When your dog is injured, it’s rough on both you and your pup. There are few things worse than seeing a pet suffer and being unable to explain it to them. Leg injuries are especially difficult, since most dogs love to run around and play!
Common Types of Dog Leg Injuries
Unfortunately, leg problems like ACL injuries and luxating patella are all too common among pups of all shapes and sizes. If your dog is showing signs of these leg injuries, you need to do everything you can to help them heal quickly so they can get back to their happy, tail-wagging self.
What is a Dog ACL Injury?
Dog ACL injuries occur when a dog tears a ligament in its knee. Many things can cause ACL injuries. For example, when a dog is overweight, it leads to strained ligaments that may eventually cause a dog ACL injury. It can also be caused by overexertion—for example, if your dog isn’t used to strenuous exercise and they play a little too hard at the dog park, it can quickly cause an ACL issue. As your dog ages, they become more prone to these injuries.
What is a Luxating Patella?
Luxating patella is another injury that’s common for dogs. A dog luxating patella is a dislocated kneecap. A dog can be born predisposed to this condition. Ligament ruptures, excessive exercise, and even poor nutrition can also cause a luxating patella for your dog. This type of injury is common in smaller dog breeds, though it can happen to any breed. It often occurs in young dogs and even puppies.
How to Treat Dog Leg Injuries
It’s important to notice the early warning signs of an injury and act quickly before more damage is done. If you notice swelling, painful movement, or any other symptoms of an injury, take them to the vet for a checkup! Thankfully, there are ways to help your furry friend when they’re injured.
Schedule a Leg Surgery
For either of these leg injuries, surgery is always an option, but it’s not the one you necessarily want to resort to right away. It’s expensive, stressful for all parties, and can even cause further complications. As their pet parent, you hate to see your dog go through such a difficult procedure that may not even help.
Try a Dog Knee Brace
For a simpler and more affordable solution, you can use a dog knee brace to help your pet heal from an ACL injury or luxating patella. You might be able to bypass surgery if the problem isn’t too severe. You’ll save yourself a lot of money and save your dog a lot of pain and stress.
A dog knee brace provides support and enables your dog to resume its active lifestyle. These braces are suitable for dogs of all ages, and they are lightweight, so your pet will never feel weighed down or uncomfortable. Even if a luxating patella or ACL injury has progressed, a dog knee brace can still help your dog feel like a dog again!
At Labra, we offer two sizes of dog knee brace to suit different dog breeds. You can select either a left or right dog knee brace to get just the right fit. This product is veterinarian-approved, so you can feel confident in its safety. You don’t even have to wait for a prescription, though it’s always a good idea to consult with your dog’s vet.
Keywords: dog knee brace, dog acl injury, dog luxating patella
My chihauha suffers from luxating patella. My question is once the knee is in the correct position, does the brace stay on all the time???? I have been told the knee needs to be in the groove before placing a brace on the leg. Also how long of a time can it remain on as the knee condition is progressive.
I ordered the carpal splints for my dog and they seemed to help but their durability is questionable. After using them for approximately 3 months, the Velcro failed to attached and they were beginning to disintegrate. My dog is about 12 years old and very inactive due to a lumbar disc issue so excessive wear was not the issue. I contacted the company about the issue but did not receive a reply. I would look for a brand which may have greater longevity.
My Casper tore his ACL on 12/13/2019 so we are still taking it slow. He skipped to protect his injury but I got a brace for his other leg. Between the brace protecting the good leg since it was carrying all his weight, CBD oil for canines and laser treatment….he started his walking on 1/22/2020, running like normal by 3/29/2020. So I believe in the braces in addition to CBD for inflammation and pain. And laser treatment is a must.
The Labra braces have been a lifesaver. Our 12 yr old Lab had deterioration of the muscle around her hind legs. It was so painful for her to walk that we were carrying her in and out. We tried every supplement and mobility product as well as CBD oil.
It wasn’t until we rec’d the braces that everything changed. She is getting around soooooo much better and has a little pep in her step and her quality of life is soooooo much better. I cannot thank Labra enough!!!
Although Elijah passed in March, just 3 months before his 14th birthday, the front leg braces that Noah helped me to properly fit him with gave a tremendous amount of support for his two front legs. Elijah was born with a degenerative muscle and bone disease that was not curable, but it was manageable for the last several years of his life. They supported his front legs to give him the ability to walk comfortably and I only used them during the day – from sun up to bedtime. They were extremely comfortable and produced no sores whatsoever, considering he wore them every day for nearly 15 hrs, that says a lot about these products. Without them, he was unable to walk. The use of the braces was also combined with weekly laser therapy on his hips, spine and legs. Thank You Noah for helping me and Elijah find a way to give comfort when it was so desperately need. This is a ‘must have’ product for Senior dogs with physical challenges and Noah is always there to help with purchasing the correct product for each dog. Thank You again Noah for giving me such precious time with Elijah.