Hey guys, this is Nikki the lead Vet tech with Posh Dog Knee Braces. Today let’s talk about atrophy. What is atrophy and how can we prevent it? Atrophy happens rather fast for our furry best friends. It is when the muscles are not being used, be it from an injury or disease process, and we start having mobility issues. Injuries like a CCL tear can definitely cause atrophy in the thigh muscle rather fast, like a few weeks. This is why at Posh we provide physical therapy to do daily with your recovering dog.
Once atrophy has set in, it is really hard to get that muscle back. Bracing will help, as we are allowing a patient to fully weight bear with the brace on, and resume activities. The sooner we resume activities, the faster we can begin working those muscles. If you simply chose to do CM, with no physical therapy, your dog will have atrophy and a much higher chance of the second leg injuring. If walks are out of the question for you, then hydrotherapy should be an option, as you need to be doing some kind of activity to challenge that muscle.
If we leave muscles to atrophy for too long, we can end up with a patient that can no longer use that leg properly. You will have gait changes, trouble standing up, and difficulty walking normally without swinging the leg to overcompensate. There are many things you can do, even nutritionally, to help fight atrophy. Egg proteins, amino acids, whey protein, ect. You want to be sure your dog is getting adequate protein, as they will be working those muscles with the brace on.
Again please let me know if you have any questions you can contact us via our Facebook Page or send us an message via our contact page!
