by Janice Willard DVM, from the July 2005 Newsletter

The Siberian Husky was grey and black. Standing in the back of the pickup truck, his front feet up on a box, he looked as majestic as a statue chiseled out of stone and I was taken by his beauty. Then the light changed, the pickup truck lurched forward and the gorgeous dog stumbled off his metallic perch, almost tumbling out of the truck. And the owner drove on, oblivious to how close he had come to injuring his trusting companion. And I was reminded again of how dangerous it is for a dog to ride in the back of a pickup truck and how few owners seem to realize this.

Dog don’t have hands. Their mouths serve as their hands for carrying objects, but they rarely use their mouths to prevent themselves from falling. So there is no way for them to hold on if the open truck they are riding in makes a sudden stop or rapid change in direction. And there is nothing to keep them from flying from the truck bed and hitting the pavement at the same speed that the truck was traveling, with disastrous results. Every time I see a dog in the back of an open pickup truck, I see an accident waiting to happen.

“Of all the orthopedic injuries we deal with,” says Jim Lincoln DVM, orthopedic surgeon at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, “the most devastating injuries are the ones that come from falling from moving vehicles. The bones, usually the femur, aren’t just broken. They are shattered, causing considerable damage to muscles and surrounding tissues. This requires extensive surgery and physical therapy to have any return to function.”

I still remember Bear, a lab-shepherd mix who was my first patient on my surgery rotation when I was a student in veterinary school. The truck wasn’t going very fast when he jumped out. But when he landed, his front feet splayed apart. In addition to fracturing his leg, he damaged the large nerve plexus that lies in the underarm area. He lost all sensation and ability to move his front leg. The bones healed, but we waited several months to see if nerve function would return or whether Bear, playful and friendly, not even a year old, would have to lose his front leg. I also remember Bear’s owner, a tough, burley, macho sort of guy, turning pale and almost passing out when he looked at Bear’s injuries. “But I’ve always let my dogs ride in the back of my pickups,” he protested. “No dog got hurt before.” Then you have been lucky before, I wanted to tell him. And Bear wasn’t.

“These injuries are very costly,” explains Dr. Lincoln. “First there is the monetary component because considerable veterinary care is required. But the cost goes beyond that. There will be months of rehabilitation. There is damage to the animal and potential loss of normal function. And most importantly, there is pain and suffering to the animal and the guilt this will cause.”

If you must drive a pickup truck, the safest bet for your pet is to leave it at home, Dr. Lincoln advises. If you must bring it with you, then in the cab or under a canopy so they can’t fall from the pickup are reasonable alternatives.

“However,” says Dr. Lincoln, “dogs in cabs should have the same consideration as children and be properly restrained.” Another, less desirable alternative is to use a harness and leashes and restrain the dog in the back of the pickup. But this method can have dangers associated with it as well. “Common sense dictates that the restraints used must prevent the dog from going over the side of the truck,” Dr. Lincoln cautions. “Terrible injuries can also occur if the animal goes over the side and is dragged.”

As I watched that beautiful Husky almost tumble from the pickup, my dogs were in the cab of my pickup lying safe and secure beside me. Muddy upholstery is a small price to pay to keep our companions safe when we travel.

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