Ripley and His OrthoPets Tarsus Device (Dog Ankle Brace)
Ripley, a 9y Labrador Retriever, first tore his left Achilles in 2018, and healed well with rest and PRP injections. Unfortunately, Ripley tore his Achilles again and presented to Dr. McNamara at Maine Veterinary Medical Center in August 2021 for a consult.
Dr. McNamara prescribed a custom articulating tarsal orthosis (dog ankle brace) with a motion-limiter bar to support the tarsus while the tendon heals and allow for gradual reloading of the Achilles complex. Ripley’s metatarsophalangeal joint range of motion was restricted so we also fabricated the device with some external wedge on the paw segment to accommodate the toes until they could get stretched out.
Ripley did great for his initial fitting! Dr. McNamara was able to regularly assess the digits and gradually remove the external wedge layers until Ripley’s paw was back to a normal paw standing angle, and he has progressed very well in his Achilles protocol and the gradual return of Force to his tarsus.
Ripley recently successfully completed his Paw Segment Removal trial and is ready for the Sports Brace Conversion of his orthosis! The sports brace will provide a low-profile device that can be used during high impact activity to continue protecting the tendon until it is fully healed.
