Bracing Made Simple - Support for Dogs

Dog being fit with a custom leg brace

Getting Started

Tech Tips, Custom Brace Break-In Schedule

Just like “Breaking-in” a new shoe, it takes some time to get a dog used to wearing a custom wrist [https://goherogo.com/dog-wrist-brace], ankle [https://goherogo.com/dog-ankle-brace], or knee brace [https://goherogo.com/dog-knee-brace]. When I first fit a brace I always go over the “Break-In Schedule”. By

Karen Atlas PT hugging a cocker spaniel

Featured Professionals

Atlas Rehabilitation for Canines: How one dog made a difference

Every veterinarian we went to only gave us one option: crate rest and medication. Not satisfied with that answer and as a physical therapist, I knew more could be done.

Close up of a Hero hock brace for an Achilles tendon tear in dogs

Dog Ankle Brace

Hero Braces Achilles Tendon Protocol - Conservative Management

Using a Tarsal Brace [https://goherogo.com/dog-ankle-brace] with Graduated Articulation Most would agree that as practitioners we need to protect the Achilles tendon injury/repair early on [https://blog.goherogo.com/achilles-ruptures-in-dogs-hunters-story/] and then slowly load the Achilles Tendon over time. That said, it is difficult to find a

Dog stretching on exercise balls while wearing a brace for his torn ACL

Dog Knee Brace Featured

Torn ACL in Dogs: Is Surgery the Only Option?

Just like any other day playing fetch with your dog, or is it? You throw the ball, he runs after it and returns, tail wagging. YET, today, he doesn’t return right away. When you go find him, he's hopping back, unable to put weight on his rear right leg.

Veterinarian hold up a cast for a custom dog brace

Bracing Made Simple Featured

4 Tips - The Perfect Dog Brace Cast

Creating the perfect Casting can be summed up in four essential tips. Position. Tight. High. Criss-Cross. Understand each to make yourself the Casting superstar for Custom Orthotics! Let’s be clear on what “Casting” means in this article. Old school casts meant a kid with a broken arm had white

Dog standing meadow

7 Steps to Make a Rational Medical Decision for Your Dog

As pet parents eventually we all have to make a decision for a loved one that cannot talk to us. They cannot tell us what they want. How are we supposed to know? Often times the stress of the situation is compounded with other things happening in our life. With

Dachshund standing in box

Herniated Disc In Dogs? Support With A Back Brace

We usually think of the long-backed Dachshunds when we think of back pain. Turns out many breeds can have back problems called IVDD [https://wiggleless.com/pages/intervertebral-disc-disease-ivdd-in-dogs-slipped-disc] . How can we best help those dogs so they can still chase, jump, and play? WiggleLess, the dog pain relief Superstore [https:

Boxer dog walking up steps with two Hero knee braces

Biomechanics of Dog Braces

Do Knee Braces Help Dogs?

The quick answer is yes. So why didn't my Vet offer bracing as an option to help my dog? Many Veterinarians didn't have much success with early braces designs. This left them with a bad taste in their mouth. So much has changed over the past 15 year... Early braces

Screenshot of cattle dog crossing a log wearing a Hero stifle brace

Wheeler Conquers The Great Outdoors With A Torn ACL

Yearning to return hiking and his camping lifestyle, Jason Darrah of the Primal Outdoors Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5pkfH40QWHt_0jvHU5VM9w] needed to find a way to help his dog Wheeler avoid surgery for his torn ACL. [https://blog.goherogo.com/cruciate-ligament-tear-is-surgery-the-only-option/] Looking for an alternative to surgery he

Dog smelling a cast for a custom leg brace

The Casting/Impression, “As easy as Wrapping a Bandage?!”

Does the Custom Orthotic Casting Process Intimidate You? If you really think about it, the impression process isn't much different than wrapping a bandage. We find vet nurses excel at the process in the CE courses we teach! Check out a video of our CE course at the bottom of

Veterinarian smiling at a dog while fitting a Hero leg brace

Bracing Made Simple

Be the expert in your patient room

Carrie Adrian PT with her two dogs

Conservative Management

Dog ACL Brace Review - Dr. Carrie Adrian

If you ever wondered where dog bracing [https://goherogo.com/dog-braces] started, Dr. Adrian [https://vcahospitals.com/veterinary-specialists-of-northern-colorado/team/caroline-adrian] was there from the beginning. She has played an integral roll in the evolution of several braces [https://vcahospitals.com/veterinary-specialists-of-northern-colorado/-/media/vca/documents/hospitals/colorado/veterinary-specialists-of-northern-colorado/orthotics_prosthetics.

Golden retriever dog wearing an ankle brace for an Achilles tear

Dog Ankle Brace

Achilles Ruptures in Dogs - Hunter's Story

It’s been a relaxing spring day at your house. As you leave the kitchen, you realize that your senior Golden Retriever is no longer by your side. You look back to see him struggling next to the dishwasher, one rear leg caught under the sharp sheet metal edge. You

Dog kissing girl lying in the grass

Conservative Management

Torn ACL in Dogs - How Braces Help

Not all dogs can have surgery, but we still want to reduce their pain. Braces help your dog walk sooner. The field of bracing is relatively new to Veterinary medicine, so not all doctors are familiar with how bracing works. We started designing braces to help these doctors over 15

Dog sitting gravel wearing a brace

Cecelia and Ozzie's Triumph Over a Volleyball Injury

Rising from a torn ACL and multiple surgeries, in the end a simple knee brace allowed Ozzie to return to comfort a Mom battling dementia. Ozzie and Harriet...er... Cecelia and Ozzie have been best friends for the past 11 years. Not only is the 12-year-old, black Chow mix a

White labrador wearing a stifle brace

Conservative Management

Bionic Pickles - Dog ACL Success

When Alisha says "hold the pickles," she's not talking about a burger. She's talking about her almost three-year-old Great Pyrenees/Akbash-mix Pickles. Alisha has been holding and snuggling Pickles since the rescue dog was six weeks old. Pickles had been battling a severe case of parvovirus and struggled with respiratory

Dog standing o bluffs wearing a harness and a stifle brace

Bohdi, Got Her "Silly" Back

Bodhi is a survivor. She's a 14-year-old, lovable Cattledog and has been battling cancer for the last year and a half. She's been through two surgeries and two rounds of chemo, but nothing can keep her down. Literally. A few months ago, Bodhi was playing in the backyard when she

Woman cradling a puppy

Biomechanics of Dog Braces

Talking to Your Veterinarian About Knee Braces for Dogs

Knees are joints. They give out over time. That’s certainly true of humans, and it’s also true of dogs. Dogs depend on knee ligaments for their joints to work much like we do, and when something goes wrong with a dog’s knee, it can be extremely painful

Michelle Beck DVM with her chocolate lab

Dog Knee Brace Featured

Dog Knee Brace Review - Dr. Michelle Beck

Not sure bracing fits into your practice? Initially a skeptic, Dr. Beck shares how her veterinary practice has grown to use bracing. 100% of my professional time is devoted to healing animals. You could say I come by it naturally. My father and I are both veterinarians. I took it

Cocker spaniel dog wearing a stifle brace

Benson Battles Cushing's and ACL Tear: Wins!

Benson was born November 21, 2001. He is a parti-colored Cocker Spaniel that sat up and begged for Maria Lowe to take him home 13 years ago. Since then, he has been the joy of the Lowe family's lives. They love to dote on him and treat him like royalty.

Child cuddling with a springer spaniel dog

Magoo Snuggles Again!

Magoo is a 7 year old Springer Spaniel who loves to spend his days running after squirrels, swimming, chasing birds on the beach in Massachusetts and doing serious amounts of snuggling. And as the beloved dog of Joe and Brooke's young family, he has lots of opportunities to do just

Zoey, Thankful for Thanksgiving

[https://goherogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Hero_Case_Zoey_puppy.jpg]They found her at a rescue home for homeless pregnant dogs. Zoey was 11 weeks old and the daughter of a German Shepherd/Husky mix. It was an instant connection. Seven years later, Zoey is an integral part

Black lab playing on a Christmas tree farm

Kuli & the Christmas Tree Farm

[https://goherogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Hero_Case_Kuli-Christmas-tree-farm.jpg] For years, families would celebrate tradition and travel for miles to get their annual Christmas Tree at the Clapp Christmas Tree Farm off the coast of Maine. Waiting, with tail wagging to welcome them and help each family find

Man standing over dog wearing a knee brace

Caleb, Happier than a Pig in Slop

It was an exciting day nine years ago in Massachusetts. It was the week before Thanksgiving, and Greg's family had decided to adopt a new puppy from the local no-kill shelter. Greg and his youngest son were waiting in the greeting area when two dogs enthusiastically rushed up to greet

Boxer dog wearing an ACL knee brace standing by a red ball

Inspiration Featured

Hero Dog: Roxy's Story

When you're a soccer star like Roxy, a little bump here and there is to be expected. In August 2013, Roxy received a little bit more than a bump. Born to humble beginnings, Roxy was the runt of her litter. She has now grown to a 70 lb. playful Boxer/