Our dog and good friend, Bear, tore his cruciate ligament at the end of February. We had a couple of options and one non-option. The non-option was letting him suffer, in pain, hobbling around and getting worse until he needed euthanized. Like I said, non-option. We lost his brother to cancer just over a year ago, we weren't ready to lose another pup.
Another option was surgery. Not 100% sure to be successful. Would probably encourage him to be off the leg for an extended period of time thus putting even more strain on his already sore back.
Third option? Dog orthotics. Yup, there is a place in Denver that produces orthotics and prosthetics for pets. These folks have been amazingly helpful and kind to Bear. At his first appointment they took hours assessing him, took a mold of his leg, and gave us the tools to care for him while we waited for his stifle brace to be custom made.
Now he's learning to get around again and is building up the muscle he lost when he couldn't walk on it for a little more than two weeks. He's doing quite well, we think. We even take him for short, therapeutic walks. We still aren't sure if his miniscus is damaged. If it is, he will probably need a minor surgery to remove it so that he can be pain free.
Thanks, Orthopets!
You don't have to live in Denver to tap into Orthopets resources, they can even work with pets, pet owners and veterinarians long distance.
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