Nigel

Corgi with chronic pressure sores

Nigel a 12 year old Pembroke Corgi, lost a great deal of mobility when significant paralysis struck his left hind leg. While otherwise healthy, Nigel spends a great deal of his day lying prone. A deep pressure sore quickly developed on his left front elbow. That sore persisted aggressively despite two attempts at surgical closure and a housefull of emergency carpeting as cushions for the hardwood flooring. The only option remaining was bandaging and padding of the leg. It became obvious very quickly that bandaging was not going to be practical for the long term. Although there was no sore on the right front elbow, the complete loss of hair in that area indicated a problem might be developing there, as well.

Bill and Peggy found DogLeggs through an internet search. They knew it is difficult to find products that fit the unique physique of a Corgi and accurate measurements we supplied allowing for a perfect fit. The DogLeggs provide the cushioning Nigel's forward elbows desperately need, with as Bill and Peggy wrote " no other ill effects or inconvenience to the dog". Panty liners were inserted into the left elbow pocket (and changed twice daily) neatly fill the role of protective bandage over the sore. Nigel worn them 24/7 for four and a half months: the pressure sore that was the size of a quarter and down to the bone is almost completely healed. At this healing rate Bill and Peggy estimate complete healing and total hair regrowth within one more month. Bill and Peggy commented "Not bad, considering these sores can sometimes take a year to heal... or never at all". Also, the hair loss on the right front elbow was completely reversed within one month. Their vet is amazed at the healing progress. Bill and Peggy plan to keep Nigel wearing his DogLeggs for the rest of his life.

Murphy

"DogLeggs were a Godsend"  for front leg bandaging

Murphy developed a horrible abscess at his elbow last year that left a gaping hole where you could actually see tendons and his elbow joint. He was seeing a specialty vet for treatment that was a 3 hour round trip from his owner's house.

Joann and Vince along with their veterinary specialist were doing a great job of treating it, but keeping a bandage on it was a full time job. The traditional wrap using VetWrap(R) and gauze on a joint such as the elbow is hard to apply, even for trained professionals and keeping it on is even more challenging. Wrap too lose and it falls off, too tight and swelling (edema) occurs causing even a worse problem. On top of this many animals do not tolerate this type of bandaging well and chew it off. Just think about if you had as much fur as your dog and had a sticky tape constantly pulling at it. A couple of times Murphy's owners tried re-bandaging it themselves until they could get him back to the vet, and his foot swelled up horribly. Joann told us that "Several times we had to take extra time off from work to run him to the vet because the bandage fell off. There was one time when we rushed him to the vet because his bandage fell off and by the time we got him home from getting a new one put on, the new one had slid off of the wound too! " These bandaging nightmares are common stories that we have heard from many customers.

Joann and Vince heard about Standard Adjustable DogLeggs and ordered a pair for Murphy. After he started wearing them, not only did the bandaging hassles go away, his elbow healed up in no time! It was miraculous. Having him wearing them relieved the constant pressure and worry of whether his elbow was covered so it would stay clean and be able to heal properly. One trick some owners use is to use the DogLeggs as the bandage and just place a women's panty liner pad on the inside of the DogLeggs, using the adhesive strips to hold the pad in place, absorbing the fluid from the wound and keeping the DogLeggs clean.

Joann told us "Murphy was also thrilled to not have to wear the doughnut around his neck anymore! I only wish we had ordered the DogLeggs earlier in the process. Thank you so much for this wonderful product! DogLeggs were a Godsend."

Journey
Neither rain nor snow nor arthritis nor degenerative myelopothy stops this Animal Ambassador

Journey is an active 9-year-old German shepherd that loves to play with his other family members. As you can see in the video (click on picture to play video) nothing stops her.

The other dogs in her pack are Gage, a 4 year old male German shepherd who is also an MCHA "Animal Ambassador" and Delta Society Pet Partner, and Phoebe, a rescued standard poodle pup from Dogpack rescue in Georgia. Phoebe is very new to the family and is in training for the same kind of work.

Journey not only brings great joy to his family, but also as a registered Delta Society Pet Partners therapy dog and an "Animal Ambassador" for the Monroe County Humane Association in Bloomington, Indiana he gives to the community. As an official "Animal Ambassador", Journey has helped his mom (Sarah DeLone Education Program Director Monroe County Humane Association) with nearly 1000 humane education programs over the past 8 years and has gone on hundreds of therapy dog visits to hospitals, libraries, a transitional housing unit for domestic violence survivors, and lots of public events.

She has brought joy to a great number of people, and also helps with our "Paws and Claws" camp each summer. While she has mostly retired from Pet Partners visits because of her physical issues, Sarah hopes to re-evaluate this spring with Journey in her wheels, and have requested special permission for Journey to be able to wear her DogLeggs on Pet Partners visits. Journey regularly wears her DogLeggs while being an "Animal Ambassador" for the MCHA, and in the office at work every day.

Journey first got her DogLeggs in early 2009, while battling both elbow arthritis and a bad lick granuloma on her left carpal area. With a combination of the Full Length DogLeggs and low level laser therapy, they were able to completely heal the lick granuloma by mid-March. She had been battling with granulomas in that area on and off for years. Now she no longer bothers that wrist at all. In September, Sarah shortened her Dogleggs to be more like the standard length version. She seems very comfortable in her modified pair and no longer has redness or cracked areas on her elbow  calluses. The padding also seems to provide comfort for her arthritic elbow, which has been a benefit seen in many other dogs with similar issues.

In October 2009, Journey was diagnosed with possible Intevertebral Disc Disease and/or possible degenerative myelopothy. That is in addition to a bad hip, very arthritic elbow, spondylosis, lumbosacral stenosis, contracted gracilis muscles in both hind legs and a cruciate repair. Late last summer, Journey started having balance problems and has been falling quite a bit, creating sores on her left hock. Sarah combined more laser therapy with a custom made hock sock that she could wear it in combination with boots for traction. The hock sock is working quite well and the sores are now healing. She wears the hock sock whenever she will be out playing either with her wheels or not, so that she won't re-open those sores. She cannot go on visits if she has any open wounds.

Sarah tells us that she will likely be ordering a new pair of the standard Dogleggs soon because the modified ones will have a more professional look for programs. The modified full length DogLeggs are fine around the house, but Journey needs to dress better to go out in public.

Riley
Full Length DogLeggs providing comfort for daddy’s dog battling osteosarcoma

Last November 5th, Riley came limping down the hall of Gary Kliewer's home, Riley's left wrist was swollen and his ears were down. He had a a pained look on his face and he wasn't’t wagging his tail. His leg was swollen and didn’t look right. The next morning I Gary and Riley had an appointment bat the CSU Animal Cancer Center. The day after that, he had an external fixator on his leg for his Stereotactic Radiosurgery.
As is typical with animals going through various forms of cancer therapies there is a need to protect the front legs that are subject to pressure sores.

Gary contacted DogLeggs in January and ordered a pair of full length DogLeggs to protect Riley's legs and provide comfort . In April Gary let us know that Riley had become a local TV celebrity staring in a local fashion show cbs4denver.com/video/?id=55650@kcnc.dayport.com
We are sad to say that Riley died on July 25th. Gary sent us an email to tell us that "your Dogleggs were amazing for Riley. He wore them as if they were just a normal part of his body. Your Dogleggs gave protection and support for his leg. Very durable and they worked so well. ". We look forward to the day when there is no more cancer. All of us at DogLeggs feel blessed that we are able to meet and be a part of people and at all stages of their pets lives. If you want to read a full story of Riley's treatment at CSU click here.

McKenna, Her  Puppies and Buddy Bags

Buddy Bags come to the rescue for mom and her kids

Shelly originally got a set of DogLeggs BuddyBags for Muldoon, her big English Mastiff, when he sprained his back, they were the only things she could drape across his hips and that would stay in place. They really helped when he was having a bad day.

When McKenna, Shelly's English Mastiff female had her two puppies and developed mastitis, moist hot packs were ordered several times a day. Sitting on the floor holding hot towels in place was not realistic for Shelly, so she applied warm wet towels on the affected teats and placed heated BuddyBags over the towels. The BuddyBags kept the towels in place beautifully and at the right temperature so she did not have to keep reheating the towels.

This not only saved Shelly time but also further strain on an aching back. That alone was a great use of DogLeggs BuddyBags. When the treatment was done the BuddyBags were set aside, Shelly soon noticed the little fawn girl she called Petunia would wriggle over and snuggle up to the BuddyBag....it was warm and smelled like Mommy so it was perfect for her.

Pagan, the brindle colored girl sister is much bigger than Petunia and since birth has preferred to scoot away from Mom and sibling to cooler snoozing spots. Petunia needed additional warmth and a heating pad was not a good option. Shelly heated up the BuddyBags and placed them under a towel next to Petunia. Both pups were comfortable and were able to stay in the same laundry basket.

DogLeggs BuddyBags not only has many veterinary uses when a gentle passive heating source is needed, but also human veterinary professionals and others use them to sooth tired and aching shoulders, backs and necks after long days of caring for others.

Baby Bella

Would you believe it , Moose Gear?

Right after the AVMA conference in Seattle Washington we received a call from a veterinarian at a central US zoo asking us if we could help with a special case. Baby Bella, the moose has an injured hind leg and there was a need to keep her off of it while it healed.

The treatment is to apply an Ehmer sling, but the traditional method of using bandaging and tape would not work. The hair of a moose is easily pulled out and keeping the complex wrap on even a dog is nearly impossible, no less a baby moose with long legs and weighing hundreds of pounds.

Now DogLeggs is no stranger to these types of requests. We have made shoulder stabilization for a ferret, chest protection for a llama, head protection for goats and other custom solutions for a variety of animals. We love this type of challenge and it helps us learn how to make even better products for our mainstream customers such as dogs, cats and horses. Bella is doing fine in her Ehmer Sling and the vet has mentioned to us that there may be a penguin that needs some special booties...

Rinus

DogLeggs is proud to be helping animals all around the world. In fact at last count we have sold into 39 different countries. Rinus from the Netherlands has Bilateral Medial shoulder instability. After wearing DogLeggs Shoulder Stabilization System a week he was used to it.

His owner Jos says "I haven't seen him walking bad for a week and this is with just 1/3 of the pain medication he used to get. " The Vet thinks Rinus needs to wear the hobbles for about 3 months and she said after this Rinus will be able to take walks of 45 to 60 minutes.

Ron and Maggie

Ron and Maggie have had a special bond for over 10 years. Maggie is more then a pet she is truly Ron's partner; a service dog, she and Ron are together 24/7 and Ron can not leave his home without her. When Maggie developed lameness do to arthritis in her  elbows, Ron turned to his vet and DogLeggs. Ron called us at DogLeggs and explained the critical situation and ordered a pair of Standard Adjustable DogLeggs; we at DogLeggs  felt the weight of this responsibility as we shipped them out for next day delivery. Ron gave us regular reports  on Maggie's progress and we are happy to report that she started feeling better within a few days and Ron wrote "after six weeks her arthritis  is gone and she can actually run.". We are so happy that Ron and Maggie are back out together and yes that is Maggie's perfectly restored 64 Mustang!

Click here to read Ron's testimonial

Murdock

Murdock Countryman is a big boy with a  very big hygroma on his left front leg. There have been a number of times that DogLeggs has been called upon to create a very custom coverage  to  support or protect  tumors and very large hygromas. Because of the success of the Standard Adjustable DogLeggs the need for surgery or placing drains has been dramatically reduced; in this case surgery was the right solution

Josey
From Mastiff to Chihuahua, Greyhound to Basset hound the diversity of breed forms constantly tests the flexibility of the DogLeggs design. When we received a call from the owner of Josey the Komodore we knew we had a new test!

Under the massive corded coat was a large hygroma and because he is an active show dog, cutting that signature rasta like coat was not an option . We are pleased to say the DogLeggs passed the test and Josey 's hygroma is much reduced and well on its way to being a memory.

Tessa

The Quickest Road to Recovery is via two DogLeggs. 6 year old female Rottweiler Tessa came to physiotherapist Michelle Monk after 9 months of forelimb lameness and subsequent shoulder arthroscopy.

A good diagnosis and surgery were only half the solution. Proper physical therapy and a pair of DogLeggs with shoulder stabilization were critical to this successful outcome. Her physiotherapy strategy was three-fold a carefully managed home exercise program, regular physiotherapy treatments and a set of DogLeggs hobbles to stabilize the joint for the critical weeks after surgery.

[Video of dog wearing shoulder support after surgery] [link to full article]

Jinx

Jinx is a 5 year old Belgian Malinois female who underwent surgery for a near complete tear of her collateral ligament. Jinx is a certified Type 1/CE disaster dog with the Wisconsin Task Force and is also a Schutzhund 2 Champion, as well as holding  a Mondioring 1 title. She wares her DogLeggs Shoulder Stabilization System and continues with post surgery physical therapy.