Newsflash: even the best-behaved dog can sometimes injure itself. A tumble can leave your pup with a swollen, painful knee that needs extra help healing. In other cases, it's just age affecting your dog’s bones.
If this is the case for your pet, a knee brace can relieve their pain. But before going ahead and buying a knee brace, you must ensure that the item fits well to your dog.
Knowing how to measure your dog for a knee brace is critical if you want to keep your best buddy safe from further injury. Measuring your dog may appear difficult at first, but it's actually a lot easier than you think.
In this blog, we share the materials you need and the steps you should follow to measure dogs for a knee brace without hurting them.
First of All: Why Would Your Dog Need a Knee Brace?
At some point in a dog’s life, it may experience joint pain, instability, and other knee problems. This can be from an injury, arthritis, or other health issues. Naturally, as a dog parent, you will do anything to help your pup be as comfortable as possible. That’s where a knee brace comes in.
Leg braces for dogs provide support and stability. They often address a partial CCL rupture or turn ACL, stabilize the knee, inhibit the tibial drawer, relieve pain, and promote scar tissue formation.
Furthermore, knee braces are a cost-effective choice when you are not comfortable putting your dog through expensive surgery.
If any of these symptoms sound familiar, but you still aren't sure what's wrong, you should contact a specialized vet for a definitive diagnosis.
After receiving a professional diagnosis for a dog knee brace, it is time to measure your dog to determine its optimum brace size.
Time to Gather the Items You Will Need for the Task
To accurately measure your dog, you will need the following items:
- A flexible measuring tape
- Something to mark the measurements with (chalk, pen, etc.)
- A helper
- Your dog!
Step by Step of What You Need to Do
Step One: Measure the Circumference of the Leg
This is arguably the most important measurement. To get this number, wrap the measuring tape around your dog’s leg at its widest part—usually around the knee—and note the number. If you have trouble keeping the tape in place, ask a helper to hold it while you take the measurement carefully.
Step Two: Measure the Length of the Leg
Next, you will need to measure the length of your dog’s leg from its hip to its ankle joint. Once again, wrap the measuring tape around the leg and note the number. This measurement is especially important if your dog has a long body and short legs or vice versa.
Step Three: Measure Your Dog’s Stifle
—This is where their thigh meets their body—to their hock—where their calf muscle meets their ankle bone. Write this number down, and congratulations! You've just successfully measured your dog for a knee brace!
Step Four: Find Your Dog’s Paw Width
To find your dog's paw width, place their paw on top of a blank piece of paper and press down lightly so that their nails make an imprint.
Then, trace around all four sides of their paw—be precise! Once you have a good tracing, use the measuring tape to determine how wide their paw is from left to right across the widest part (do not include their nails).
Step Five: Time for a Treat!
There is a universal truth: all dogs enjoy eating. So after accomplishing your goal, the best reward to thank your dog for letting you measure is to give a bite of their favorite treat and some loving pats.
Choose the Best Knee Brace According to Those Measures.
With these measurements, you can now find the perfect knee brace for your furry friend.
With over two years in the industry, at Bionic Pets, our main mission is to help animals regain mobility. Our most popular items are our custom-made braces that come in different sizes, shapes, and colors.
We determine if your dog qualifies for the rehabilitation procedure before moving forward with any treatments. We will always be sure we’re helping and not hindering each bionic pet.
If you have any questions about sizing or which product is right for your dog's needs, please don't hesitate to contact our expert team. We're here to help!
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