Jane and her OrthoPets Tarsal Device (Dog Ankle Brace)

Jane is a 5-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer who was referred to OrthoPets because of a previous Achilles tendon rupture surgery that had failed. About one year post-operatively, Jane was out pheasant hunting with her owner and unfortunately reinjured herself. When she was seen at the veterinarian's office for limping, she was diagnosed with a new partial tear of her left Achilles.   After reviewing Jane's case, we reached out to her owner and veterinarian to discuss the goals and outcomes for Jane and her new tarsal orthotic. The owner was hoping Jane could return to partial hunting but decided that she would not be a professional hunter. He decided to decline further surgery and opt to use a tarsal orthosis that would offer Jane long-term support allowing her to continue hunting. Based on the goals, it was decided that we would fabricate a non-articulating tarsus with an articulating paw orthosis to ensure long-term support for Jane during her high intensity activities. 

Since Jane is a high energy dog, we needed to add some additional components to her device to make it extra durable. Some of those components were aluminum in her paw segment, Heavy Duty motion limiters, and carbon reinforcements throughout her device.   Richard reached out with an update at the end of July letting us know how thankful he was for the device and how it has enabled Jane and him to continue to hunt. He even let us know Jane had recently won a hunting competition! 

Richard sent us a picture of the award they had just received for Jane winning the club field trial championship. "There are 6 birds and the dog must find, point, and retrieve with the least shots and in 20 minutes or less. Jane had the fastest time of all the dogs and wouldn't have been able to do it without your orthosis! I'm so glad she can still hunt with me." - Richard, Jane's dad