“Need a rear leg help for my Maltese Terrier whose hind legs are paralysed. Can you please advise?”
If your dog is paralysed, please look at the rear dog wheelchairs.
“Hi - my lurcher is having cruciate ligament surgery on Monday and I would like to get him a support to help with recovery. What would you recommend?“
These are the variety of knee braces that we have. The highest level of support is the Balto Ligatek - if you were considering that probably helpful to get your vet's opinion on it for post-surgery - it works for some dogs and not for others depending on the individual situation. The Balto Jump is very popular. It sounds like the Balto Jump is a good measure as it is excellent for post surgery support but not rigid like the Ligatek. It sounds like your vet is up-to-date on the support needed and in some respects is waiting to see what happens post-operatively so would likely recommend Ligatek if appropriate.
“Hi. My dog is really struggling with arthritis and knuckling on the back paws. I’m looking for something which will hold the paw flat to prevent the knuckling. What do you recommend? Do the knuckling protection boots just provide protection or do those also help with the knuckling by helping prevent it happening? Thanks”
They're just protection. Yes, there are two approaches which are just to protect the paws or to correct. Walkin' Bootie splint is corrective, as are the PawsUp Superflex. It's a slightly longer process to get the PawsUp but they get very good feedback. The breathable WagWear are also recommended. They have the flat surface for the paw but mainly work protectively.
“Our Collie is waiting for an operation on her rear left leg to have an arthrodesis on her hock joint. Her tendon is shot so we needed something to keep her leg straight until she is operated on.”
We have a rear leg splint which is completely rigid, this will keep your dogs leg straight and immobilised. We also have an adjustable leg splint, again rigid but the angle can be changed to fit your dog.
“My 12 year old lab has severe rear leg arthritis. He has a huge swelling round his right hock and is now nearly walking on his his lower leg to bottom hock. Would this splint be suitable for him?”
Thank you for your message about your Labrador with rear leg arthritis. The Walkin' Full Adjustable Dog Splint is a rigid splint but has the benefit of being adjustable in terms of width and angle. It provides complete support to the lower leg, allowing support to arthritic joints. It is lightweight and has a rubber non-slip base. We would recommend that you build up the amount of time that it is worn over a couple of days to allow your dog to get used to it and to avoid rubbing. It should be removed at night or when your dog is resting. If you would like to provide the width of your dog's paw and also the width of his hock where he has the swelling, I can check if the splint would be able to fit his leg.