Summary

The annual incidence of dog walking-related injuries treated at emergency departments in the US more than quadrupled between 2001 and 2020, with the most common injuries being finger fracture, shoulder sprain, and wrist sprain.

Abstract

Introduction

Dog walking is a popular mode of everyday physical activity among adults, yet its injury burden is not fully understood. Our primary objective was to delineate the epidemiologic characteristics of traumatic dog walking-related injuries in adults. Secondarily, we sought to characterize injury patterns and identify risk factors for fracture and hospital admission.

Methods

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was queried (2001-2020) to identify adults (=18 years) presenting to emergency departments with injuries that occurred while walking leashed dogs. Demographic and injury characteristics were recorded. Weighted national estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were generated using NEISS sample weights. Multivariate regression was performed to generate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and identify associated risk factors.

Results

We identified 9,244 cases of adults injured while walking leashed dogs. Most injuries were sustained by women (75%) and individuals aged 18-64 years (72%), with a mean age of 53±0.5 years. These cases represented an estimated total of 422,659 (95%CI,342,501-502,818) injuries and an annual average of 21,133 (95%CI,17,125-25,141). The estimated injury incidence more than quadrupled between 2001 and 2020 (n=7282 vs n=32,306, p<0.001). Over half the injuries were orthopaedic (58%), predominantly consisting of fractures (28%) and strains or sprains (26%). Approximately half (51%) of all patients injured their upper extremity, and most injuries (55%) were associated with the patient falling due to being pulled or tripped by the leash. The most common diagnoses were finger fracture (6.9%), shoulder sprain (5.1%), and wrist sprain (4.5%). On multivariate analysis, fracture risk was higher in older adults (aOR,2.1; 95%CI,1.8-2.5) and women (aOR,1.5; 95%CI,1.3-1.7). Likelihood of hospital admission was greater among older adults (aOR,2.7; 95%CI,2.2-3.4), those experiencing a fall (aOR,2.4; 95%CI,1.8-3.1), and those experiencing a fracture (aOR,13.0; 95%CI,10.5-15.9).

Conclusions

Dog walking is associated with a considerable and rising risk of traumatic injury in adults. The upper extremity appears to be especially vulnerable to orthopaedic injury. Dog owners, particularly older adults and women, should be advised on effective strategies to mitigate risk of traumatic injury while walking their canine companions, such as dog obedience training and the use of shorter, non-retractable leashes.