Luigi and His Left Carpus (Dog Wrist) and Right Elbow OrthoPets Devices

At 10 years old, Luigi is a handsome senior dachshund! He suffers from immune-mediated polyarthritis (a condition that causes the immune system to mount an inflammatory response within the joints) and all of the associated joint problems that come with that condition. His veterinarian initially prescribed a carpus/paw orthosis (wrist/paw device) to support his left carpal hyperextension way back in 2018. The hyperextension was severe enough that he would sometimes even fall over to the left when his leg couldn't support him anymore. His carpal orthosis needed some adjustments and quality rehabilitation with a specialist for Luigi to regain maximum function, but he was soon able to get back to his normal life and mobility.

He stayed stable and enjoyed being able to go for walks with his family again, until in late 2019, he luxated his left elbow joint, again due to his IMPA (immune-mediated polyarthritis). Dachshunds are normally very challenging elbow orthosis patients due to their characteristic deep chests and short humeri, which means we typically do not have enough axillary (armpit) access for a functional elbow orthosis. Luigi happens to have just enough space for us to squeeze in a shell that would control his elbow luxation. We also added a metacarpal shell to help keep the device in place on his leg. He's a little lopsided with his asymmetrical devices, but he still loves to cruise around on walks with his family!