We were devastated when a botched surgery left our 1-year old puppy with permanent nerve damage in her rear right leg.  Her paw knuckled under, with her toes literally pointing backwards -- it dragged along the ground, causing abrasions.  When we began hydrotherapy to rebuild the muscle, our hydro-therapist referred us to handicappedpets.com -- it was here that we found her a rear leg splint.  But she was somewhere between the large and extra-large; therefore, it wasn't a great fit -- more abrasions!  There was no joint or hinge at the hock; therefore, she couldn't sit when wearing the brace -- she would go from a standing to laying down position -- there was no in between.  Furthermore, Lonnie was just over a year old, and a crazy-crazy puppy! -- she was wearing through the tread, and then through the plastic, about once a month!   After 4 months of dealing with wound care and abrasions, we had a large sweater-box full of bandages, tape, antiseptic sprays, little girl socks and dog-mushing booties (which we layered to protect her foot when it dragged).  It was a major process just to go outside in the morning.  And the wrapping and brace strapping process to go for a walk was even worse!

One day while searching for a better alternative on handicappedpets.com, I found a brace that looked great!  When I inquired about the brace, I was told that it was a custom brace made by a company called Orthopets.  I contacted Orthopets via email, and got an immediate response from Martin, the owner.  We exchanged photos and video, and I got a very informative assessment of what Martin thought the problem was, and what type of brace would work for Lonnie.  We ordered the cast materials, and our vet took a cast of Lonnie's leg.  We had great hope for the new brace -- which was beautifully crafted!  Unfortunately, Lonnie was a bit of a severe case, and after several attempts via mail, we couldn't get the right fit.  I was beginning to think we were going to be stuck with little girl socks and dog booties forever!

 

It was at this time we decided to go see Martin in person in Denver.  We hit the road with Lonnie and her sister, Hazel, in tow -- deciding to make a vacation of it.  We went to see Martin and Amy (and Martin Jr!) on our first day in Denver.  Martin met Lonnie in person and studied her walk; we discussed what we hoped for from the new brace, and Martin took a new cast of Lonnie's leg.  We were given a tour of the shop, met some of the nice employees, and were told to come back in 2 days to get Lonnie fitted for her new brace.  Just two days later, Lonnie was fitted with her new brace -- it was a perfect fit!  In addition, Martin had addressed all of our concerns -- the main one being how quickly she wears through tread -- he had ingeniously designed a tread that could easily be changed out... and even showed my boyfriend how to do so.

A few days after we left Denver... continuing on our road trip... I wrote the following to Martin:  "THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!  it's so nice to be able to just put on her brace and go!!!  no sock... no bandages... no tape... no abrasions... no cramming her foot into a brace that doesn't really fit!!!   and she seems so proud and happy now!"

I would recommend Orthopets to anyone looking to give their handicapped pet a happier life.  And as our story shows... sometimes you have to be persistent and patient... but you can't give up hope!!   Lonnie's life isn't perfect, of course, but from one day to the next, her quality of life improved dramatically... and so did ours!!

Martin -- we want to thank you for being persistent and patient as well... and for your kindness!!... and most importantly, for giving Lonnie -- and us -- a better life...

Sincerely,

Claudine and David

( and Lonnie & Hazel)