Hey guys, let’s talk about different braces for dogs that are out there. We will go over the cheaper, over the counter options, as well as custom braces, and casted braces, and which may be the better option for your and your furry best friend. First, before purchasing or looking for any type of brace for your dog, please make sure the injury is in the knee. There are other issues that can look just like knee injuries, however, it may be something else going on. So, always have your dog checked out by a Veterinarian or naturalpath before purchasing any orthotic for your dog.
You know, the ones you can find on chewy or amazon, sometimes even online, that advertise amazing results for under $200. Sounds great, right? Well, truthfully these products are not meant for full stability. If your dog has a minor strain or sprain, and just needs to take things easy for a couple of weeks, a lot of people feel they need to get right in there and put a soft brace on their dog. This can actually cause the injury to worsen, cause rubbing sores, and really did not do anything to help your poor dog.
While they may be budget friendly, they really are not in the end. More than 80% of people that purchase these “non refundable” soft braces online end up getting a custom orthotic anyways. Sadly, some of these companies are charging up to $500 for these non-custom products, promising great results. Don’t fall for these, anything that needs a strap or stirrup to go up over the back or connect to a collar or harness is not a custom product, and will not work long term for your dog’s injury.
If your dog only has a small sprain, just let them recover by keeping them quiet and leashed for a few weeks, and they will be just fine, no need to spend your money on soft braces. Unlike with people, a dog knee is just too angled for these to fit properly without the need for straps, and they will not stay up.
You will see a few companies that try to say casted braces are the only way to go custom. Well, that is not necessarily correct. If you are in a local area for one of these places, and are able to go into their manufacturing facilities to have them actually do the cast, then you may be ok, however, in our experience, even veterinarians get casts wrong, and this can be a huge headache. Then, you will need to remake your appointment at the vet’s office, possibly re-sedate your poor dog, and remake the cast again. And if your dog has hair, this can be quite a painful process.
Then, if all of that is finally finished, you now have a hard plastic, not forgiving, brace. How would you like to have hard plastic up against your sensitive areas/groin? Or on the soft tissue of your ankle? And you can imagine that if your dog starts to get back into walks and gains muscle back, now there is a new issue. The brace was made for your dog’s leg circumference at the time of casting, but if your dog looses weight or gains muscle, the brace no longer will fit, and you are looking at a lot of modifications, or most likely the need to completely remake the brace. Not really cost effective anymore, is it?
You can tell that this brace was made with our dog’s comfort and daily activities in mind. There is no need for casting, we do everything through our proprietary computer software, that allows us to make a perfect fitting dog knee brace the first time. Also, our custom dog knee brace will last you for the rest of your dog’s life. It is waterproof, weather proof, easy to care for, comfortable, and actually made with decades of experienced hands.
Not only that, but we do a fitting video call with all of our clients, so you get to have one on one time with our certified veterinary technicians to help with physical therapy, walk schedules, and supplements. No other company offers this, for free, with the brace. I know, right? Posh is one of a kind, as there is no hard plastic touching your poor dog’s sensitive areas. Most people comment that they want us to make them a brace, as it is so well made! The semi-rigid shells provide support for the knee, without taking away the comfort.
So, there you have it! The 3 types of braces for dogs. Let us know if you have any questions!
If you are interested in our braces for dogs please check out out store page or visit our Facebook Page for more information.
Hey guys, this is Nikki, Lead Veterinary technician with Posh Dog Knee Braces. Today let’s discuss bracing after surgery. So, your dog had CCL surgery, be it TPLO, TTA, or Lateral suture. Now you are wondering what can be done so that your dog does not have to go through that a second time. Is there a way to prevent a second knee injury? Let’s dive deeper into this very controversial topic.
First off, the statistics don’t lie. Once a dog has a CCL tear, there is a good chance the other leg will go. Now, this is not a guarantee, but it is very common. The reason? Your dog is now overcompensating on the good legs, as the injured leg is not able to weight bear as it used to. Even after surgery, which can take about 8+ weeks to recover, there is a 2 month plus period where your dog is still overcompensating on the other side. In order to help your dog recover smoothly, you might consider a knee brace for bracing.
What can a knee brace do for the good leg? Well, it can help prevent an injury. After surgery, your dog will need to be on bed rest for the 2 month period, however, after that there will be a time to do physical therapy. There will be some amount of atrophy in the surgical leg, until we get mobility back, and it is hard to say how long they will overcompensate. This is why there is a higher incidence of second knee injuries in patients that have surgery. Now, if we brace post-operatively, we can hopefully prevent the second knee from tearing, and give your dog a much smoother recovery period.
Some patients will also choose to brace the post-op leg as well, depending on the surgery performed. If you chose to do the lateral suture surgery, then I would definitely brace both legs post-op, as the time of overcompensating post lateral suture is much more than with TPLO or TTA.
So, by bracing the second leg we can not only help your dog with a much smoother recovery period, but we might be preventing a second injury all together. Many of our patients brace post-op with great results so far. This gives you peace of mind that you are doing everything possible to get your pup back in top form.
As always let us know if you have any questions about bracing! You can email us through our contact form, and my phone number is 509-412-3065. You can also check out more information on our Facebook Page.
Hey guys! I just wanted to make a note about brace “slipping” questions. It came to my attention that some people were concerned about if our brace slips down. Here are some things to consider if this happens. Also, on small note, when sending us pics, always include a bent knee picture. Sometimes what looks to be slipping on a straight leg picture, is actually a perfect knee center on a bent knee. Something to keep in mind, bent knee is key! #slippingquestion
1. When I did the fitting call with Lady and her brace, we initially have the top edge of the middle shell right at the tibial tuberosity bump. It is completely normal for the brace to “adjust” down about 1 finger below this point. This is because the joint center of the brace is finding the correct pivot point of the knee. This is normal, and why we have you re-tighten the middle shell after 5-10 minutes into your walk.
2. If the lower shell and pad stay above the hock (which is where they should be) then the brace is not truly slipping down. We have designed our brace to stay on the ankle, and if it does slip down past the bend of the ankle, please let us know about it.
There are a few reasons this may happen, number one being that the tensions were not correct. number 2 is that the tibial shell may bee too short, number 3 being that the upper shell is too high in the groin (meaning that the belly or short femur may be causing the brace to slip down), number 4 is your dog sat/layed down on the brace, and possibly released the buckle levers, causing brace to loosen up. All these scenerios we can help you with if having an issue, so that they do not happen again.
3. Please email us in service if you have any fit questions, as only one of our technicians will be able to help if you need an adjustment made. Do not do any adjustments on your own, like moving shells, or there will be a charge to fix it (unless we have directed you to do so), and you may void your warranty. You are welcome to shorten straps, though, without us:)
4. Trust us, we have fit over 6500+ patients in braces, we know what we are talking about, and we want what is best for your pup.
5. As always, if you have any concerns regarding the brace fit, you have our service phone number and email, and we will always get back to you within 24 hours. If you have any questions before ordering a brace, send me a contact form, and I can answer any questions for you! Thanks!! Also visit our Facebook page for more helpful tips.
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Hey guys, Nikki lead veterinary technician with Posh Dog Knee Braces here. Today, lets discuss what a luxating patella is, and what that means for our pups. First off, a luxating patella simply means that the kneecap is not staying in the nice little happy groove that it was meant to on the femur. There is a groove, like a valley, cut out in the femur, that the kneecap is supposed to stay inside. A kneecap, or patella, is only supposed to glide in that grove up and down, as our pup bends the knee, just like our kneecaps do.
Unfortunately, due to sometimes genetics, this groove is too shallow for the kneecap to be happy and stay put. Also, if the patient has a bow to the femur or leg, the tendon that holds the kneecap in place, makes that kneecap straight up and down. Well, this causes an issue if our dog in fact has a crooked or bowed femur.
Certain breeds are more pre-disposed to this issue, and those would be most poodles, yorkies, chihuahua, bulldogs including smaller bulldog breeds, spaniels, terriers, and even some large breeds. Some of the signs we will see is intermittent hind limb skipping, lameness, stretching the leg out behind them. The more a kneecap moves out of place, the worse the issue gets.
There are 4 grades of lameness for these guys. Grade 1, the kneecap comes out of position, but is easily put back into place. This usually does not cause an issue for the dog, and minor symptoms. Grade 2 the kneecap shifts out of position with pressure, and can remain displaced until adjusted. There may be damage to cartilage on these from moving out of place. Grade 3, the kneecap is disjointed most of the time, but can be returned to normal position, however, once pressure is removed it luxates back out. Dogs will exibit some lameness, and cartilage damage. Grade 4, the kneecap is permanently dislodged from position, and can impair limb function.
Some dog’s with a luxating patella are more prone to having a CCL tear, and so we may suggest bracing them as a grade 2 or less, in order to help support the knee and take some pressure off the knee. Bracing will not hold the kneecap in place, such as for a grade 3 or 4, but will provide some stabilizing of the joint itself, helping to prevent the CCL tear.
Most grade 1 or 2 can be managed conservatively with supplements and rehab, possibly bracing. Unfortunately, if the grade is 3 or above, sometimes they do need surgery to correct the issue, such as deepening that groove the kneecap sits on, or moving the actual tibial bone laterally, which makes the kneecap sit much better in the groove.
If your dog does have surgery, it is recommended to brace post op, to restrict pressure on the knee, otherwise the patient must be restricted to a kennel or crate. PT is really helpful as well.
Thank you, and please visit Poshdogkneebrace.com with any questions about Luxating Patella or you can visit our Facebook page.
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Today I want to talk about hair length, and if it is necessary to shave your dog for our our brace. For the measurement call, we need to be able to see all the bumps in the knee. The hair needs to be less than 1” in length.
If you have a curly haired dog, you can try wetting down the hair in order to find the bumps. You will also need to make sure you can see those bumps and landmarks clearly for when you are fitting the brace.
If your dog has shorter hair on front of the leg, and feathering behind the thigh, you are probably ok. For dogs that have very long hair, like newfies or Great Pyraneese, they will need legs trimmed/shaved down to the ankle, otherwise we can’t see landmarks to help you measure. Let us know if you have any other questions, you can reach us at our contact page or visit our Facebook page.
Nikki, Posh Lead Veterinary Technician
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Did you know a Posh Dog Knee Brace can help your Dog recover from a torn knee ligament, CCL injury, or ACL injury – without surgery? Many Dogs are not good candidates for knee surgery due to age, medical issues, and high surgical costs.
Dog knee procedures have a serious complication rate of over one in three, and their overall success rate is far below 40%.
Your dog can recuperate pain-free and without complications with the aid of a bespoke Posh Dog knee brace. By allowing your dog to develop scar tissue, our brace helps the wounded knee area heal in a manner similar to surgery.
Wearing a Posh brace, many Dogs have successfully recovered from a total CCL ACL tear without surgery.
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Custom-made braces can help your dog after knee surgery – and can sometimes be used in place of surgery.
Ten years have passed since WDJ explored “conservative management” – the nonsurgical treatment – of knee ligament injuries (see “Saying ‘No’ to Surgery,” February 2010). Since then, although surgery remains by far the most widely used knee injury treatment, consumer demand for complementary therapies, including the use of custom-designed knee braces, has grown.
The majority of custom canine braces are made using materials supplied by the brace maker and are based on leg models that were cast in a veterinary office or at the client’s house. The resulting cast and supporting measures are provided so that the brace can be custom-made to suit. Sometimes casting needs to be redone because the cast was improperly created or was damaged during shipping. The appointment raises the price of the brace if done in a veterinary hospital.
The 11-year-old, 77-pound Golden Retriever named Pasha, who inspired the creation of the Posh Dog Knee Brace, had a left hind limb injury. When Pasha’s veterinarian discovered a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament and torn meniscus, he advised emergency surgery, stating that delaying treatment would result in a similar injury to Pasha’s right leg, severe arthritis, and a lifetime of inactivity for the dog.
Although Florida residents Jim Morison and Beth Scanlon, Pasha’s owners, could afford the $5,000 procedure, they were concerned due to Pasha’s age and past health issues, which included a history of anesthesia-related complications. Pasha’s rehabilitation started when they decided against scheduling surgery and purchased a personalized canine knee brace.
Read full article visit: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/canine-knee-injury-brace-yourself/
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In February, we got a lot of snow and cold weather. Which is a perfect scenario to see how well the brace performs under such conditions. The Posh Dog Knee Brace is not a cast. So there are many open spaces. And that made me wonder how well the brace would perform in a Canadian winter with deep snow and cold temperatures.
Please visit: https://www.myboxergirl.com/health/posh-dog-knee-brace-winter-performance-review/
The brace has surprise delivered excellent results during the winter. And over the past five months, Annie’s quality of life has significantly improved thanks to the Posh Dog Knee Brace. Annie used to go on very brief walks—10 to 15 minutes—before we got a brace. Additionally, Annie was limping after those walks. Since we started using the brace, Annie has been out walking for a lot longer, which has given her enough exercise to feel somewhat pleased. With an active Boxer, this task is not simple.
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First off, I want to do a bit of anatomy explaining. Dog’s, unlike people, walk on their toes. Cool, right? So coming up from the ground, you can follow their toes to their ankle, which includes the hock bone in the back of the bend. This is their “heel” bone. The next bone, in front of the ankle, and up to the knee, is the Tibia and fibula. The tibia thrust, just like in people, is what makes up the front of our knee. There is a prominent bump in dogs, directly underneath the kneecap, that is called the Tibial Tuberosity.
In the videos attached, you will see the kneecap is a small round bone, making up the top of the dog’s knee, then the bottom bone is the tibia. The cruciate ligaments, or CCL in dogs/ACL in humans, are located between the tibia and femur bones, directly in the back of the knee. When a CCL is in tact, there should be no movement, or positive drawer sign, in the dog’s knee. See video one, where there is no movement when palpated/moved.
In the next video, you can see what happens when there is no longer a ligament holding the bones together in the back of the knee. Now, the tibia bone is able to shift forward, or tibial thrust. This is a positive drawer sign, as there is a forward movement now where the tibia is shifting forward. This is obviously bad.
If you choose to do nothing, over time this movement of the bones will potentially cause the meniscus to tear/rupture, and start to form arthritis. It is important to immobilize this joint, to prevent these issues from occurring. Not to mention, that movement is very painful.
After 9-12 months of using a Posh Brace, this movement should be back to the first image, as fibrous tissue has formed and will re-stabilize the joint. Again, check out our website, poshdogkneebrace.com, or feel free to email me any questions to: our contact form or visit us on Facebook.
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Today let’s talk about how to train your dog to use or walk with the brace. First, I want you to use just the hock wrap, to let your pup get used to having something on his ankle. Do this for 30 minutes on and off the first couple of days.
Next, I like to freeze peanut butter in a dish, and distract my dog while fitting the brace on, this will help train your dog to get used to you putting the brace on him.
Once you have a brace on, go directly outside and walk. Then, remove the brace when you come in. Distraction and treats work great while getting your dog used to wearing the brace.
Soon, your dog will link the brace to getting to go out for a W-A-L-K, something really fun.
Then, you can increase the wearing times as stated on our physical therapy handouts. Let me know if you have any questions you can contact us through our contact form or reach out to us on our Facebook Page.
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Today we want to talk and educate you on Meniscus tears, and what they mean for your dog. Say you just got back from a visit to your vet, to find out your dog has a CCL tear with a meniscal tear as well. Now what? Your vet I am sure has gone over all of the surgical implications for this problem I am sure, but have they explained what the meniscus is?
How important it is to have in our knee, or what the function is? No, most likely they have quoted you for removing the meniscus, and the CCL repair only. Now I do know many Veterinarians that will try conservative management first, and a very huge thank you to those vets!
Well, you are in the right place. Our goal at Posh is to give you, as the dog mom and dad, options. Yes, you heard me, there are options with a Meniscus tear, not just surgery. Think of yourself for a minute. If you go into any orthopedic Doctors office, would they simply take an xray and schedule you for immediate removal of your meniscus? Absolutely not. There would be follow up appointments, probably an MRI to confirm, and then they would go over the options. Yes, there is that word again. Options.
Well, There are actually 2 menisci in each knee. The Menisci is a C shaped component made up of cartilage, and composed of collagen and joint fluid. 70% of the menisci is made of fluid that will compress with normal movement and release synovial fluid into the joint so that the knee can easily move. They act as our shock-absorbers and buffers, like in a car or truck.
With a CCL tear, it is very common to have a meniscal tear. There are several grades of tears, from a small tear, toa complete folding over of the meniscus. In most cases, the patient will have a minor tear. With this you may hear a pop or clicking sound. These tears are minor, and do well with bracing and Physical Therapy and Adequan Injections.
You can see now how it is very important not to completely remove the meniscus, as some vets may suggest prematurely. Now if the meniscus is folded over, usually you will see the knee sticking and unable to bend correctly. This is a surgical issue, and will need corrected.
Removing the meniscus almost always leads to arthritis and chronic lameness, as you just took out the joint’s buffer. Only if the meniscus has folded over, and I have seen this only twice in over 4,000 patients, will you need to consider removal.
It will take several months to heal, but healing is possible! Usually bracing for 12 months during activities, along with supplements and a good diet are enough to let the meniscus recover. Let us know if you have any questions, and we are happy to help your dog!
Nikki, Posh Lead Veterinary Technician
For more informaton please contact us through our contact form or visit our Facebook Page.
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Today I would like to discuss bilateral injuries with you. First off, once a patient has a CCL injury, there is a 50% chance or greater of the second knee having a tear.
This goes up with surgery, due to the overcompensating and atrophy that develops with post-op patients, and can decrease with bracing.
Lots of things can factor in as to why a patient is now bilateral. Genetics may predispose our pups, such as bully breeds, as well as early spay/neuter, diet, etc.
So, weather your dog had surgery, and now the second knee has gone out, or both were close together, a knee brace would still be the best and most conservative option. Please let me know if you have any questions, and give your dog a Big Hug for us!
Nikki, Posh Lead Veterinary Technician
If you would like more information contact us through our contact form or visit our Facebook Page.
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Today I want to talk about surgery vs. bracing, and why we suggest bracing first.
First off, not every patient is a good surgical candidate. Be it weight, age, anesthetic risk, liver enzymes, poor health, or maybe the owners don’t have the $10k saved that it will take to fix not only the first knee, but the second knee that will go eventually once surgery is done.
Screws coming out, plate failure, angle was done incorrectly, bone fractures are very common, especially with large breeds doing TTA surgery, and infection is also very common. I have had several patients come to me that have been fighting infections for almost a year, such as mrsa, due to the surgical site not being sterile!
Unfortunately, some have the leg amputated due to complications. Also, if the angle is done improperly, they will start to weaken the ankle and hip joints, as things are not in alignment any longer, and start breaking down. Complications are common, and unfortunately some cause irreversible damage. I have even seen some patients have surgery done on the wrong leg, and yes that actually happened!
Also, 1 in 4 dogs that have surgery have lifelong lameness! With bracing, we don’t have any complications, or risk. Our patients are able to place full weight on their affected leg within just a few hours of receiving the brace. They can go for walks right away, which we will encourage. We also do physical therapy from your home, to help build the leg up and muscles, as well as Passive Range of Motion to help build strong tissue. We also go over diet and supplements, to give you the best outcome.
Just remember, you can’t undo surgery complications, but with conservative management there is always more we can do. Surgery should be a last resort. If you have any questions you can contact us on or contact form or visit our Facebook Page.
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Today I want to do a quick brace comparisons with our brace vs. a hard casted brace. We get asked a lot of questions about what separates us from a casted brace, and today I will answer those for you!
First off, a casted brace is made of a very hard plastic, with basically no flexibility. This makes it difficult for patients that have muscle atrophy, as the brace will no longer fit properly once you have re-built the muscle back, as with our Posh Brace. The Posh Brace gives much more flexibility, while still having adequate support. We feel this is similar to wearing a good quality shoe. You want something with good arch support, but not something hard and unforgiving.
Another thing that separates our brace from a casted brace is Velcro straps. One thing Velcro does very well is collect dog hair. Having Velcro straps on a brace made for a dog means you will be constantly replacing those straps, as they get filled with hair. With our posh brace, we only use high quality ladder straps and buckles, similar to a ski boot or inline skate.
Also on the casted brace you will notice there is a Velcro strap with a thin pad that is supposed to support and stop the tibial thrust or forward movement of the knee. Our posh brace actually uses a shell and ladder strap to stop tibial thrust, which is much more reliable than a thin pad and Velcro.
With our Posh Brace, we use Micro-buckles, which makes the Posh Brace more weather resistant. We have patients in Arizona in the heat, as well as in the arctic in Alaska. They can get wet or muddy, and with a simple rinse look back to brand new. Our straps are also very easy to adjust, so we can again accommodate for atrophy or changes in muscle. All 3 shells of our brace are adjustable with our technician’s assistance, so we don’t usually need to have a brace shipped back for modifications, unlike with a casted brace. This will save you time and money, as we want your dog using their brace as soon as possible.
Lastly, with a hard plastic brace, it is pushing up into the groin more, without any forgiveness. This can lead to pressure sores and discomfort. With the posh brace, we use a very soft plush foam, that is much more comfortable in the sensitive areas like the groin and ankle.
Let us know if you have any questions, about other Brace Comparisons feel free to reach out! Also check out ouf Facebook page.
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Hey everyone, today we want to discus all the different bracing myths out there, and try to clarify some of the brace myth. There is a lot of information out there, and sometimes it is difficult to sort through what is accurate, and what is false.
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Truth: It is actually the opposite. Unlike with surgery, with bracing your dog can immediately start placing full weight on their injured leg. This stops the overcompensating on the opposite side, and lets them begin using that thigh muscle again. Because they are able to place weight again on the injured leg, they are able to start strengthening that thigh muscle.
Truth: Bracing does not cause arthritis, the movement going on in the knee is what will cause arthritis. So, doing nothing will probably end up causing arthritis to form down the road. With bracing, we are stopping that movement, holding the knee where it needs to be in order for scar tissue to form adequately. This process takes about 9-12 months. There is no evidence that shows bracing causes more arthritis than surgery.
Truth: Although some companies experience this with their braces, here at Posh we do not. Our brace has several components that help to keep the brace up, without straps or slings. We have a hock wrap around the ankle, then the brace attaches to the front of the hock wrap, and we have 3 straps holding up the brace. When things are properly adjusted, there is no sliding.
Truth: There is not a brace company that can guarantee that a dog will fully recover, just like with surgery there is no guarantee that your dog will not have lameness. We do the best we can with bracing, physical therapy, and supplements.
Truth: Most patients use the brace for 9-12 months. Once we hit the 12 month mark, we can usually start weaning out of the brace, depending on the initial injury. Meniscus tears may need a little longer than just a CCL tear. If your dog has arthritis present when you start bracing, you may want to use the brace a bit longer.
If you are interested in anymore information you can contact us through our contact form.
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