Elizabeth is a nationally certified massage therapist, while Karen is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic. These careers meant that they had valuable knowledge of human anatomy and experience working with braces on humans. Their passion for animals led them to learn all about canine anatomy, and Ortho Dog was born.
Bracing allows pet owners an effective alternative to surgery.
Ortho Dog’s Braces
When it came to designing braces for dogs, Elizabeth and Karen knew they had a lot to learn. In order to ensure top-quality product design, they consulted closely with Dr. Eddie Heath, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and owner of All Pets Animal Hospital, and Dr. John Faherty, a small- and large-animal Board Certified chiropractor with Charlotte Street Vets. Ortho Dog’s first brace was the Hip Hound, designed to hold Spirit and Zoie’s femur heads in their hip socks to allow for pain-free running, jumping, and playing. Next came the Hock Holder, which was designed to help a local vet provide care for a canine patient. When Karen’s dog sprained her wrist, Ortho Dog’s third brace emerged, the Wrist Wrap. And finally, after many years of research and testing, Ortho Dog’s pinnacle product, the Cruciate Care Knee Brace, was designed to support dogs with knee pain.
Our Impact on Dogs’ Lives
For some dogs and their humans, surgery is not a great option — whether that’s because of finances, the age and general health of the dog, or the stress of undergoing a major surgery and a long recovery. Bracing allows pet owners an effective alternative to surgery, or an option for continuous post-surgical treatment. Ortho Dog’s braces are soft, flexible, and supportive, which means that they are ideal for daily use and can provide constant joint support to dogs who deserve to walk, run, and play with their humans without pain.
Our Commitment to Our Customers
At Ortho Dog, the health and happiness of our canine community is the number-one priority. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to talk every day with customers who love their pets and want them to live happy, full, pain-free lives. And we want to provide an affordable, noninvasive solution to a variety of canine health issues, from short-term injuries to the long-term effects of aging.
Our dedication to serving our customers goes beyond recommending the most appropriate brace; we also work with our customers to ensure proper brace fitting and application. Whether it’s practical training, education, or emotional support, Ortho Dog is committed to meeting all our customers’ needs and to demonstrating our core value of integrity in all interactions.
Our Commitment to Asheville and Our Team
Elizabeth and Karen have lived in Asheville for more than 30 years. When they founded Ortho Dog, they knew they wanted to run their business in a way that not only supported the canines of Asheville, but also the city’s economy and human citizens. All of Ortho Dog’s products are manufactured locally, and they are proud to provide a place where local craftspeople can apply their skills and earn a living wage. (Ortho Dog has been living-wage certified by Just Economics since 2016.)
We Love Dogs
Dogs improve the lives of their humans every day by being funny, tender, fascinating, and unconditionally loving. Elizabeth and Karen have owned dogs for their entire lives, and they are blessed to have found a way to repay their dogs for the beauty they bring to their lives. Ortho Dog wants to make sure every human who loves a dog has the opportunity to provide them a long, happy, pain-free life.