Dondi and His OrthoPets Stifle Device (Dog Knee Brace)
Dondi is a 9-year-old, 129lb, neutered male Cane Corso from California. He was diagnosed with CCL (ACL) disease with a history of suspected bilateral (two limbs) CCL tears. He has done very well with rehabilitation and weight management. As Dondi has gotten older and subtly weaker, he has started medial rotation of the stifle (dog knee), especially during sitting. Dondi’s owners became worried about him having secondary tears of the medial/lateral collateral ligaments or other tissues.
OrthoPets fabricated a standard stifle device (dog knee brace) for Dondi to help support his Veterinarian’s goal which is to minimize medial and lateral destabilization of the right stifle.
Dondi may be developing some neurological deficits which are causing him to knuckle at the paw and scrape his rear nails down to the quick. His device also started slipping distally. His owners stepped up their band resisted gait exercises and Cavaletti exercises to try to help raise his limb higher.
OrthoPets did some adjustments to his device that included bringing the distal end of the device tighter around the tarsus and installed a shock cord to attached to a boot which will help the knuckling that he has developed.
Approximately a month after the adjustments were made, Dondi’s gait has greatly improves and he’s happily trotting away in his solar patterned stifle device with the toe-up attachment.
