Re: Carpus arthritis and FCE

[Guest guest]

Hi, I've used Canine Icer carpal braces with pretty good results. Not too

expensive, either.

[Guest guest]

Bracing sounds reasonable. It would also be reasonable to find the root cause of the deformity. If the valgus deformity is due to boney malformation the brace will NOT correct the boney structure change. If there is an element of soft tissue laxity due to diet, weight, or some other pathology. The brace would help to hold the carpus in a corrected postition until the underlying issue is resolved. The corrected postition would be the angle you can passively correct the valgus with your hands. I would not try to over correct with dynamic push because of the underlying boney changes. The brace would be used for times of unrestricted activity and would be removed for "controlled" therapy to maintain strength and ROM. If you

believe the underlying issue is short term (less than 3 months). I would suggest a cheaper "off the shelf" version of a orthovet's carpal brace www.orthovet.com . If the dog is a smaller breed you may be able to get away with a fabric support from www.therapaw.com If this is more long term, you may look into a custom brace from a Certified Orthotist. Derrick Campana, CO at www.animalorthocare.com and myself both provide those services in the states. Jeff Collin CPO at www.k-9orthotics.com provides services in Canada.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!!!!!

Ben

Ben Blecha, CPO

www.aceorthosolutions.com (formerly www.skyprosthetics.com)

Walking Free Guatemala Prosthetic Team Member

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To: VetRehab Sent: Wed, December 16, 2009 12:57:14 PMSubject: Carpus arthritis and FCE

I have an 8 year old Labrador Retriever who was diagnosed with FCE a couple of weeks ago and is rehabing with us. She is doing well but has an old carpus issue that no one ever evaluated. (They just told the owner there was nothing that could be done) She has a pretty severe valgus and on xray there are definitely bony changes. On exam when she walks downhill, we can see her head bob slightly so I think she is actually lame and though the owner reports that she has never had a problem with the foot before, I think this complicates her recovery and I am concerned that it actually IS painful for her. She has restriction in her metacarpals and severe flexion restrictions. We are lasering the carpus and doing some massage but I didn't know if we should be considering a brace or support for her especially until we can get her more stable. Also, we are planning on using the ball and doing some other coordination and balance work...this is our first FCE.

Does anyone have any other thoughts or things that seem to work well? Thanks in advance!Blair