Finn and his OrthoPets Prosthetic Device
“Finn” is a 4 year old male (neutered) border collie who was presented to Avondale Veterinary Healthcare in Iowa in September 2019 for radial nerve paralysis of his left thoracic limb after jumping out of a car window 6 months prior. On the physical exam, his carpal extension was 150 degrees and flexion was 33 degrees. He had muscle atrophy of this triceps, biceps, and trapezoids, and good control of his elbow. He also had a wound on the dorsum of his paw due to dragging the limb.
The original plan for Finn was to try to utilize a carpal orthotic (dog wrist brace) to slowly gain extension of the carpus. When OrthoPets received the case and media, they had concerns about triceps function and the possibility of gaining extension due to the length of the injury. The owners elected to visit the OrthoPets team at Colorado State University to verify.
The evaluation by Martin and the team at CSU determined that Finn had impressive triceps control and would benefit from an accommodative style hybrid orthotic/prosthetic to return his extension to the ground in a normal alignment.
Finn returned to Dr. Carlo’s care in Iowa and was fitted with the hybrid device. He took to it right away and is regularly attending rehabilitation to gain better elbow extension. His paw wound has healed as well. Finn’s quality of life is now back to normal. He is very active and enjoys chasing the ball in the device.
Finn and his OrthoPets prosthetic device.
