you understand what's really driving them.

The hormone piece almost nobody talks about

Here's one more layer that's often missed entirely: hormonal balance.

Spay and neuter surgery has now been identified as one of the major contributors to musculoskeletal injury and chronic disease. The elevation in luteinizing hormone that follows sterilization triggers an inflammatory response in tissue, and the loss of testosterone and estrogen adds further problems on top of that.

The data backs up what I've seen clinically for years: spayed and neutered dogs have higher rates of cruciate ligament tears, and that risk climbs even further when sterilization happens early. This applies at any age, in either sex — sterilized dogs are simply more prone to musculoskeletal injury and inflammation. The risk increases in larger dogs.

If you're making this decision for a young dog, I'd strongly encourage looking into hormone-sparing sterilization instead of conventional spay or neuter. And if your dog is already neutered or spayed, hormone replacement therapy is a genuinely important part of both prevention and treatment. You can find more on this at hormonehealthfordogs.org.

What I actually do when a dog gets hurt

If your dog does get injured, here's the order I work through:

Get a proper assessment. See a veterinarian and find out exactly what's going on — and I don't just mean checking for fractures. Connective tissue injuries, joint problems, and muscle sprains all need a real diagnosis before you decide on treatment.

Start with FAB4 nutrient building blocks. Nutrition comes first, because tissue can't repair itself without the raw materials to do it with.

Detox. Making sure inflammation isn't being driven by toxicity is a step people skip far too often.

Bring in the right therapies. Acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical therapy, and massage all genuinely help. I'm also a big believer in laser therapy — in my experience, and based on research, laser stimulates stem cell activity, decreases pain, and speeds up healing significantly.

Choose anti-inflammatories carefully. This is where I'll ask you to pause before reaching for the easy answer. I don't like using NSAIDs for pain and inflammation, as they commonly cause stomach upset, liver and kidney disease, and they also block the very healing and inflammatory responses your dog's body needs to repair itself. My preference is higher doses of omega-3 fatty acids alongside a properly formulated joint support. I created JointPowder — a 13-ingredient, fermented joint formula — specifically to reduce inflammation while also supplying the building blocks tissue needs to heal. I use JointButter H+, the human version, for the same reason, myself.

Never use corticosteroids in any form — injections or pills. I've seen too many people end up here, and I want to be direct about it: cortisone drugs reduce inflammation quickly, but they disrupt your dog's hormonal system and suppress tissue healing and immune defenses. I know several dogs and people who developed far more serious problems after relying on them. If you want to avoid chronic disease, organ failure, or cancer down the road, corticosteroids are not the answer for musculoskeletal injuries, no matter how many practitioners still recommend them.

It's like taking a sleeping pill at the scene of a fire — it quiets things down while the real problem keeps burning.

The one thing that makes everything else work

Here's what I want you to remember above all else: strengthening and rehabilitation are the most important part of recovery, in the long run.

You can do everything else right — the nutrition, the detox, the acupuncture, the laser therapy — but if you skip the strengthening, none of it holds. A body that stays weak gets weaker. Weak tissue gets injured again. And the cycle repeats.

This is the vicious cycle that leads to losing our dogs prematurely — and also humans who fall, fracture, get injured, and never recover.

Even during the recovery period, gentle, consistent movement matters, and working with someone who understands rehabilitation makes a real difference. But strengthening is the foundation everything else stands on.

I get really frustrated when I hear that people are told to do absolutely nothing for three months or so, especially at an advanced age. I'm not exaggerating when I say that, in most situations, this is a recipe for disaster — unless the trauma is very severe.

People also often rely on surgery, thinking that their body is like a car where parts can be exchanged and everything would be okay — but this is not the case. If ever possible, surgery should be avoided and used only as a last resort.

Most injuries aren't bad luck. They're the outcome of a body that didn't have what it needed: the right nutrition, a clean internal environment, balanced muscles, hormonal support, or simply enough strength to carry its own load.

The good news is that every one of those things is something you can actually do something about, starting today.

What the research is starting to confirm

I've watched these patterns for nearly 40 years before I ever saw a study that named them. Lately, the research has been catching up.

On weak tissue and nutrition: The nutrient decline in our food supply isn't a theory — it's measured. A landmark analysis of USDA data on 43 garden crops found reliable declines in protein, calcium, iron, and other nutrients between 1950 and 1999, and more recent research published in Nature shows rising atmospheric CO2 is actively lowering the zinc and iron content of staple crops today, not just in the past. That matters for tissue repair specifically: zinc and copper are direct cofactors your body needs to build and cross-link collagen — the literal building material of tendon, ligament, and connective tissue. And in 2025, two separate nutritional audits of commercial and raw dog foods labeled "complete" found measurable mineral shortfalls, which tells me this isn't just a soil problem — it's showing up in the bowl.

On one injury leading to another: This is the one I see constantly in practice, and the data backs it up in a striking way. Studies on dogs with a torn cranial cruciate ligament (the canine equivalent of an ACL tear) report a "high incidence" of the opposite knee failing as well — one controlled study put the contralateral rupture rate at over 53%. Separately, human sports research has shown that weak neuromuscular control through the trunk and core can predict knee and ACL injury risk with striking accuracy. Different species, same mechanism: when the support structure is weak somewhere, the load has to go somewhere else, and that "somewhere else" eventually fails too.

On spay/neuter and joint injury: This is now one of the better-documented patterns in veterinary orthopedic research. A UC Davis study of Golden Retrievers found zero cruciate ligament diagnoses among intact dogs, compared with 5–8% in dogs neutered or spayed early. A larger follow-up study across 35 breeds found early neutering was associated with two to four times the risk of a joint disorder in several large breeds. The leading theory for why points to luteinizing hormone: after gonadectomy, LH rises dramatically, and LH receptors have been identified in joint cartilage and ligament tissue itself — including the cruciate ligament. It's still an emerging area of research rather than settled fact, but a newer study comparing hormone-sparing sterilization (ovary-sparing spay, vasectomy) to conventional neutering found dogs who kept more lifetime hormone exposure had fewer general health problems.

On NSAIDs and cortisone: Veterinary case series continue to document that NSAIDs — especially combined with steroids — carry real risk of severe gastrointestinal ulceration in dogs. Older but still-cited veterinary pharmacology studies show a single corticosteroid injection can suppress a dog's natural cortisol production for a week or more, and repeated steroid use has been linked to liver changes in controlled studies. This is exactly the mechanism I'm cautious about: in principle, these drugs only mask inflammation and discomfort, and the systemic cost isn't always visible right away.

On laser therapy: This is one of the more encouraging areas. A randomized, blinded trial on dogs with hip osteoarthritis found laser therapy produced measurable improvements in pain and function starting within the first two weeks. A separate trial on elbow osteoarthritis found laser therapy reduced how much NSAID medication dogs needed. The so-called photobiomodulation effect activates mitochondrial and stem cell activity and has support from cellular-level research. I see it as a genuinely useful tool when combined with the other modalities mentioned in this article.

On toxins and inflammation: The direct research connecting household chemicals to arthritis specifically is still thin, and I want to be honest about that. What is well documented is that dogs absorb and accumulate lawn chemicals and other environmental toxins measurably, and that obesity and metabolic dysfunction drive chronic low-grade inflammation in dogs through the same pathways researchers see in humans. Put those two things together, and reducing toxic load as a way to lower total inflammatory burden is a reasonable, evidence-consistent step — even where the research hasn't drawn a straight line to joint injury yet.

Questions dog parents ask me most

Are most dog injuries really preventable, or is it just bad luck?
Sudden accidents happen, and some breeds are genuinely more predisposed to certain conditions. But most injuries are the final moment in a much longer process of weakening tissue, not a random event. That's actually good news, because this process can be interrupted.

My dog tore his ACL in one leg. Why do vets warn me about the other leg too?
Because it happens often enough that it's well documented. Studies report a "high incidence" of the second knee failing after the first, with one study putting the rate above 50%. The healthy leg takes on extra load while the injured one recovers, and that compensation can be enough to bring the second joint down too. This is exactly why rehab and strengthening on both sides matters, not just the injured limb.

Does spaying or neutering really increase my dog's risk of joint injury?
The research increasingly says yes, particularly for early sterilization in larger breeds. Studies out of UC Davis have found meaningfully higher rates of cruciate ligament tears and other joint disorders in early-neutered dogs compared to intact dogs of the same breed. This is exactly why I recommend looking into hormone-sparing options and, where a dog is already neutered or spayed, considering hormone replacement therapy.

What is hormone-sparing sterilization, and is it actually safer?
It means removing the ability to reproduce (a vasectomy in males, an ovary-sparing spay in females) while leaving the hormone-producing tissue intact. Early comparative research suggests dogs who keep more of their natural hormone exposure over their lifetime have fewer general health problems than dogs who undergo conventional spay or neuter. It's a newer area of research, but it lines up with what I've observed clinically for years.

Are NSAIDs safe for long-term use in dogs?
I personally never use NSAIDs, and I see better results this way than what I typically see in conventional practice. At 62, I'm moving and feeling better musculoskeletally than most people my age — without ever having used them. Veterinary research continues to document gastrointestinal ulceration as a real concern, and the mechanism by which NSAIDs block inflammation is the same mechanism that can interfere with your dog's own healing response.

Why should you avoid cortisone or steroid injections?
Because the local relief is temporary, and the cost is systemic. Research shows a single corticosteroid injection can suppress your dog's own cortisol production for a week or longer, and repeated use has been linked to liver changes. You're not solving the underlying problem — you're turning off the alarm while the fire keeps burning.

Does laser therapy actually help dogs heal faster?
The clinical trial evidence is genuinely encouraging. Randomized studies in dogs with hip and elbow osteoarthritis have shown measurable improvements in pain and mobility, and some dogs needed less medication as a result. I use it because I've seen it work, and because there's now real research behind it, though like most rehab tools, it works best as part of a full plan rather than alone.

Can nutrient-poor food really weaken my dog's tissue and lead to injury?
Yes. The minerals your dog's body uses to build and repair connective tissue — zinc, copper, and others — are measurably less abundant in today's crops than they were decades ago, and recent audits of commercial dog food have found real mineral shortfalls even in foods labeled "complete." Tissue built from insufficient raw material is simply more likely to fail under stress.

Does puppyhood diet really matter that much for lifelong joint health?
In my clinical experience, yes — more than most people realize. I've consistently seen cartilage defects, elbow dysplasia, and hip dysplasia show up in dogs raised on processed food. I have yet to see that same genetic predisposition fully show up in dogs raised from puppyhood on a fresh, species-appropriate raw diet. It also lines up with accepted veterinary knowledge that uncontrolled, rapid growth from energy-dense diets raises the risk of developmental joint disease in large-breed puppies.

Can environmental toxins actually cause joint problems?
The direct research connecting household chemicals to arthritis specifically is still developing, and I want to be upfront about that. What's well established is that dogs absorb environmental chemicals measurably, and that chronic inflammation is bad news for joints and connective tissue. Reducing toxic load is a reasonable precaution even while the specific research catches up.

What's the single most important thing I can do to prevent injuries in my dog?
Strengthening, especially core strength, done consistently and paired with varied — not repetitive — exercise. Nutrition, detox, and the right therapies all matter, but they work best on top of a body that's actually strong enough to carry its own weight.

A note on the research above: veterinary science on several of these topics — particularly the hormone/joint connection and environmental toxin links — is still developing. I've tried to be clear about where the evidence is strong and where it's an emerging, biologically plausible pattern rather than settled fact. That's also exactly how I approach it in the clinic: watch the pattern, act on what makes sense, and stay open as the science catches up.

Give your dog a hug for me.

Sources Referenced

NUTRITION & TISSUE BUILDING BLOCKS

• Davis, D.R., Epp, M.D., Riordan, H.D. "Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999." Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2004.
• Myers, S.S. et al. "Increasing CO2 threatens human nutrition." Nature, 2014.
• Lin, P.H. et al. "Zinc in Wound Healing Modulation." Nutrients, 2018.
• Rucker, R.B. et al. "Copper, lysyl oxidase, and extracellular matrix protein cross-linking." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1998.
• Moravszki, L. et al. "Assessment of mineral adequacy in preprepared raw dog foods labeled as complete." Scientific Reports, 2025.
• Brociek, R.A. et al. "Nutritional analysis of commercially available, complete plant- and meat-based dry dog foods in the UK." PLOS ONE, 2025.

COMPENSATION INJURIES & CORE STRENGTH

• von Pfeil, D.J.F. et al. "Effect of doxycycline on contralateral canine cranial cruciate ligament rupture." Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2015.
• Muir, P. et al. "Contralateral cruciate survival in dogs with unilateral non-contact cranial cruciate ligament rupture." PLOS ONE, 2011.
• Chuang, C. et al. "Radiographic risk factors for contralateral rupture in dogs with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture." PLOS ONE, 2014.
• Buote, N. et al. "Age, tibial plateau angle, sex, and weight as risk factors for contralateral rupture." Veterinary Surgery, 2009.
• Zazulak, B.T. et al. "Deficits in neuromuscular control of the trunk predict knee injury risk." American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2007.

SPAY/NEUTER AND HORMONAL HEALTH

• Hart, B.L., Hart, L.A., Thigpen, A.P., Willits, N.H. "Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs." Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2020.
• Torres de la Riva, G. et al. "Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers." PLOS ONE, 2013.
• Kutzler, M.A. "Possible Relationship between Long-Term Adverse Health Effects of Gonad-Removing Surgical Sterilization and Luteinizing Hormone in Dogs." Animals, 2020.
• Zink, C., Delgado, M.M., Stella, J.L. "Vasectomy and Ovary-Sparing Spay in Dogs: Comparison of Health and Behavior Outcomes." JAVMA, 2023.
• Low, M. "Does Early Neutering Increase the Risk of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture?" Veterinary Evidence, 2024.

NSAIDS AND CORTICOSTEROIDS

• Hillier, C. et al. "Dogs receiving cyclooxygenase-2-sparing NSAIDs and/or nonphysiologic steroids are at risk of severe gastrointestinal ulceration." JAVMA, 2024.
• Lascelles, B.D., McFarland, J.M., Swann, H. "Guidelines for safe and effective use of NSAIDs in dogs." Veterinary Therapeutics, 2005.
• Mbugua, S.W. et al. "Effect of betamethasone on serum cortisol in dogs." Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 1988.
• Kemppainen, R.J. et al. "Effects of prednisone and triamcinolone on plasma cortisol in dogs." American Journal of Veterinary Research, 1982.
• Badylak, S.F., Van Vleet, J.F. "Glucocorticoid-induced hepatopathy in dogs." American Journal of Veterinary Research, 1982.

LASER THERAPY

• Alves, J.C., Santos, A., Jorge, P., Carreira, L.M. "A randomized double-blinded controlled trial on the effects of photobiomodulation therapy in dogs with osteoarthritis." American Journal of Veterinary Research, 2022.
• Looney, A.L., Huntingford, J.L., Blaeser, L.L., Mann, S. "A randomized blind placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of photobiomodulation therapy on canine elbow osteoarthritis." Canadian Veterinary Journal, 2018.
• Millis, D.L., Bergh, A. "A Systematic Literature Review of Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine: Laser Therapy." Animals, 2023.

TOXINS & INFLAMMATION

• Glickman, L.T. et al. "Herbicide exposure and the risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers." JAVMA, 2004.
• Knapp, D.W. et al. "Detection of herbicides in the urine of pet dogs following home lawn chemical application." Science of the Total Environment, 2013.
• Marchi, P.H. et al. "Obesity, inflammation, and cancer in dogs: Review and perspectives." Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022.

Note: several of these are single-study or emerging findings rather than scientific consensus. Full citations and links available on request for fact-checking before publication.