Injured dog walkers could be costing the NHS about £23m a year, a study suggests.
Hand and wrist injuries from a yanked lead are said to be the most common mishap.
Experts from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and Singapore’s Sengkang Hospital looked at the “understudied topic” by reviewing five US studies of almost 500,000 dog-walking injuries.
Women made up three-quarters of the injuries, and 31% of the cases were in over-65s.
Researchers – writing in the journal Injury Prevention – found that broken fingers were the most common injury.
Looking at the UK’s population of about 8.5 million dogs – one for every seven or eight people – the study estimated the cost of fixing the fractures suffered by unfortunate owners.
“While finger fractures were the most frequently reported injury, the cost analysis in this review focused on distal radius [wrist] fractures due to their substantial economic impact,” said researchers.
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“We estimated the potential annual cost of dog walking-related wrist fractures in the UK to exceed £23m.”
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However, they said the total economic cost would be bigger due to loss of productivity from some people needing time off work.
“Preventative measures, including safer leash practices and public safety guidance, should be implemented to reduce injury risk,” the study suggested.
As well as teaching “optimal dog walking practices”, it also recommended enforcing proper dog training to minimise the chances of pets hurting their human companion.
