Canine spinal cord injuries comprise a large majority of veterinary visits to the emergency room and eventually the veterinary neurologist or surgeon. Such injuries include spinal trauma as a result of vehicular accidents, intervertebral disc rupture, intervertebral disc disease, fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE), spinal tumors, degenerative myelopathy (DM) and, on occasion, inflammatory or infectious etiologies.

Treatment options are dictated by the diagnostics and include supportive care, surgical intervention and non-conventional modalities of care such as acupuncture, physical rehabilitation, massage therapy, and electrical stimulation. Of the modalities mentioned above, physical rehabilitation has become a key feature of physical rehabilitation and has become a valuable component of recovery and mental well being for both the canine patient and the pet owner. A part of the physical rehabilitation process is the ability to keep the patient’s limbs in a normal anatomic position in the recovery period. There are four phases of spinal cord injury. First, conscious proprioception or the ability to know where the limbs are in space is affected as those fibers that account for this modality are located on the perimeter of the spinal cord. The next function to be affected is the ability to support weight against gravity called the motor system. There are two phases to the motor system when it does not function appropriately. One is paresis or weakness and the next progression is a loss of voluntary motor capability called paralysis. The final loss of function occurs when the patient loses conscious pain perception or the ability to recognize a noxious stimulus.

With this in mind, anywhere along the spectrum of spinal cord injury, the patient regains the above functions in the reverse order (conscious pain perception returns, then voluntary motor activity then conscious proprioception). The rate and level of recovery is based upon the extensiveness and severity of the spinal injury as well as its cause.

Introducing the Canine Mobility Anti-Knuckling Device

The Anti-Knuckling Device* has become an important part of canine rehabilitation as it allows for more fluid motions of the limbs and promotes a more appropriate range of motion of the limbs and avoids the propensity for excoriation of the digits as they are placed in a more anatomically correct position in extension. In essence, as the recovery phase of spinal cord injury continues, the conscious proprioceptive pathway is involved 100% of the time. This is what makes the Anti-Knuckling Device a very important tool in the canine rehabilitation process for the patient.

The Anti-Knuckling Device uses an adjustable elastic cord secured to a material paw strap at one end, and a dog harness at the other. The paw strap consists of a loop that fits around the dog’s two innermost toes (Phalanges) and another loop that fits around the dog’s lower leg bones (Metatarsus).

The unique design of the Anti-Knuckling Device differs from other available products in that it brings the affected leg forward while simultaneously lifting the toes, effectively reducing or eliminating knuckling. In addition, tension from the shock cord as the dog walks promotes the strengthening of atrophied or weakened hind leg muscles. The Anti-Knuckling Device is effective, comfortable, easy to use and has a proven track record of promoting canine rehabilitation in dogs with knuckling and hind leg weakness issues.

Is your dog knuckling? We may have a solution. Click here for instructions on how to measure your dog. To see the Anti-Knuckling Device in action, check out our Gallery page here. Want to get the most out of your Anti-Knuckling Device? Check out our Blog to see our Best Practices Guidelines.

*As seen in  Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy – Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice Vol. 45, Number 1, January, 2015