How Can My Dog Benefit from Kinesiology Tape?

2/23/2017

You may have noticed kinesiology tape on athletes while you were watching a game on TV or perhaps you have personal experience with it from your PT or Chiropractor taping you following an injury. I think it's safe to say that most people have been exposed to this athletic tape in one form or another by now. People are aware of how it can help them decrease pain, give them additional support without reducing range of motion and help them train and play harder while reducing the change of injury. I bet one thing you didn't know about kinesiology tape though is that your dog can benefit from it as well!

There are many reasons why you would want to tape your dog. I have listed a few of them for you below:

Decrease Neck, Back and Hip Pain - Many dogs will experience some form of neck, back or hip pain in their lives. For some dogs, it will be short term, usually following an injury of some kind. For other dogs, this pain will be more chronic, usually stemming from arthritis, degenerative changes from disorders such as hip dysplasia or a disc bulge which is common in many breeds of dogs. Kinesiology tape can provide your dog with a natural way to decrease pain on a daily basis or during exercise.
Decrease Inflammation - Dogs can develop bruises and swelling due to an injury, just like we do. We do not notice it as often on our dogs though due to their hair. Kinesiology tape has been proven to aid in decreases inflammation from injury, allergic reactions and surgery when applied correctly.
Support Joints - Is your dog suffering from a knee injury, luxating patella or other joint instability? If so, kinesiology tape is the perfect way to give your dog additional support without restricting range of motion. Most dogs prefer kinesiology tape over braces because it allows them to move freely.
Heal Quicker Post Surgery - Most dogs will undergo at least one surgery in their life and kinesiology tape can be applied after surgery to reduce swelling and promote healing!

To Recap:

Decrease Pain
Speed Up Healing
Decrease Swelling
Increase Support

Common Conditions That Can Benefit From Kinesiology Tape:

Neck Pain
Back Pain
Hip Pain - Hip Dysplasia
Luxating Patella
ACL Tear - Knee Injuries
Disc Herniation/Bulge
Hematoma/Swelling
Joint Instability
Weakness due to Degenerative Myelopathy
And more!

Caution!

While there is no doubt that your dog can likely benefit from kinesiology tape, it is important to use caution when applying the tape. Each condition listed above has a specific tape application associated with it and there are certain times kinesiology tape can make the situation worse and you should refrain from taping. Be sure to gain adequate training or consult with a canine kinesiology taping professional before taping your dog!

Want to learn how to apply kinesiology tape to your dog? Check out our online course!

Canine Kinesiology Tape On-Line NON-Certification Course

$200.00

View Details

This course was developed to teach dog owners how to apply kinesiology tape to their dog(s) to decrease pain, provide support and aid with numerous conditions such as hind end weakness, muscle spasms, joint instability and more! THIS COURSE DOES NOT INCLUDE A CERTIFICATION OPTION!

10 Comments

Author

Dr. Angelique Barbara is the founder of Angel's Animals LLC, a company that has developed online animal bodywork courses for both owners and professionals. Dr. Barbara's unique teaching style along with the dynamic layout of the courses allows people of different educational backgrounds from all over the world to benefit from her knowledge.

Michael Sanger

11/11/2019 01:03:10 pm

Would love to give it a try. Our dog has severely bowed back legs and braces make her freeze, she won't move. Would like to get more information about applying tape correctly

Dr. Angel

11/11/2019 03:29:40 pm

Hi Michael,
We have an online course for dog owners that teaches them how to tape dogs. You can find more information here: https://www.holisticanimalstudies.org/canine-kinesiology-taping.html

If you would like to reach out to one of our practitioners, they can help you out as well: https://www.holisticanimalstudies.org/kinesiology-taping.html

Marita

1/26/2020 11:08:17 am

My 10-year old French Bulldog has both hips not well situated in Sockets. As she gets older of course more troublesome. Recently she seems to “dislocate” particularly right hip. Struggles with it and then seems to resettle it. Vet says nothing can be done about it. Help!

1/26/2020 12:06:59 pm

You could definitely try the hip support taping. I have a Frenchie with hip dysplasia as well and it helps her. We teach exactly how to handle and apply the tape in our online course.

https://www.holisticanimalstudies.org/canine-kinesiology-taping.html

susan whitehead

8/25/2020 08:14:57 am

I have an English Mastiff who has a lump on his elbow. if he runs a lot he is extremely lame for a day or two. he has been xrayed and his bones are clean. Would taping help, and if so how do i apply the tape, I have ordered some. Thank you so much

8/25/2020 11:06:34 am

Yes, taping could help, but that is a difficult area to tape due to the movement of the joint and the location. If there is swelling, I would do a fan taping directly over it to decrease inflammation at this time.

Maria Jose Gomez Gomez Sanchez

9/7/2020 09:50:06 am

Hello,
I was wondering if you think a long hair collie with medial shoulder instability cpul benefit with kinisio taping?
How does it work with their long hair?
Thank you so much

9/7/2020 10:10:33 am

Hello Maria,

You would need to clip the hair around the shoulder to short/medium length before applying the tape in order to provide stability to the joint.

:-)

Debra Ingle

12/13/2020 11:42:27 am

Our dog Duke has had 3 surgeries over the course of 8 months. Failed LSS, TPLO/MLP, then tighten the patella again. It has been a long tough journey and we have noticed intermittent lameness. The surgeon checked him recently and feels this is the best he will be, so much scar tissue. The PT has noticed a little movement in the patella. I am looking for other ways to provide support for the knee so he may have a happy and healthy life as possible. Would this benefit him? Thank you for your time

12/13/2020 03:31:18 pm

Hi Debra, Yes, your dog can benefit from K-tape. Check out this link to see if we have any practitioners in your area: https://www.holisticanimalstudies.org/kinesiology-taping.html

Best wishes!