In this video, see the remarkable transformation animals have experienced (including our own family pet) with custom prosthetic and orthodic company PawsAbility !
Our pets are like family, they give us unconditional love and when they get injured it can be devastating.
Recently our family dog, Lemmy, who is a 12 year old Sheltie mix fell out of our SUV on to the concrete driveway. A desperate wimper confirmed he had seriously hurt himself on his back right let and a visit to our vet did not bring any better news. A ruptured cranial cruciate ligament (or CCL similar to the ACL in humans). The recommended solution? A $4000.00 operation that had us reeling and conflicted about how to proceed.
Would it heal itself over time? Were there other options for a dog of his age? We decided to take some time to investigate the situation ourselves and make sure we made the right choice for our little guy and in retrospect we are not only glad we did, but hope that our story can assist some other pet owners faced with the same unfortunate dilemna.
Upon researching, it was interesting to learn that CCL injuries in dogs are one of the most commonly seen orthopedic problems and CCL repair is the most common orthopedic surgery performed by veterinary surgeons. More often than not the injuries occur gradually over time rather than a traumatic injury and about 30- 50% of dogs will rupture both CCLs within 1-2 years of each other.
With this information in mind, further treatment research and even a call from our vet with an alternative recommendation we found PawsAbility in Toronto, a company headed by Janice Olynich, a Certified Prosthetist with a passion for animals and innovation.
Olynich, who originally worked with humans at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in their prosthetics department saw a need in the market for her services with animals and since 2007 has been devoting her time to the remarkable business that has been putting pets back on their feet with custom made prosthetics and orthodics as seen in the video.
Bottom Line: Deciding what to do for your pet is a personal decision when proceeding with care, but educating yourself about the options is your first best step.
PawsAbility was an excellent option for our family. For more information call them at: 647-888-6809 , visit their website at: www.pawsability.ca, or email: janice@pawsability.ca
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