Patient: Tucker is a 6-year-old, 82-pound Golden Retriever mix

Diagnosis: Right hind paresis causing knuckling

Type of Brace: Jointed hock brace with a cut-out at the calcaneus

Case Study: In April of 2020, Tucker was an active dog who liked to play with the other family dog and go for long daily walks of one to three miles. He suddenly came up lame, dragging his right hind leg. An MRI revealed abnormal musculature and severe muscle atrophy of the leg. With physical therapy, his gait and weight bearing improved, but he continued to knuckle which caused abrasions on his paw.

Tucker visited our facility for a custom hock brace in August of 2020. We fabricated a jointed hock brace with a cut-out at the calcaneus. The brace prevents him from knuckling as the hard superstructure of the brace goes under his paw and up the back of his leg. There was no need to restrict flexion at the hock, so the cut-out at the calcaneus enables Tucker to have full range of motion and as normal of a gait as possible. The brace was re-made in September with a taller shank to distribute the pressure more evenly to make the brace more comfortable.

Eight months since receiving his brace, Tucker continues to go to physical therapy once a month. He wears his brace for one or two hours a day and for walks. He family said, “The brace has helped his foot heal and it has given him more strength in his leg. It has really helped him become a much happier dog and he is pretty much back to his normal self and a normal dog with just a crazy leg.”