In May 2017, Colin of Ontario, Canada, began to notice decreased stamina in his dog, an eight-year-old Border collie mix named Mindy. She had short bursts of activity, followed by fatigue. Long walks, which were once fun, were few and far in between. Searching online for how to naturally help a dog with arthritis, Colin found Ortho Dog and purchased the Hip Hound brace, which is a dog leg brace for those who have difficulty getting around easily.
Mindy took to our brace quite quickly, and some of her signs of aging disappeared. Colin sent us this update shortly after trying it out:
“Just wanted to thank you for the ‘Hip Hound’ we ordered for Mindy. She is pretty happy and it seems to make her much more capable of walking and running and for much longer.”
Veterinarian-Approved Dog Brace
Colin was excited to share the progress with their vet upon her next visit:
“When I first told them about it, they were a little skeptical. But when they saw the actual brace and how well it was constructed and designed, they were very impressed. When I showed them the video, that also impressed them. Such a great product. Thanks so much for making it. I hope you sell a ton of them. I actually wish you didn’t because that means there are hurting dogs—but you know what I mean!”
We’ve heard from so many happy customers, like Colin, who have gotten their vet’s approval to use our braces. While they have no cure, chronic dog diseases like canine arthritis and hip dysplasia can be monitored and treated with dog leg hip braces to improve their quality of life. As older dogs commonly develop arthritis, their inflamed joints can cause pain and decreased mobility.
By supporting the hip and lower back areas with compression, our Hip Hound brace provides stability so that dogs—particularly older dogs—can feel more comfortable when active. Over time, they’ll regain muscle mass that had deteriorated from lack of movement. As a result, dogs who use our hip support have more stamina, less pain, and increased ability for walking and exercise.
Mindy is a Puppy Again
Six months after getting the brace, Colin sent us a note on Mindy’s improved condition:
“Thought I would send you an update on Mindy. She is super energetic and actually a pain in the butt! Getting in the garbage at night. We have to take her for longer walks as she has built up so much strength in her hind end. Here is a video of her at the end of a long walk in the forest…acting like a pup.”
We were so happy to hear Mindy had regained muscle mass and was still running around in her Hip Hound brace with vigor! Since Colin had been so gracious and generous in sharing photos and videos of his sweet girl, we checked in again recently to see how she is doing now, after one year of wearing the brace.
“Mindy is doing great. She is nine and as active as ever. Her ‘cousin’ Charlie the puppy was over on Mother’s Day with my sister-in-law. She was actually going up to him when he was laying down, bugging him as much as he would do to her!
Natural Treatment Options to Help Your Arthritic Dog
As dog owners, we understand how difficult it can be to watch your pup struggle to go on long walks or even get out of bed. Fortunately, there are many natural treatment options that can help improve your dog’s condition as they begin to develop arthritis, including controlled exercise, massage, acupuncture, and soft bedding. Learn more about at-home arthritis care for your dog.
As cold and wet weather can sometimes aggravate the disease, we were excited to learn that Colin has a swim spa that Mandy can use. He shares, “It’s great as it’s a hot tub she can swim in. It helps her relax. Most times she runs away when we ask if she wants to swim, but when she is achy sometimes she heads in before us.”
There are also tweaks you can make to the dog’s home environment to help them feel better. Colin shared this photo of new steps he built on top of their stairs: “The short stride of regular stairs was difficult for her but she hops two at a time to the top no problem.”
It’s wonderful to see dog owners taking extra steps to ensure their furry friends feel loved. We’re rooting for Mindy and love it when our customers send us success stories.
A big thank-you to Colin for making us smile with Mindy updates over the past year.