Now dogs aren’t allowed to JUMP! Vets warn leaping from the boots of 4x4s risks ‘damaging their legs’

• Well-heeled owners of ‘Chelsea tractors’ often fill them with children and dogs
• But letting a dog jump out of the back of the boot could risk harm for the pets
• Vets measured the impact on 15 dogs of jumping from the boot height of 4x4s
• Owners should set up a ramp from the boot to allow their dog to walk down

Well-heeled owners of ‘Chelsea tractors’ often fill them with children and dogs.

But letting a dog jump out of the back of the boot could risk harm for the family pet, a study has found.

Veterinary experts have found an animal jumping down from a large 4×4 puts four times the force on their legs of taking a normal step.

This could put family pets at risk of painful osteoarthritis, which affects around one in five dogs, by adding to wear and tear on their joints.

It comes after vets warned in 2013 that throwing sticks for pets can cause ‘horrific injuries’ and even kill them by causing them to choke or bleed. 

The study in the Vet Record journal measured the impact on 15 dogs of jumping from boot height to conclude that it may be ‘inadvisable’.

Instead owners should perhaps set up a ramp from the boot to allow their dog to walk safely down.

Well-heeled owners of ‘Chelsea tractors’ often fill them with children and dogs. But letting a dog jump out of the back of the boot could risk harm for the family pet, a study has found

Dr Alison Wills, a co-author of the study from Hartpury University Centre in Gloucester, said: ‘Some people have very large vehicles and you often see them letting their dogs jump out of the boot.

‘Dogs develop degenerative joint disease for a multitude of reasons over a lifetime, but there is a concern that dogs jumping repeatedly from car boots may be at increased risk of developing this type of condition.

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‘We would suggest that people consider using ramps stretching from their car to the ground for all dogs, instead of just for those with existing joint problems.’

In towns and cities, it is common for families to put dogs in cars before taking them to the park for a walk or on holiday. While some owners lift their pets out of the back of cars, this risks causing themselves back pain.

The first study to look at the risk of injury from dogs jumping from cars recruited animals including collies, retrievers and Belgian shepherds.

WHY SHOULDN’T YOU THROW STICKS FOR YOUR DOG?

It is a game played by dogs and their owners in parks across the country.

But throwing sticks for pets can cause ‘horrific injuries’ and even kill them, vets warned in 2013. 

Sticks can splinter in the mouth causing dogs to choke, bleed to death or develop a lethal infection.

Instead, owners should use fake bones, rubber balls or Frisbees.

Robin Hargreaves, president elect of the British Veterinary Association, said he operates on about one dog a month seriously injured by a stick.

‘Never throw sticks for dogs. Even if you do it now, never do it again,’ he warned. ‘It is a violent incident that causes real damage.’ 

Researchers set up a platform set to heights of 0.55 metres (1.8 feet), 0.65 metres (2.1 feet) and 0.75 metres (2.5 feet), although some luxury cars have boots which are even higher.

A force plate, which the dogs landed on, recorded the impact on their fore-legs, which rose by just under 13 per cent between the 0.55 and 0.65 metre heights, and by just under 11 per cent with a further 10 cm rise in height. The force for the largest jump was four times the impact of normal walking for a dog.

The study suggests this could lead to musculoskeletal problems in dogs such as elbow or hip dysplasia. These are abnormalities in joints which, through wear and tear, can lead to arthritis causing swelling, stiffness and pain in dogs.

Dr Wills, from the Animal Welfare Research and Knowledge Arena at Hartpury University Centre, said: ‘Whilst the forces observed in this study were similar to those recorded for agility dogs jumping a hurdle fence, dogs that are transported by car have to complete a static start jump with no warm-up like those in agility competitions.

‘They may have been in the car for long period of time without moving prior to exiting the boot.’

While UK legislation requires that dogs must be restrained while travelling in any vehicle, no such regulations exist for safe entry and exit from a back seat or car boot.

Gudrun Ravetz, senior vice president of the British Veterinary Association, said: ‘When our pets look fit and healthy on the outside it can be easy to miss underlying issues that can then be exacerbated by the additional strains and stresses of jumping out of a car boot or other high place.

‘Owners need to be aware of anything that might inadvertently cause injury and should take their animals for regular veterinary health checks.’

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