Case Studies
Leg Brace in Place
Dolce's story is one we particularly love. This special senior has overcome many hurdles in her 13 years, and now she has a custom-fitted brace that makes walking a stroll in the park.
You can accuse us of anthropomorphizing, be we are quite certain that we heard Dolce giving the nickname "Bracie" to the device that has helped her so much.
We like the way Dolce's dad tells it:
"Having just finished a morning walk with "Bracie" in place, Dolce's tail is wagging. This just confirms what I've seen and known for years...my Dolce is a model for persistence and determination, a trooper indeed. Her path to Bracie has been a long and often painful odyssey."
 After a partial amputation, Dolce beat cancer. But the change to her paw left her in discomfort when in motion. The solution: a custom brace that supports her paw. After a hike over three years ago, an unusual bump on her right front paw appeared. After many months of examinations and differing opinions, we found ourselves in a CSU examination room when the words "bone cancer" were uttered.
Then...a partial amputation of her paw, a compromised surgical area which required daily wound flushing and dressing, four long, dreary months of chemo and her first prosthetic. Prognosis — 30% chance to make it past a year. Two years later, open chest surgery to remove a cancer node in her lungs. Through this all, the wagging tail never stopped.
Three years later, at the suggestion of Colorado State University's Veterinary Lab's Dr. John Chandler, we found ourselves working with Alameda East Veterinary Hospital to help mitigate Dolce's deteriating paw.
It was never expected that she would live this long and, while she is a healthy 13-year-old, her paw was in need of help and the first prosthetic wasn't up to the task.
The collaborative effort resulted in "Bracie", a fully articulated, cushioned and orthopedically balanced prosthetic device that provides Dolce's partial, arthritic paw a safe, protective haven.
Needless to say, it's helping to keep that tail wagging for which we're both most thankful.”
There's nothing like a special intervention that makes our best friends' senior years just that much easier. We thank Dolce and Bracie for sharing their story.
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