Tarsal Achilles Tendon Injury
This page is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or emergency care. Always consult your primary veterinarian or a rehabilitation veterinarian before starting treatment. If your pet cannot walk, has sudden paralysis, severe pain, or breathing difficulty, seek urgent veterinary attention.
What is Tarsal Achilles Tendon Injury?
Also known as: common calcaneal tendon injury; Achilles mechanism rupture; dropped hock; gastrocnemius tendon injury.
The canine Achilles mechanism (common calcaneal tendon) inserts on the calcaneus and enables hock extension for propulsion. Partial or complete disruption — traumatic laceration, avulsion, or degenerative rupture — allows the hock to sink, producing a characteristic plantigrade or semi-plantigrade stance.
Partial tears can be subtler: a slightly dropped hock, swelling at the insertion, or intermittent lameness. Complete ruptures are usually obvious. Diagnosis is clinical, often supported by ultrasound or other imaging. Cats can injure the Achilles mechanism but are less commonly presented for classic sporting patterns.
Surgical repair or reconstruction is frequently recommended for complete ruptures, followed by prolonged coaptation and carefully staged rehabilitation. Incomplete injuries may be managed with rigid support and progressive loading under veterinary guidance.
Common signs to watch for
Signs vary by severity and by whether your pet is a dog or cat. Owners of dogs often notice:
- Dropped or plantigrade hock when standing or walking
- Swelling, pain, or a palpable gap along the Achilles tendon
- Sudden hind-limb lameness after trauma or intense activity
- Difficulty pushing off; shortened pelvic-limb stride
- In chronic cases: tendon thickening and compensatory gait changes
Causes & contributing factors
- Acute trauma, laceration, or avulsion at the calcaneal insertion
- Degenerative tendonopathy with acute-on-chronic failure
- Repetitive overload in working or sporting dogs
- Iatrogenic or secondary injury in uncommon scenarios (veterinary diagnosis required)
How veterinary rehabilitation helps
Post-repair rehab is highly protocol-driven: protecting the repair through casting/splinting phases, then gradually restoring hock motion, tendon load tolerance, and propulsion.
Therapeutic exercise progresses from isometric and controlled weight-bearing to strength and gait quality. Hydrotherapy may be introduced when the repair and surgeon allow aquatic work.
Owners learn cast/splint care, skin checks, and activity limits — critical because premature loading risks re-rupture.
Rehabilitation plans at RehabVet are individualised after a veterinary assessment. We coordinate with your primary vet when imaging, medication, or surgery is part of the overall plan.
Modalities & services commonly used at RehabVet
Depending on your pet’s examination findings, comfort, and goals, a plan may include one or more of the following:
Expected rehabilitation goals
Goals are set for the individual patient. Typical aims may include (not guarantees — outcomes vary):
- Protect tendon repair or healing fibres during early phases
- Restore safe hock range of motion as allowed
- Rebuild gastrocnemius–soleus complex strength and propulsion
- Normalise gait and reduce compensatory strain
- Guide graded return to activity without re-injury
We do not publish invented success percentages. Progress is tracked clinically (gait, strength, range of motion, pain behaviours, and home function) and plans are adjusted over time.
When to seek veterinary care
- Any sudden dropped hock or plantigrade stance — urgent veterinary care
- Open wounds near the Achilles tendon
- Increasing drop of the hock while in a cast or brace
- Skin sores, swelling, or foul odour under coaptation
- Is a dropped hock always an Achilles tear?
A plantigrade stance strongly suggests Achilles mechanism failure, but neurological disease and other orthopaedic injuries can alter hock posture. Veterinary exam is essential.
- How long is recovery after Achilles repair?
Tendon healing is slow. Many protocols involve weeks of coaptation followed by months of graded rehab. Exact timelines follow your surgeon — avoid comparing to human sports timelines.
- Can rehab alone heal a complete rupture?
Complete ruptures typically need surgical repair for best chance of restoring the tendon mechanism. Rehab is essential after surgery and may support selected partial injuries with rigid support.
Related reading & patient stories
Book a rehabilitation assessment
If your pet has been diagnosed with Achilles injury, or you are noticing mobility changes, our team can assess and design a multimodal rehab plan.
Educational content only — not a diagnosis. For emergencies, contact your nearest veterinary hospital.