Blog

by Janelle Allen, LVT and Angelia Oliverei, LVT

Unfortunately canine congenital orthopedic conditions are common in the rehabilitation field.  A diagnosis of hip dysplasia in a young dog, or puppy can make you feel over whelmed, and helpless.  Often thoughts turn to only being able to manage the disease with pain killers or surgery.  However, rehabilitation professionals have a lot to offer these young patients, especially when we meet them early in life!  Surgery may be avoided and we may even be able to ween them off of pain medications.  First, let’s take a look at a few common canine congenital orthopedic conditions that we see.  This is a short introduction, as each of these disease processes can take up an entire blog themselves.   Continue…

by Colleen Lum, LVT, CCRA

We like having options don’t we? And nowadays we are looking for alternative options not only for ourselves, but for our furry  family members as well. However, even though there may be an alternative, it does not mean that it is the best choice for everyone. Today we are going to discuss stifle orthotics, its pros and cons, and what to expect when pursuing this route!

How does a stifle orthotic work?

When our dogs tear the cranial cruciate ligament in their stifle (knee) it creates instability and pain because the lower half of the stifle slides forward whenever the dog bears weight on the leg.  A stifle orthosis, when fitted properly, prevents this movement by stabilizing the joint externally, rather than stabilizing internally such as with surgery. Continue…