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Doggie Leg Braces

10K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Mikey T 
#1 ·
Hiya,

Saw a link recently to something like leg braces for dogs...maybe velcro ones?

Does anyone remember the thread it's under? Also, does anyone know if it works to help bassets get straighter legs?

i was born w/pretty straight legs... but now they have been turning out more and more, and also my front legs are starting to get knuckled over :( i wonder if there's a way to correct it or at minimum, prevent from getting worse, using bracing...? i am 11 months old these days...

--thanks, Worm

ps. i'm going to my vet on Friday and wanted to bring info about this to her...
 
#3 ·
Knuckling over I believe can be lessened with some support and such but a lot of it has to do with the breeding. If its from poor breeding you never really know what you are going to get. That's why it's so important to know where you are getting your puppy from. Have you spoken to the breeder about these issues?
 
#4 · (Edited)
Knuckling over I believe can be lessened with some support and such but a lot of it has to do with the breeding.
breeder of danes will say knuckling over is rarely about genetic and moer about nutrition and overfeeding, and exercise. Basset were bred and are to some exent required to have crooked legs to get the legs under the chest for support but still allow for full extention when walking and running. A straight legged basset is not a good thing and a conformational fault as well. they should have crooked legs but splinting can help with both HOD and nuckling over. however in basset most of the abnormal crookedness is from growth plate closure closing at an inappropriate time either from trauma, disease or genetics than there really not anything a brace is going to be able to do about this kind of elbow inconguity
it is why it would be getting more noticable at this time. The forarm consists of the ulna and radius when the length of thes two bones are not the same they create an incongruity which cause bowing. So to some extent this is normal for dwarf breeds and they are rather bother by even fairy extreme incongurities.

ELBOW DYSPLASIA

Canine elbow dysplasia is a common developmental disease that causes signs
of pain and lameness in young, large-breed dogs. Medium-sized breeds and breeds considered chondrodystrophic (e.g., basset hound and English bulldog) are affected at a less frequent rate.

...

Treatment of elbow incongruity remains controversial, and depends on several factors, including degree of pre-existing arthritis, severity of incongruity, age, and stage of growth. Your veterinarian and surgeon will be able to explain in more detail this component of CED, as well as how it relates to your dog





Developmental Orthopedic Disease - Knuckling Over

What Every Prospective Basset Hound Judge Should Know: Thoughts on Judging Breed
Of all the components of a Basset Hound, the least understood is the front assembly. If you think of the shoulder blade and the upper arm as being equal in length and set at right angles to each other, you are well on your way. The shoulder blades are placed well back and obliquely. The forearm is crooked to help support the mass of the chest so that the feet appear under the hound but not so far under that both legs seem to be holding the hound up as if on a pedestal. A hound with the proper balance and stance will stand squarely on the both feet with an ever-so--slight turn-out.
The Field Trial Hound
For the chest to be supported, the legs must drop from under the chest and not beside it or at the outside of it. Part of the support necessarily will require the feet to turn out slightly
A Look at the Basset
The shoulders are well muscled with good layback (45 degrees desirable). The shoulder blade (scapula) is long and slopes obliquely forward forming a right angle with the upper arm (humerus), which is almost as long as the scapula. The forearm (radius and ulna) is short compared to other breeds and is moderately crooked. The wrist (carpals and metacarpals) is comparatively straight and is covered with skin that is wrinkled, terminating in a well-rounded, massive paw (lower metacarpals and phalanges) which is inclined outward.
Viewed from the front, the crook of the legs follows the curve of the ribs to the lower portion of the forearm, the wrist and feet closer together than the elbow, but not close enough to form a fiddle front. The crook of the legs should be moderate and even on both sides, and the feet inclined outward to the width of the shoulders at most. An exaggerated crook with too much turn of foot or too straight a leg are equally undesirable. The legs should be strong and heavily boned with no indication of knuckling or weakness in pasterns. Weakness in pastern is a very serious fault, and knuckling is a disqualification.

bold added for emphysis just making it clear that bassets are not suppose to be straight leeged and there certainly are some it as equally poor conformation as being fiddled fronted. IMHO many of the straight legged dogs have much more difficulty moving than there fiddle fronted conpatriots.
 
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