By: Amy Rosenthal, My Pet’s Brace Practitioner
The Patient: Ginny, 50 pound, a 1-year-old Bluetick Coonhound with Neosporosis causing hind leg abnormalities.
Case of Interest: Due to an unexpected illness, Ginny’s mobility and range of motion in both of her rear legs completely changed. She was fitted with a custom stifle brace that mitigated the effects of her condition and improved her quality of life.
Diagnostic History: Ginny was seen by her veterinarian for lameness in her right hind leg after playing in a dog park with a few other dogs. As the months progressed, lameness increased and was not improving with medication. She was eventually diagnosed with Neospora, a parasite found primarily in cattle and canines.
Neosporosis in canines typically does not show signs or symptoms but can be associated with hindlimb atrophy and/or hindlimb paresis and rigidness. Ginny’s illness progressed until she had a totally rigid right stifle and hock and a weak left stifle and hock.
When Ginny bears weight onto her left hind leg, she collapses medially at the hock and has a valgus conformation at the stifle and hock as well as internal rotation of the hip and stifle. Her right hind leg is rigid at the stifle and hock and she bears weight on the medial aspect of the digits.
Her veterinarian recommended a left stifle brace to reduce the stress and pressure on the medial collateral ligament, cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments and the meniscus.
A brace was created to reduce the stresses in Ginny’s stifle and slow the progress of the degradation of the joint. The brace was fabricated with extra padding where the stress would be transferred. It was based on a three-point pressure system where the pressure that was exerted on the medial aspect of the stifle would be transferred and spread out to the lateral side of the thigh and calf. The joints allowed normal range of motion but resisted motion medio-laterally.
Follow-Ups: Ginny returned to My Pet’s Brace three-weeks and three-months after the fitting of her brace. Her family said, “The brace has helped Ginny astronomically. Before she was struggling to use the restroom because of the unique shape of her left leg and not having the proper support needed. With the brace, she uses the restroom with no issues and it appears to be easier for her during the bathroom process. Ginny is also able to run and play with other dogs because of the added support. When she has the brace on there is a noticeable improvement in her walking, without the brace she uses her right leg (peg leg) more frequently whereas with the brace it is more balanced.”