Frequently Asked Questions​

In minor injuries or chronic situations (arthritis, carpal hyperextension)  it is often enough to wear the orthosis  on walks. If your dog has an acute carpal fracture, acute ligament injury or tendon injury, the Taituki support can be used constantly for 4-8 weeks, and after that you can put it on when going for a walk. 

In knee injuries (anterior cruciate ligament, acl-tears) dog can wear the support whole day, both in walks and at home. After two months you can take the knee support gradyally off and use it only when dog is limping or you are taking him to a long walk. 

We recommend taking the orthosis off for swimming. The dog does not usually need the orthosis while swimming in the same way it is needed when walking, and removing it also eliminates the risk of the orthosis coming off and going missing in the water. Also if the orthosis and dogs skin are wet, the skin can get harmed easily. 

If the orthosis is not a proper fit for your dog, you can exchange or return it. If the orthosis breaks within the first three months of use, we will repair or replace it free of charge.

Orthoses used for more than three months are not covered by the repair/replacement guarantee stated above.

We also offer affordable maintenance services for our products, so feel free to contact us if the screws of your dog’s orthosis come loose or if the fabric is torn, for example.

The orthosis withstands use during regular walks. Keep in mind that if the fabric components of the orthosis touch the ground constantly, they will also wear fairly quickly. A properly sized orthosis should not touch the ground when the dog walks (with the exception of severe carpal hyperextension).

The orthosis does not withstand the dog’s chewing. If your dog has a tendency to chew on things, the orthosis should not be used without supervision, for example, when the dog is home alone or unattended in a car.

The Velcro straps of the orthosis will lasts longer if you open them in a steady and even motion, instead of ripping them open quickly. They should also be cleaned regularly to remove any debris and hair to ensure proper functioning.

If the leg is pressed down on the wrist or hook, then the whole weight of the dog will come to the support. At the beginning, you can monitor whether there will be an chafes at any point and whether the hairs will be worn. Also in those dogs that have very protruding bones at the joint (for example, due to osteoarthritis), it is worthwhile to be accurate. If necessary, we will make a  customized support for your dog to avoid abrasions.

Neoprene padding is attached to the support, you can get additional padding if needed. Contact us if you need advice or more padding. The knee support almost never does abrasions, because it does not need to use metal parts.

Usually, the waist strap and knee support stay well on. If the dog has very skeletal hips and a slick short hair, the waist strap sometimes slips downwards. We can add a strip to the support, which fastens the straps from above the knee to each other. You can also attach the waist belt from the back to the harnesses. Some dogs have a thick short leg, so the support can slip over the knee when the dog sits. For these types, if needed, we make a higher model, which doesn’t get to slide too low.

When using Taituki orthoses, for example, in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the dog, the muscles tend to remain stronger than without support. This is because when a dog can step on foot better and is able to jog more easily, muscle tone improves as well. A dog that limps and very cautiously steps on it or does not step on foot at all, loses muscle more than a dog with support in the foot.

No need to. Use support on the leg where there is a problem. If the other leg starts to go off in time, only then you will need another support for your dog.

The wrist and hook support curve to the right and left sides equally well. Knee support can sometimes also work on the other knee, but there are slight differences between the right and left legs.

The base model wrist support (25 degrees) works if need be for hook injuries. The support prevents side twisting of the joint, so it also supports the hook, e.g. in Achilles tendon injuries and hook ligament injuries.

We see lots of dogs using Taituki, so changes will be made quickly if we find they are beneficial to dogs. We update images to handouts and web pages are sometimes made with a slight delay.