By: Amy Rosenthal, My Pet’s Brace Practitioner
The Patient: Wicca, a 109-pound Cane Corso from Canada with a Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) tear on her left hind leg.
Case of Interest: Wicca is a large breed dog from Canada. At My Pet’s Brace, we ship leg braces all over the world once we receive a cast of the dog’s leg from you, the local vet, or rehab professional. Wicca used her custom knee brace in conjunction with rehab therapies. This case shows how rehab can aid and improve a dog’s outcome with the assistance from a brace.
Diagnostic History: Wicca injured her left CCL in March 2018. Her local vet made an accurate cast of her leg and mailed it to our fabrication center in Morgantown, PA in late September 2018.
Due to the length of Wicca’s leg and her weight, it was determined that she stifle brace required heavy-duty joints. For larger dogs, we use aluminum dual-axis joints with long aluminum arms to provide the necessary support.
The stifle brace is designed specifically for CCL injuries. An anterior strap is fitted to resist tibial thrust during extension. This resistance to the cranial movement of the tibia reduces the pressure that is put on the injured CCL and the scarification that is occurring. The brace is designed with hard physical stops that do not allow hyperextension of the stifle, further reducing the stress and strain on the ligament and the scar tissue forming in the stifle.
The completed brace was mailed to Wicca’s veterinarian one week later for fitting. She was instructed to wear the brace for 6-9 months. We mailed Wicca a sheepskin pad to add to the bottom-most strap of the brace to solve a red spot on her hock.
Follow-Ups: Wicca partook in physical therapy sessions with a professional as well as at home during the use of her brace. Sessions included hydrotherapy, cold laser treatments, cryotherapy, acupuncture, and special exercises. Wicca wore her stifle brace for six months. Her mom said, “Wicca is doing fabulous!! No more limping, not a lot of stiffness. She has gained a lot of muscle back in her leg, we try to hike six to eight km a day now…lots of hills and uneven terrain.”