We have been to two vets, and both say that surgery is not an option for her, and we reluctantly agreed – she is on long term steroids to maintain her liver function after liver failure 3.5 yrs ago. She had surgery then to remove her gall bladder (full of mucus) and spleen (growth on it, turned out to be non-malignant). The steroids are keeping her alive, but she is also on a life-term course of antibiotics now because her immune system is gone, from the steroids, as well as the bone and joint damage from them.

So Maggie is in a bad situation.

We are going to have her fitted with a brace for her knee – but if the other one ruptures we will have no other options but to let her go, and that just wrecks me.

I worry about her dealing with the brace – I can only hope that putting it on and taking it off is not a long and arduous process. I don’t know that she would chew it off, but I wouldn’t put it past her either.

Some of the posts I have seen about the braces do scare me though. If it rubs and causes a sore, it will become infected and painful – even dangerous as she has a compromised immune system. She heals very slowly as well.

No good options.

It took me about an hour to figure out and adjust the brace the first
time. We started out slowly– just putting on the brace maybe two or
three times a week accompanied by much praise and treats. We went on
short walks (a treat in themselves), and I can’t tell you how excited
I was when he first walked four blocks. Unlike prior to the brace, he
would not limp after his walks– sometimes for days afterward.
Clearly he was limited by his strength, and we had to slowly build him
up. Last week we walked 2 miles, and though he was clearly tired, he
did not limp and did not seem to be in any pain. This past weekend we
walked 4 miles! I am ecstatic. We just got back from a 45 minute
walk that didn’t faze him at all (see photo below). He is off one of
his pain meds, and we are thinking of ending the other one he is still
taking.

This all seems nothing less than miraculous after three years of a dog
obviously in terrible pain who could no longer run or go for walks
over one or two blocks, and indeed had trouble standing up from a
sitting position. I am totally impressed. We only use the brace when
he goes on the extended walks, but that seems to be fine.

There are things about the brace that could be improved for ease of
use. I can’t see the ends of the velcro straps when they are in
place, and can’t feel them to take them off either. If the ends were
a different color, or better yet, tipped with some non-velcro material
to make them easier to feel when taking the brace off that would be of
great help– obviously I can figure that out myself, but thought it
might be of use in making the product more attractive.

Another thing that is a little bit of a nuisance is that the velcro
straps stick to the elastic parts of the brace, making it a little
frustrating untangling the whole thing. I don’t know whether there is
a fix to that– I thought of a coat of latex on the elastic webbing,
my wife suggested an outer nylon sheath to keep the velcro away from
the elastic.

Finally, the back strap leading from the chest halter can’t seem to
find a d-ring located directly over the center of the dog– the last
available d-ring is still a little off to one side. This probably
doesn’t matter at all, except aesthetically. The back strap supplied
was very long and much of it hung down uselessly. I finally cut it
off, but it began fraying and the strings got caught up in the
velcro. Cutting off the frayed end and heating the end of the nylon
strap over our gas cooktop put an end to that issue.

Again, this has worked unexpectedly well. I want to take the dog back
to the very skeptical vet that measured him for the brace to have his
haunches re-measured. To me, regaining the muscle mass will be the
clearest sign of success. My own goal was to be able to once again
walk him up to our local park– he can walk up to and around the park
twice now. Our dog was the one member of the household you could
always count on to be happy and glad to see you. We was never sad,
never got mad at anybody, and full of joy. To see him lying around in
pain all day, unable to run or even walk outdoors was terrible for
everyone. Thank you so much for bringing back this joy to our lives.

Thank you so much!

Ken Dragoon

Thanks.

At this point, we didn’t know who or what to believe. Digging around in our bulldog’s knees for a possible partial tear (I forgot to mention negative drawer tests at all examinations) seemed too extreme and too invasive at this point.
Bodhi was still off and on limping even though we were giving him CM with controlled walks only so we did need to do something.
For us, surgery (ANY type of surgery, be it for human or canine) should be the last resort. In Bodhi’s case, an inconclusive diagnosis was even more confusing for what we should do.
After much research, we opted for the rehab route. Massage therapy, accupuncture, aquatherapy…and we are in the process of getting a stifle brace for Bodhi’s knee.
I searched the online resources, and as reading many stories of ill-fitting braces with bad customer service and no support – I finally found a certified prosthetist who custom makes prostetics and orthotics for canines in our city! She answered all our many questions and was very supportive.

http://www.pawsability.ca/home.asp?PageID=677&sMenuID=683

The process takes 3 appointments, first is the casting of the leg, then fitting with the preliminary brace, then finally dispensing of the finished product.
We are hoping that this will help with Bodhi’s knee to support it while he is healing. I cannot stress how much better it is to find someone in your hometown who can custom fit an orthotic device for your dog.
(Just think, you wouldn’t buy a pair of jeans or a bra from Ebay and expect it to fit your body perfectly.)
I have also read that an improperly fitted brace may injure the knee or surrounding muscles and tendons further.
We have just had our first appointment with the leg casting, so I will give an update when we actually get the device next week and see how Bodhi does…