Many Customers have told us to share our story about how Posh Dog Knee Brace become a company. So here goes…
We make Dog knee braces, because we know they work, and some 60% of Dogs are not viable candidates for surgery, including geriatric Dogs, Dogs with other compelling medical issues, and Dog parents who simply do not have the average $3,000 + a cranial cruciate ligament surgery and post-op work is sold for.
Two and one half years ago, we saw how our own Pasha had a complete rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament in her left hind leg, as well as a severely damaged medial meniscus combined with crepitis [clicking/cracking] when she bent her leg.
Of course our former vet instantly stated that we HAVE to get the “state of the art” TPLO surgery from the top canine orthopedic surgical center in the southeast. This former vet insisted that if we did not get the surgery right away, Pashas other leg would “blow out” in less than 6 months, she would positively develop severe arthritis, and become lame, and the we would have to “put her down,” i.e. kill our beloved daughter. This form of emotional extortion was the wrong thing to say to us.
At that moment, we “put down” our relationship with this surgery-pushing vet. That weekend of Memorial Day 2013, we lived, 24-7, online collecting data about the various types of CCL surgeries, canine knee braces, and a lot more.
We learned of how this surgery is so lucrative, and so problematic, how certain esteemed vet publications questioned the outrageous number of CCL surgeries each year, how a Dog is FIVE time more likely to have a surgery on an injured knee than a person, and much, much more.
We read credible stories of other dogs with severe injuries, who recovered with a dog back leg brace, conservative management and supplements. We learned enough to then say; “no way” our beloved Golden Girl was going to have surgery, any of the seven types of Dog knee surgery, including the much heralded and over-promoted TPLO surgery, which, according to many vets, is not even 1% better or more effective than the surgeries costing half as much.
Most of what we found has been posted to our “Surgery Facts” tab. We are the only dog knee brace company who tells people the facts and serious risks about the dog knee surgery, as documented and shared by honest veterinarians.
Within 4 -5 weeks after she wore her 1st dog brace, which the vet insisted will NOT work [“GOTTA get the surgery!!”], the dreadful clicking/cracking of Pashas’ injured leg stopped and the crepitis has not re-occurred. Pasha was able to bear weight on her leg, with minimal pain. Her depression over her injured leg lifted. Yes, Dogs get depressed! Instead of a risky and huge setback of surgery, she began to heal – right away. Her leg developed the same scar tissue in her knee [stifle] as would have happened with the surgeries.
The companies who sold us the braces for an average of $900 + dollars had serious design flaws and used well, cheap, parts and velcro straps. We asked these companies to use high quality dog knee brace parts like chicago screws instead of pig metal screws, and ladder straps and micro buckles. They seemed offended that were telling them, with their years of experience, how to design a knee brace for our Dog, when we had no experience. Bottom line, they kind of told us to get lost. So we decided to make a brace that would exceed any dog knee brace on the market.
Pasha wore our first dog brace, and it outperformed any canine stifle brace out there. From there we invested sizable sums of money to start our company.
Although we likely could have removed the brace by January 2014, we left it on her ONLY for her daily 2 – 3 hour play sessions at the beach. As of May 2014, our baby Pasha has not worn a Dog knee brace. Her severely injured leg has healed completely, along with a regimen of supplements and conservative management.
I tell people that if you go to a car Dealership and ask if you should buy one of their cars, the salesperson will say: “YES – TODAY!!”
If you go to a canine orthopedic surgeon, rest assured 95% of the same breed of salesperson wearing a white lab coat, will say you should “GET THE SURGERY – right away.” If your veterinarian is like the former vet we went to, the vet may say, “the other knee will blow out and arthritis will happen and then you may have to kill your lame dog!”
Believe it or not, 3 weeks ago a Customer told me their vet said: “if you don’t get the surgery – we can go ahead and amputate the entire leg.” Astounding. This “veterinarian” obviously did not see a Dog with an injured leg; this vet saw a house and car payment limping into his office. There are some 80,000 veterinarians in the USA, and certainly not all of them are see “profit before the patient,” but plenty see only that. Look around.
Remember – 2 1/2 years ago, we were resoundingly told, by a person in a white coat whom we implicitly trusted, if we did NOT get the $5,000 ++ surgery immediately, Pashas other leg would fail in 6 months and she would have severe arthritis? [Rather despicable selling tactics].
Tick tock, tick tock… None of that happened. 2 1/2 years later, her right leg is just fine and she had no arthritis.
It seems quite logical that if a Dog DOES have the surgery, the uninjured leg has an extremely high chance of failing, due to increased load and stress during the 60-90 day horrible post op recovery [barring the high complication rate conceded by the veterinarian industry itself – see our “Surgery?” tab].
Before you trust the salesperson in the white coat, please put your Dog first, and consider the option of knee braces for Dogs, like the Dog knee brace we make just for Dogs with CCL injuries. That is all we make, and the Posh Dog Knee Brace is years ahead of all the others. We are the only company who makes a custom, high end dog knee brace, WITHOUT you or your vet having to make a cast.
See our real testimonials from real Customers page for some pictures of our current brace, working beautifully helping Dogs recover with no surgery and no casting required!
Give your Dog a BIG hug for us!!
Jim and Beth Morrison
To Order a Brace Click Here and visit our Facebook Page
Read reviews check out our Google Reviews online. Click Here
