Chet: The Hiking Boxer With Bilateral ACL Dog Leg Braces
Amanda Zimmer, from Athol, ID and her four-legged travel buddy, Chet, love to hike
and play outside. But the six-year-old boxer ran into big trouble when he tore his ACL last February. Amanda scheduled surgery…It failed. “The next option was another $4,100 surgery that would increase his chance of bone cancer by forty percent. Boxers are already at substantial risk for it,” Amanda said. Add to that the fact Chet, unable to run or play, was depressed. Amanda knew she needed to try something else. The two headed to the Palouse in eastern Washington. Specialized Pet Solutions Owner Angela Boncz fit Chet for a dog knee brace in April. He was not enthusiastic at first, but Amanda will tell you Chet’s a bit dramatic. They made it through. the two-week break-in period, and that’s when it all changed.
“At two weeks, we were off and running,” Amanda said. “I told Specialized Pet Solutions, ‘You have given me back my dog. I am so impressed with this brace!'”
Just last weekend, the two climbed to 7,200 feet. “He climbs with that brace on, just perfectly fine,” Amanda explained. “There’s no soreness the next day.”
Now Chet has another problem. Statistics show the first injury put him at a higher risk for a second, similar ACL tear—and that’s just what happened to his other leg. So it’s back for round two at Specialized Pet Solutions. He was fit for a second ACL leg brace for dogs. Now he’s hiking and running with two dog knee braces in place. He took to the second brace a lot faster than the first because he knew it was helping him live his best life.
