By: Amy Rosenthal, My Pet’s Brace Practitioner

The Patient: Teddy Bear, a 45-pound Samoyed with a missing left rear paw

Case of Interest: When a portion of a limb is missing, the dog compensates in one of two ways, either they put their weight down using the stump as a weight-bearing surface or they hold the limb up and off-load their weight onto the other three legs. Both responses put abnormal stresses and strains on the remaining limbs which could cause joint, ligament, tendon, or spinal issues. Putting weight down on the end of the remaining limb can cause sores, cuts, and scraps which have the potential for infection and pain to the dog.

A prosthetic device takes the place of the missing portion of the limb, allowing the body to be held in a more natural position. There are different levels of prosthetics available depending on how much residual limb is remaining. For our design, a minimum of 1.5-2 inches of the residual limb is needed below the carpus and hock. This is needed to allow for enough suspension of the device and because dogs cannot manipulate a joint prosthetic device.

Teddy Bear was rescued from a puppy mill while he was a small puppy. His mother chewed off his left rear paw and the tip of his tail. He healed from this traumatic injury and was taken in by his current owners who are avid hikers with three older Samoyeds. They were referred to My Pet’s Brace by their veterinarian for a prothesis to protect his residual limb and to correct the height difference between the rear legs. He was evaluated at our facility when he was 9 months old, but the casting was postponed three months to ensure he was fully grown and would therefore not out-grow the prosthetic device.

Diagnostic History: He returned in January of 2017 for a casting of the residual limb, which was used to create a positive mold of his stump. A prosthesis was created, the outside is a shell made of hard medical-grade plastic and a rubberized sole. The inside is a flexible sleeve which is in direct contact with the remaining limb. The flexible sleeve slides in/out of the outer shell. This allows for the prosthesis to be slipped on and off in case the prosthesis becomes trapped while outside but allows for ample suspension so it does not come off during play or running.

Teddy Bear returned approximately 2 weeks post-casting for the fitting of the prosthesis and adjustments were made to the inner sleeve and outer shell to relieve any excess pressure and reduce the chance for rubbing and sores. Teddy Bear’s owners were instructed to allow him to wear it for 30 minutes the first day and increase by 30 minutes each day until he wears it for a total of 6 – 8 hours. He was given no restrictions with regards to play and exercise but was encouraged to go out for walks a few times a day for around 10-15 minutes.

Follow-Ups: Teddy Bear returned several times over the course of the next two years. At each of these appointments, the condition of his skin and his activity level was assessed and the prosthesis was adjusted accordingly. An adjustment that was made several times was the replacement of the sole of the prosthesis. This is done for ground-contacting orthotics and prosthetics, as the sole wears out from using it can be easily replaced at our facility to allow for ample traction.

Teddy Bear is an active dog and he wears his prosthesis every day, for most of the day.  It allows him to keep up with his pack on walks and hikes and enables him to lead a happier life.