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knee brace for 2.5 kg dog
Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2019 7:39 pm
by jenrehab
Hello Everyone: A colleague has contacted me about measuring a 2.5 kg minature poodle for a knee brace for a complete CCL tear. The owner wants a brace and does not want surgery. I am concerned that a dog of this small is going to struggle moving around with any knee brace as I suspect it will be too heavy for it to have good mobility. I believe that there are good indications that a dog of this size will recover well with rehab alone.
Am I accurate in these assumptions?
Thanks
Jennifer Stelfox, DVM, CCRT
Re: knee brace for 2.5 kg dog
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 1:55 am
by lehughes
Hi Jennifer,
I would be inclined to agree with you, that this size of dog would be fine without any bracing.
We have a tiny dog that we had a brace made for... the dog was maybe just a wee bit bigger than your dog. (Perhaps 5kg) We used Hero and it worked out well. So, if the owner is adamant about a brace, I'd say give them a go. (And FourLeg Members get a discount.)
The only other factor I would weigh into the equation is 'what does the dog do if unattended or of it's own accord?' In other words, does it jump on & off the couch? Does it fly around the house barking at squirrels and birds out the window? Or chase the cat? Or anticipate the mailman? If yes, then a brace might be enough to curtail those actions as it fibroses. If not, then no-brace still can make sense.
Ah, then I add in patella. If patellar luxation, again, I'd go with a brace.
Okay, I think that's all of my last minute thoughts!
Best of luck!
Laurie