Hi Christine
I have been thinking about you and wondering how Cody is doing. I looked at a few ortho braces for dogs on Google images and I see what you mean about the straps. They do look pretty complicated.
I don't know if Cody's brace is anything like this one but I thought the note in the box in the lower left corner was kind of cute and probably very accurate. It is the one that starts out:
As with anything new, your dog at first may think this is awkward and ridiculous....
I know what you mean when you can't help but come right and say that Cody's life has changed and I think the more OK you are, he will be as well.
I hope Cody heals to the extent he can get around. And I hope you continue to let us know how he is progressing.
Christine/Kodiak
From: ChristineCvs@aol.com
To: pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2010 4:16:04 PM
Subject: [pyrnet] Cody's Bad Knee
Well, it has been almost a month since Cody tore ligaments in his rear knee. He is doing not too badly, but of course it still hurts. He does put weight on it, but limps. We've been restricting his movements, including fencing in the whole patio, so now he has a giant play pen! I received his brace last week and the poor guy was so patient with me as I tried to get it on him and get all the straps right - which of course I didn't do the first time. He is such a little trooper. He doesn't mind the brace as we are associating it with him being able to go free on the property, but we still limit the amount of time he is out. There isn't any fighting and he isn't trying to pull if off. He is very easy going. We had blocked one area of the house with floors that we didn't want to put mats on with a 1 inch thick piece of styrofoam that came up to his chest. He never even tried to push or climb over. We could have hung a piece of paper and he wouldn't have crossed it. I just feel so bad for him because his life has changed, but I think he is more ok with it than I am. We aren't going to go with surgery due to the condition of his hips and the recovery needed. Thanks for you input into this scary injury.
Christine