I just wanted to add China’s story…she’s another APBT with bad knees. Three years ago she injured her left ACL and I didn’t have the funds or heart to deal with surgery. I opted for the A-trac brace and had great success. She never chewed it or complained about it…there were a few times that I noticed it was rubbing her hair away and/or chaffing her skin so I just cut the toe out of a sock and used that as a protective layer for her skin. After 12 weeks of wearing it she was using the leg without limping and the only noticeable injury/issue was that her leg was a bit atrophied but I assumed that was normal (it returned to normal a month after full use).
Recently China injured her other knee…and I’ve contacted Wound Wear again and plan on buying a brace for her right leg along with another brace for her left, hoping that will keep her from re-injuring it during the next 12 weeks. And just an FYI I know the left brace was still in good shape when I took it off last I just can’t find it. It’ll be interesting to see how she does with two nearly rigid knees.
Here is a picture of China standing with her left side brace on.
Thank you guys you offer a wonderful service. There’s nothing like watching your dog in pain and not knowing what to do. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you for this story I have a APBT who will be 12 in May. She is extremely active and healthy unfortunately last Monday she tore her ACL. Fortunately, my Vet is open late on Monday’s so I was able find out immediately what was wrong. Due to her age I am extremely concerned about surgery and even more concerned about confining her for weeks. She has never been kenneled I strongly feel changing her routine and placing in a kennel will stress her out. She has a big baby brother (4 year old) who would be loose i the house.
The more I read I think a brace may be the answer or at least an option to try first. We have a consultation at the local University Vet Hospital on Tuesday….we will see how that goes. learn
Where do I find or purchase this brace? Zoie had surgery but the plate & screws are loose and I think this might help her during healing and hopefully the other knee won’t suffer during this healing. anything to help her and hopefully live pain free.
Thank you in advance for any help..
We purchased the A-Trac Dynamic Brace after our Retriever mix tore his CCL. His tear happened late November 2010, and with holiday travels we did not want to have surgery until the start of 2011. The A-Trac brace was easy to use and allowed our dog to have good mobility and reduced overall stress prior to surgery. After surgery we continued to use the A-Trac Dynamic Brace and had great results. Our dog was able to bare weight on his left leg within a few days and was able to move with minimal effort within the week. The brace contributed to a quick recovery, and minimized right leg stress.
Zoie- You can purchase the brace at woundwear.com. Give them a call, I spoke to Dr. Spatt who helped me make sure the brace would work for our retriever.
– Tom D.