- Reduces or eliminates knuckling in dogs that drag their hind paws
- Custom fit for a wide range of dog breeds
- Helps dogs regain their quality of life
- Easy to use and durable in adverse weather conditions
- Complements your dog’s rehabilitation therapy and improves the chances of success
- Restores lost muscle tone for dogs recovering from surgery or accidents
- Can be used in conjunction with underwater treadmill therapy
- Can be used for extended exercise periods as strength and agility return
Knuckling in Dogs: What is it, what causes it, and what can be done about it?
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.
Are you looking for a solution for your dog’s knuckling problem? We may have the answer. 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
Some of our success stories
Reilly is a 13-year-old Irish Setter with arthritis and intervertebral disc disease and is 15 months post L4-S1 dorsal laminectomy. His knuckling began approximately two months after his surgery when he was able to resume his daily walks. It was heartbreaking to see something he enjoyed and looked forward to be the source of continued pain.
The effects of Reilly’s knuckling are shown in this video. He is also shown in this video, using the AKD on his right hind leg. He had been using the AKD for one year at the time of this video. As a result of his use of the AKD, the muscles that had atrophied during the course of his recovery from surgery were strengthened and he was able to resume walking with a normal gait.
Reilly was the first dog to use the AKD and was the dog that it was initially invented for. To read more about him and his journey, click here.
Reilly using the Anti-Knuckling Device

Jag using the Anti-Knuckling Device

Jag is a 5-year-old Alaskan Malamute who suffered a fibrocartilaginous embolism in early 2016. He was paralyzed from the waist back initially but after extensive rehab he regained the use of his tail, bladder, and right hind leg. His left leg remained paralyzed though and he was only able to drag it behind him when he walked.
Jag was fitted for the Anti-Knuckling Device in April of 2016, as well as a retrofitted UltraPaws Boot, which he used for several months (instead of the paw strap component of the AKD) in order to protect his paw and prevent abrasions. As Jag became stronger, he began picking up his paw when he walked, and at that time the paw strap component of the AKD replaced the boot. Jag is shown in this video taking his first steps immediately after making the transition from boot to paw strap in June of 2016.
Jag still uses the AKD and walks very close to normally. He enjoys a great life with his loving parents and his numerous Malamute packmates.
Seamus is an 11-year-old Golden Retriever with Degenerative Myelopathy. Initially he was dragging only his left hind leg and he started with a single Anti-Knuckling Device. As the disease progressed, he began dragging the right hind leg as well and he began using a second AKD on that leg.
Seamus continues to be mobile using bilateral AKDs and he enjoys a good quality of life. He is happy, alert and embraces each day as it comes.
Seamus using single Anti-Knuckling Device

Kirby using the Anti-Knuckling Device during a therapy session in an underwater treadmill

Kirby is a 14-year-old Labrador Retriever who fell on the ice several times in February, 2014 and was favoring his left rear leg. An MRI showed spondylosis at T13-L1, bridging and multiple disc protrusions, and osteoarthritis of some facets, specifically L3-4. Kirby knuckled occasionally but could still go on walks. He subsequently received underwater treadmill and laser therapy and acupuncture for 2 years.
In early March, 2016 Kirby’s back legs gave out and he was only able to walk short distances. There was moderate knuckling and/or dragging of his hind legs on these walks. His treatments in the underwater treadmill were discontinued.
Kirby began using bilateral AKDs in April 2016 and was able to resume therapy in the underwater treadmill. As shown in this video at Veterinary Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, he started with short sessions with increases in the number of minutes on each weekly visit.
Gus is a nine-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback who has been diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) and intervertebral disc disease (L7-S1). With great effort he is still able to walk on his own although he knuckles on both rear paws and has developed “wear sites” on his toes. He continued to knuckle while using an Eddies Wheels and he experienced episodes of bleeding of the nails and on the tops of his paws.
Gus is shown in this video using his Eddies Wheels cart. The cart takes some of the weight off his hind legs and allows him to continue walking with all four legs. He has, however, continued to have problems knuckling and dragging his hind legs.
In this video, Gus has bilateral AKDs affixed to his Eddie’s Wheels cart to prevent him from knuckling. The shock cords are attached to the cart’s frame on either side of Gus’s shoulders instead of the typical arrangement in which they are connected to a harness. He had been using the AKDs for one month at the time of this video and a noticeable reduction in the frequency of his knuckling can be seen.
Gus using bilateral Anti-Knuckling Devices with an Eddie’s Wheels Cart
