Common Digital Extensor Tendon Injury in Three Sporting Dogs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Injuries to sporting dogs are becoming frequent, and precise knowledge of all of the anatomical structures involved in sport-related traumas is mandatory to achieve the optimum treatment for each case. In this case report, injury to the common digital extensor tendon of digits III and IV of the forelimb is reported for the first time, highlighting analogies with a similar pathology described in human athletes, called boxer’s knuckle. ABSTRACT: Injuries to canine athletes are becoming more and more frequent, and perfect knowledge of all injury-prone anatomic structures is mandatory to achieve correct diagnoses and treatments. In this small case series discussion, trauma-based injury to the common digital extensor tendon of digits III and IV of the forelimb is described for the first time. The anatomy as well as the clinical and ultrasonographic findings show similarities to the human spectrum of pathologies called boxer’s knuckle. The treatment options with a buddy taping technique led to a satisfactory outcome at three months from trauma, without a history of re-injury. Injuries to the extensor compartment of the forepaw should be considered in cases of forelimb lameness with dorsal metacarpophalangeal swelling in sporting patients, especially with a history of blunt force traumas.