No-Knuckling Training Sock

I got this in the largest size out of desperation for Noah, my 95lb black lab/shepherd mix rescue who is 11 years old, and otherwise healthy and full of energy and life. (And the love of my life!) His gait changed fairly quickly a few months ago, and continued to deteriorate to the point where he was dragging his left leg significantly. We knew some of it was arthritis & the vet has been treating him for it. Then last week, I noticed he was knuckling that foot, too, and after a long walk we came home and it was covered in blood because he had worn down his toenails so far. It was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. Out of desperation, I started searching for solutions for dogs with arthritis, and came across this product (among a many others). After reading the description, I realized that perhaps his physical issues were more than arthritis. I contemplated and researched a bit more, and then finally ordered it. (In the meantime, I used another boot product with a soft cotton sock inside it to protect his foot/toes!) He was also struggling to squat and poop properly, and not much was coming out. After only 5 walks/uses of this apparatus in 56 hours or so, I have a dog whose gait has improved SIGNIFICANTLY! He needed time to adjust to walking in it, and it was clear when he needed a break the first time (2-5 minutes is recommended, but after trying that initially, I found he was okay to have it on for more like 10 minutes the first walk, then 15 minutes overall the second walk). In the first walk, he barely tolerated the protective bootie/sock when I took this implement off of him. He immediately started dragging the foot inside the boot, so I took that off entirely and let him walk, and found he was naturally adjusting his gait on the first walk! After a break, we put it back on again for closer to 10 minutes, and he was great until the last 90 seconds or so. He gave me a strong reflexive kick from both legs -- one after the other. When I took it off in the house, he was tired, but seemed energized. (We kept the whole session short.) His second two walks ended up being a little shorter than usual overall, but right from the start out of the house, he was lifting the foot/leg to walk down the steps and onto the sidewalk. He continued to show signs of both improvement and adjustment (which involves negotiating with his proprioceptive system to figure out how best to organize the activity of walking), and was naturally tired after a session. His fourth walk last night was very smooth overall, and he walked even more beautifully when I took the brace off than he did when it was on! When he got tired of trying to manage his own gait, I put it back on again, and it helped support the process of lifting the foot properly and placing it. This morning, he wanted to walk longer and further than he has in MONTHS! He was able to tolerate almost equal time in and out of the brace, and his gait is shockingly better! He is also pooping a lot more and no longer struggling to squat -- all looks healthy. Walking/muscles and constipation are often related in humans, so it would make sense that it would be similar for dogs too, I'm thinking. I am still going to have my chiropractor work with him (she also does doggies!) to see if we can make him more comfortable overall, but this has really, REALLY surprised me in terms of how efficacious it is! If you have a dog with this issue, it's worth a try. I was skeptical and worried about it because you can spend a shocking amount of money trying to help your dog with products that are ineffective and cannot be returned. This was, for us, not one of those products.

Our 11 year old poodle knuckles under his left rear foot. Just received brace today 11/09/23 tried putting the cord under the two middle toes and because he has webbing it won’t work as intended. There should be a warning

I bought this for my 85 pound lab mix of indeterminate age who is showing signs of a beginning neurological disorder in his hind legs. He would be fine for most strides but then knuckle hard, often scraping up and bloodying the top of his foot. After looking at brace support options it seemed like this one got the best reviews. The other option I found was a plastic support that went under the foot that didn’t allow the foot to move, made one paw higher than the other and had unpadded Velcro straps. I bought him the large size. I tried to measure his foot and was coming up with a medium, but decided to go by the weight chart and get him the large. It is the correct size. Since using this brace he has not knuckled on that foot. It is a bit tricky to get on as all the Velcro parts try to stick to each other and the top one has to be tight enough to keep the brace from sliding down the leg. I like that the elastic band can be adjusted. I am concerned about restricting circulation with the Velcro straps and only put the brace on for walks. I also don’t know how irritating that elastic band feels in between his toes, especially on a dog with webbed toes, as many retrievers have. He is not roaming about the house with the brace on or left unattended wearing it. He would probably chew it off if I did that. As long as he doesn’t show signs that the brace is causing irritation to his leg or toes, I will be getting another one for his left leg when he starts to knuckle on that one, too. This appears to be a decent solution to my dogs knuckling problem, at least for now.

I'm not sure yet if this is helping. This particular sock however isn't made well. I had to make some adjustments for it to stay up by sewing extra velcro on it and fixing the tab for the toe holder stay put. The quality varies for this product depending on where you purchase it from. This is very poor quality. I can't attest to the effectiveness just yet.

My elderly dog injured her hip and began "knuckling" her back right foot quite badly, particularly when in her mobility wheels. I put this on and it took her only a few moments to get used to it, and then it worked like a charm - she lifted her paw up and through and placed it flat, like she is meant to. My only issue is that it CANNOT be left on for any extended period - I made that mistake (And that's all on me, not on the product, as I think it even says "do not leave on for more than 20 minutes" or something like that) and my dog's paw and hock swelled up significantly and both areas were very warm, and my dog was very uncomfortable for the entire day. I only left the sock on for an hour or so - I forgot to remove it after we went for a short walk - but that response was significant and rapid. Unfortunately, she injured herself again (same leg) a few weeks ago and we've not been able to put it on her as she is too sore. Hopefully, she will recover enough for us to get her going in this again, as she is back to knuckling due to her pain.