Bracing Made Simple

Understanding CCL Tears in Dogs and How Braces Can Help

Understanding Cruciate Tears in Dogs and How Braces Can Help Cranial Cruciate tears, or CCL tears, are a common injury in dogs and can be seen in most breeds, although sporting and working breeds are seen more often. The CCL is a crucial ligament that stabilizes the knee joint, and

Brace Review

Dr. Carrie Adrian has been bracing dogs since 2004

Caroline Adrian is a PT, PhD and CCRP and new leader of Canine IQ and most recently at VCA Veterinary Specialists of Northern Colorado in Loveland, CO where she was the Director of Rehabilitation Services for all VCA Hospitals. In 2005, Dr. Adrian met Hero's founder Ben Blecha through his

Cone Alternatives

The Drama Behind Ear Trauma: Everything you need to know about aural hematomas.

Your dog has been shaking his head a lot lately, and then suddenly, you see something disturbing: His ear flap has swelled up. Aural hematomas are also known as ear hematomas or even blood blisters. An aural hematoma usually forms from trauma to a dog’s ear — often from head

Biomechanics of Dog Braces

Stifle Braces in Dogs: Freedom Without the Top Strap

As devoted pet parents, we witness the sheer exuberance our dogs bring to life. But when injury strikes, it’s our duty to find solutions that restore their mobility and joy. Enter the canine stifle brace, a remarkable aid for dogs suffering from CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) tears. Canine CCL

Conservative Management

Elbow Hygromas: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie — on Something Soft

Elbow hygromas are not tumors or calluses; they’re inflammation that can turn serious if not taken care of...

Cone Alternatives

Alternatives to the Cone: What Can I Put on My Dog for Comfort and Healing?

When our furry friends undergo surgery or face injuries, the dreaded "cone of shame" is often recommended by veterinarians to prevent them from licking or biting their wounds. While the cone serves its purpose, it can be uncomfortable and distressing for dogs. Thankfully, there are alternatives available that provide comfort

Bracing Made Simple

Canine Intervertebral Disc Disease

Canine intervertebral disc disease or IVDD is a condition where the disc material between two vertebral levels deteriorates and extrudes into the vertebral canal, compressing the spinal cord. The result is a varying degree of neurological deficit, affecting the dog’s ability to walk, perceive sensation, or have bladder and

Brace Review

Latest Research on Stifle Braces

Super excited about the research coming out on the Hero Brace. Special thanks to Dr. Kelly at Online Pet Health for the interview on the research presented by Kiki Haeusler at the IAVRPT at University of Cambridge in August of 2022

Dog Ankle Brace

Swelling and the Custom Orthotic

Swelling post-surgery and post-injury is a common occurrence in our pets. The circulatory system is very good at actively pumping blood into a leg but needs muscle contraction and movement for the tissue fluid to be removed through the venous and lymphatic systems. This is why in people, we typically

Dog Knee Brace Featured

Torn ACL in Dogs: Is Surgery the Only Option?

There are several options to help your dog with a torn ACL. Dr. Brumett gives you several in this blog post. Help your furry friend today!

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, ankle, or knee brace. When I first fit a brace I always go over the “Break-In Schedule”. By following this schedule your pet can quickly be wearing the brace 8

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.

Dog Ankle Brace

Hero Braces Achilles Tendon Protocol - Conservative Management

Using a Tarsal Brace with Graduated Articulation Most would agree that as practitioners we need to protect the Achilles tendon injury/repair early on and then slowly load the Achilles Tendon over time. That said, it is difficult to find a consensus on how to implement these needs. Below is

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

Tips

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

Dog Back Brace

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:

Biomechanics of Dog Braces

Do knee braces really work for dogs?

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

Inspiration

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

Casting

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

Tips Featured

Bracing Made Simple

Be the expert in your patient room

Conservative Management

Dog ACL Brace Review - Dr. Carrie Adrian

If you ever wondered where dog bracing started, Dr. Adrian was there from the beginning.  She has played an integral roll in the evolution of several braces and has worked with most manufactures helping dogs. Devoting her professional career to helping further canine physical therapy, she was the first person

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

Conservative Management

Torn ACL in Dogs - How Braces Help

Not all dogs can have surgery, but we still want to reduce their pain. Dog 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

Dog Knee 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

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