All I can say is I should had seen the red flag when they said ‘No Returns or Money Back’! The A-Trac Dynamic Brace did more harm then good.
Our Black Lab was in so much more pain and stressed with the brace on. When our dog would sit or lie down the brace would move. It did not stay in place and caused more pain because he wouldn’t have his legs in the right positions due to the brace moving.
Also, we got the one that had a brace for both legs and the company only showed instructions for the one leg brace. We called them and they said it sounds like you need an extension which would cost an additional $45.00, plus taxes and shipping. The Brace its self was $570.00…
I would not recommend the A-Trac Dynamic Brace to anyone!
Wow, I disagree with you. That brace saved me from 2 knee surgeries. I have recommended it to a friend and their dog healed. My neighbor is now using our old brace for their boxer. I just dont like the fact that some vets say surgery is only option and it is not!
I wanted to ask what type of brace you have been using, also where did you purchase it and the cost. Some say that it has to be custom made,what are your views? I have a pit bull with 2 ACL tears and am at my wits end trying to decide about surgery. Any info you could give about braces and how they worked for you would you be so welcomed. Thank you so much in advance!
Jen,
I too have a male Pitbull approx. 7.5 years old, He was a total stud at 4 years old very muscular a never stop type dog. Well we got a younger dog to keep him company and they played hard together for almost 4 years. One day both dogs were chasing a Rabbit full tilt in the yard and Tank my older Pit came back with a lmp/lame back leg. Lameness wouldn’t go away and as feared took him to our vet and he as a torn ACL on Right Rear leg and possible or going on Left rear. Xrays on tues. I am curious what you decided to do and how your dog is doing?
Wound wear is the site I purchased my dogs braces from. She used the ATrac dynamic brace for both ACL tears. The Dr. you will be in contact with will answer any questions. Send him an email first if you don’t want to purchase right away. I don’t regret my choice not to do surgery for her. She runs like never before. If I figure how to send a pic I will.
thank you so much! I think that’s what Roxie will need, about what was the cost? Jennifer
I think I paid around 570.00. Years ago. And you can reuse the brace for another dog similar size. You can also just purchase other knee sleeve and use old brace harness if the other knee has issues in the future. This is what I did when my dog blew her other knee after 1 year. As I mentioned my neighbor is using the old brace now for her boxer. We just purchased new rods for support. She is also on the mend after 3 weeks! Just email on the website and you can get alot of questions answered also. They are very helpful! Laura
Wow……do you work for woundwear? that brace did nothing for my dog…….a year of B.S. with this “brace” and her leg muscles were completely atrophied ! She ended up with surgery anyways. I wish I hadn’t wasted a year. Completely hellish to get on every morning- never fits correctly…..always falling below the knee…..i was CONSTANTLY readjusting this stupid thing…….I couldn’t leave her with it on if I was working……it also rubbed her skin until it was red and almost bleeding
Megan, It is really sad that you could not get the brace to work for you. Yes it needs tightening and a careful watch to make sure your dog has not loosened it. For me, putting my dog under the knife was last resort. Cost also.. This site is meant to help people not insult them. No, I do not work for Woundwear. I hope you found an alternative treatment you were happy with.
Wish I had read this review before I wasted $500 for the Atrac. The exact same thing happened with our dog. Totally ill-fitting and doesn’t work for pits with large upper thighs.
Woundwear may not be the brace for every dog but it has been working for mine. It all depends on how severe your dogs acl injury is and how well your dog adjusts to wearing a brace. My dog found it uncomfortable at first but if you are patient and help them get adjusted to the brace it usually works out. You just have to keep an open mind and always be positive!
The woundwear brace is working great for my Aussie/Border Collie who blew both legs within a week. He seems to know he can walk around with it on so he just lays there and I put it on one leg roll him over and put it on the other. You do have to mess with it a bit to get it adjusted and I would recommend trimming the hair on the leg or it’s gets stuck in the Velcro. The vet at the company answered all my questions. He’s a little on the short side but knows his stuff.
Lee, I just found out that my 12 year old 60 lb Aussie has both rear knees blown. I would appreciate any information that you can send me.
A-trac is total junk! Doesn’t work, too complicated and too much VELCRO. Sticks to everything. Dog hated it and I hate it. No customer at the company, NO RETURNs.
Stay away from this brace….Look it up under Ripoff Reort.com.
I’m sorry that the brace didn’t work for you. I have a 12 year old Aussie that blew out the ACL’s on both knees chasing a squirrel on September 18th. He couldn’t even stand. When I carried him to the vet the only options I was given was $10,000.00 for surgery or to put him down.
I found Woundwear online while researching my surgical options. My observations are:
The inventor of the brace can be somewhat abrasive and a little disconcerting when talking to him.
The brace came in the mail quickly after I ordered it.
Some mechanical aptitude is helpful in getting the brace fit to the animal properly. However, after a few adjustments that I figured out without having to call the company the brace goes on and stays in place for days on end with no issues.
The pet owner should be willing to find the right mix of brace time on/off the animal that works for them. I was concerned about muscle atrophy so I would take the brace off every few days for a couple of days of inhouse walking only to try to keep some muscle tone as well as joint flexibility. I am currently leaving the brace on him 24/7 for about 5 days at a time before taking it off for a day to check for rash/sore etc. I have never found any. The dog doesn’t mind the braces at all.
Observe the animal’s progress as to which plastic support rods are the correct stiffness while trying to find a balance between brace stiffness and functionality for the animal. I currently have the less stiff rods in his weaker leg while the stronger leg has no rods at all and simply has the material around his leg to provide support. As he gets stronger I will continue to reduce the rods to allow for more flexibility and muscle exercise.
I had my groomer shave the dog’s hindquarters at first to keep fur out of the velcro. In spite of this, the velcro loses it’s “stickiness”. This is really the only “complaint” I have with the product. Now I simply use medical stretch gauze over the buckles and velcro straps to hold them in place. The dog’s fur has grown back and I just keep it trimmed a bit with scissors now.
The bottom line is that my dog couldn’t stand from the day of his injury until the braces arrived a few days later. The first day I put them on he was able to stand and after carrying him outside (up/down stairs) he was able to do his business without me holding him. It has been a long, slow, but steady progress to the point we are at now where he can go up/down stairs on his own and we walk about a mile a day to keep strengthening his legs. He will never jump in or out of my truck again but other than that he still acts like a puppy wiggling and prancing when he knows we are going for a walk.
I spent about $500 for both knees instead of 10G and the dog’s quality of life is almost back to where it was before he got hurt. I would recommend this brace to anyone with the advice to be ready and willing to figure out the mechanics of how it best works for your dog.
We are heading out for our daily walk now. I wish you all the best with your animals.
I posted a year or so on a site (can’t remember if it was this one). I didn’t want to use my actual name for privacy reasons and, because my experience was so good, someone posted that I was an advertiser and discredited my posting! (LOL) However, because these postings helped me decide how to help my dog, I wanted to share that, for my small dog < 20 lbs, the A-TRAC brace saved her leg. She had a fully torn ACL but I was afraid for her to have the surgery, healing time and possible side effects (as it was, she was throwing up blood on the anti-inflammatory meds they gave her).The brace initially stabilized her leg and I think reduced her pain. She was able to be her relatively active self and we followed the recovery time line. She wore the brace for 9 months though I did take it off at night as she sleeps on the bed and I can see her. Yes, I did need to get out some glue and a sewing kit and be a little "crafty", as my dog liked to chew on the velcro and could even pull the rods out with her teeth! I learned to cover the brace with an old sport sock so she couldn't chew on it. I found the owner to be very kind and responsive. After about 9 months, my dog was walking without any limp whatsoever and is able to race around the yard, leap and jump, chase balls, chase the cats, etc. just like her old self and she is nine years old. I can tell when it is cold that her knee sometimes bothers her a little so I rub it and she seems OK. Exercising helped with the healing. I have a relative whose dog had surgery and her dog lost her leg as a result of an infection, so I feel very grateful that we found this product. It saved my little dog's quality of life. But it takes patience and a little creativity. Just like a human, these injuries take time to heal. I don't know whether it would work for a larger dog because it may be too difficult to hold everything close together but for my little dog it was a lifesaver.
I had a boxer that tore her ACL on her back left leg. After reading a lot of reviews of different braces and seeing the cost of surgery, we purchased an A-Trac Dynamic brace for around $500. It was a hassle because the dog couldn’t wear it while sitting or lying down. She would not wear the brace while indoors but when we would go outside, I always put it on. while wearing it, she could walk long distances and even run and play. It took 1.5 years of that but the knee healed without surgery and she got to where she could run and play without needing the brace. Overall, it was a hassle but well worth it.