Elbow pressure sores are a common occurrence in Tripawds. Until recently the options for treating “hygromas” as they’re properly called, were quite limited. This Tripawds Gear blog post shares some ideas.
Thankfully a few ingenious pawrents are coming up with better ways to heal these painful sores.
The latest one we’ve discovered is called the Canine Elbow Protective Sleeve by Canine Angels.
Hygroma Challenges
Pressure sores look like calluses but they can be much more problematic to treat. These dark, scaly areas that can grow to the size of a golfball occur when a dog’s front elbow makes repeated, abrupt contact with hard floors and concrete.
Rear-leg Tripawds can also develop hygromas on the lower half of their hock, if the leg is weak and constantly dips down to make ground contact.
Treating hygromas begins with covering all of your dog’s favorite hang-outs with carpet and rugs. However that’s not always practical, and sometimes hygromas continue to grow, develop more infectious fluid inside and eventually cause infection throughout the body if not treated.
The problem with treating hygromas is that the elbow needs to be well-protected in order to heal. Protecting a dog’s elbow or lower hock is a challenge. While crafty people have developed do-it-yourself elbow protectors, a few manufacturers make it easy to protect hygromas with just the click of a mouse.
Canine Angels to the Rescue
Made in Michigan by pet parent Mary Strauss, the Canine Elbow Protective Sleeve by Canine Angels can
- Provide comfort and protection for dog wounds, callus dermatitis, hygroma, soreness and bleeding.
- Velcro straps are easily adjusted to the comfort of tour dog.
- Slips on in seconds.
- Machine Washable.
- Protective elbow sleeves are durable and resistant to dirt or water damage.
Mary recently sent us a pair to try on Tripawds Spokesdog Wyatt Ray, a rear-leg amputee who has a slowly developing hygroma on both his rear hock and his front right elbow.
Wyatt is very good about allowing us to try new gear on him. He was a little hesitant when we presented this odd looking device to him, but gradually warmed up to it thanks to the help of treats.
At first we had them adjusted so tight that he couldn’t walk!
But once we learned how to create a good fit, he accepted them. Now he wasn’t thrilled but he also didn’t panic either.
In time, we’re certain that Wyatt will be comfortable in his sleeves. With Mary’s enclosed helpful hints to introduce dogs to the sleeves I’m sure that he’ll feel a little better about using them if his hygromas grow in size.
Some dogs require a slow introduction of a few minutes or even seconds each day. As Mary says, “It takes time for new puppies and older dogs to adjust to new things, especially when you are going to make them wear the object. Lots of praise and attention IS always NEEDED. Remember you are helping them, not hurting them.”
I purchased Canine Angels elbow pads for my Saint Bernard puppy with hygroma. When you order you give them the measurements from elbow to toe in order to get the right size. Mary emailed me back when I asked her if it would expand with myou rapidly growing puppy. She asked if he would getc to 145 lbs in which I responded yes, he was 110 lbs at a little over 7 months. She sends extra large pads. These pads wouldn’t fit a rhinoceros, way too big. She bases it all on weight. Requested a regulnar size and she hasn’t responded back because the large was also to big. The measurements don’t seem to matter, only weight. Ridiculous!
Hi Nick,
Sorry to hear about your experience, I would encourage you to re-contact the company. She’s a one-woman DIY shop and very time crunched so hopefully she’ll get back to you soon. Good luck with your puppy’s hygroma, it’s such a challenge to deal with.
She did get back to me. She is sending me a regular sized pad.
how do i buy these products?
Follow the links to her store, they are in the article. Thanks for asking!
Lynne: Canine Elbow Protective Sleeve by Canine Angels.
Does anyone have experience DogLeggs? They also sell elbow pads for tripods. Looking at Dog Leggs and Canine Angels, and trying to decide which to go with!
Thanks!
Thanks for asking Carrie. You will likely get much more feedback from others by posting in the Tripawds Forums or searching for existing topics.
Carrie I am wondering about the two products as well. Which one offers more padding, I don’t want it to just be a cover over the callus.
Deborah, it’s a tough call. They’re both great products. The advantage of DogLeggs is they make custom sizes so that’s a big plus. These elbow pads do have a fair amount of padding though.
What about for dogs w a forelimb amputation??
Here are some options for preventing and treating elbow hygromas. You can search all blogs here and will find more help and feedback from others in the forums!
Do these stay in place well ? I have a American Bulldog hes about 120lbs. I cannot get him to stop itching his elbows which is causing bad trama and open wounds. I’ve tried wrapping his elbows & back paws to prevent scratching I’ve used Tshirts, socks, ace bandages, tape with gauze.. none of them stay on! They put him on a steroid but unfortunately the side effect is peeing throughout the house. Has anyone with a large breed dog used these & they stayed in place?
Hi Ashley. Yeah I believe they do after trying them on our German Shepherd. The strap that goes over the dog’s back is what keeps them from moving and slipping. Just as a side note, you may want to try Makuna Honey for the wounds, and try a holistic vet who might be able to help solve the issue without steroids. We feel for you, thanks for being a great mom to him. Let us know what works for your pup.
Are these durable? I would like to give them a try, but concerned they won’t last. What are they made of, I’m looking for comfort and breathe ability for my poor guy.
Thanks!
Please visit the Canine Angels link in the post above for complete details.