By: Amy Rosenthal, My Pet’s Brace Practitioner
The Patient: Callum, an 11-year-old, 82-pound Irish Setter with a Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) tear on his right hind leg.
Case of Interest: As Callum lives in Canada, he was unable to physically visit either of our patient care facilities in Pennsylvania for the casting of his leg. His local veterinarian made a cast of his leg and completed the measurements, which were mailed to us for fabrication.
Callum’s owner regularly contacts us with updates which is important for us to provide the best possible care.
Diagnostic History: Callum injured his right CCL in January 2020. There was no traumatic injury but instead a slow decline in his ability to stand quickly from a prone position and he would limp for the first few steps. His family did not want to pursue surgery due to the prolonged crate rest required.
His local veterinarian made an accurate cast of his leg and mailed it to our fabrication center in Morgantown, PA in mid- February 2020.
The stifle brace is designed specifically for CCL injuries. An anterior knee strap is fitted to prevent tibial thrust during extension. Scar tissue forms which keeps the tibia aligned correctly and helps muscle mass return to the leg. The brace is also designed with physical stops which do not allow hyperextension of the stifle, further reducing the stress and strain on the ligament and scar tissue forming in the stifle.
The completed brace was shipped to his local vet to be fitted.
Follow-Ups: Callum’s owner contacted us at regular intervals to give us updates on Callum’s progress. His family said he accepted the brace easily and the brace did not impede his activity. He enjoys rally, nose work and obedience classes. Callum is doing very well but continues to wear his knee brace for support and peace of mind.