Testimonials
From Veterinarians
"We have used several different Balto® Braces through KVP and have been quite happy with all of them. The construction and material is very good; the braces are durable and hold up well to daily use, especially compared to other braces we have used. Customer service and sales reps have been easy to work with. Thank you, KVP for introducing us to another way to help our animals!"
— Dr. Melissa Shaver & Michelle Michelsen, Newberg Canine Rehabilitation Center
"It is easy to fit and put on and off but does require that it is anchored to the opposite leg and up to the collar to prevent sliding. For my young dogs who did not want surgery or my older dogs who are otherwise orthopedically stable and still move well, this is a good option."
— Dr. Amber Callaway Lewis, Treasure Coast Animal Rehab
"As a veterinarian, it is nice to have an option for pet owners who are unable to afford surgery or for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. I have used two different products from the Balto® line, the Balto® Jump Brace and the Balto® Life. I used the Balto® Jump Brace on two different patients with two different issues:
- Janie is a 3 year old Chihuahua with a Grade III luxating patella in her left leg. Her owner, which is our Practice Manager, is unable to do surgery on her at this time. To keep Janie comfortable, we opted to get her the Balto® Jump Brace to keep her more comfortable. Because of her luxating patella, she wouldn't put much weight on her left leg while walking. After placing the brace on her and after about 5 minutes of her getting used to it, she was able to walk around normally.
- The second patient is Precious, an 11 year old Labrador Retriever, who has torn cruciate ligaments in both hindlimbs, with her left being the worse of the two. After placing the Balto® Jump Brace on her, she was happily jumping around and much more comfortable.
- The Balto® Life brace was used on Abby, a 3 year old Yorkie, who was hit by a car and sustained a right pelvic fracture and a hairline fracture of her right tibia. Her owner opted for medical management instead of surgery. We recommended the Balto® Life to help keep her hips stabilized while healing as well as to help her with mobility.
I've been thoroughly impressed with each use of KVP products and how much each patient's mobility is improved and how instant that improvement is. I can't wait to try out more KVP Orthotic Products!"
— Jennifer Le, DVM, MBA; Veterinarian & Co-Owner, A Couple of Vets Animal Hospital
Balto® Jump →
"I noticed Janie limping and favoring her left hind leg. After taking her in to see Dr. Le, she was diagnosed with a luxating patella. We decided on the Balto® Knee brace as an alternative to surgery. Janie has a medial patella luxation which means that her kneecap slides in and out of its socket, causing her to have difficulty in walking as well as discomfort and pain. Janie was a little skeptical of it at first, but as soon as she felt she was getting around better, she gave into it. I'm happy that's she is doing much better with it, and we'll avoid surgery for a while."
— Cynthia, Owner & Practice Manager, A Couple of Vets, & Janie
"Precious came in limping and was found to have a cranial crucial tear in her right knee. Because of her age as well as budgetary limitations, she was not a good candidate for surgery, so a brace and good pain management with medications and laser therapy were chosen as an alternative option.
Upon the arrival of her brace, she appeared to have a significantly worse limp in her left hindlimb. Many times, when a dog tears one cruciate ligament, they will tear the cruciate ligament in the opposite leg as well, which is what happened in Precious's case. We opted to place a brace on her left leg instead of the initial right she was presented for. She appears so much happier with the brace on."
— Precious' Veterinarians
"Jersey had a lateral suture surgery for a torn ACL and needed some extra support during her recovery period. My vet recommended KVP Orthotics. We were very impressed with the reviews we read online and decided to try it out. Not disappointed at all. It was easy to fit on her with the help of our vet the first time, and she adjusted to it super fast. Thank you for providing Jersey with the support she needs for her recovery!"
— Jade & Jersey
"Rosie is 13 years old. About four months ago, she ruptured her right cranial cruciate ligament. Surgery was not a viable option, so I started researching alternatives online. I found the website for Balto assistive devices, and thought the stifle brace would answer my needs. As you can see, Rosie is perfectly comfortable and happy to wear it! She chases squirrels, plays with other dogs, and races through the woods near my place. Her favorite thing to do is fling herself into a snow pile and make angels. The brace gives her the stability in that limb to continue doing 'dog stuff,' which was always my end aim."
— Laurie, BA MA CELTA RVT & Rosie
"Red was diagnosed with a severe CCL tear on his right knee. As an alternative to surgery, our vet, Dr. Melissa Raymond, recommended trying the Balto® Jump for anytime he is out of the crate as well as when we introduce short walks back into his recovery plan.
He has now been using the brace for just about a month now. Initially he was unsure of the brace, and we did have to modify it as a female strapping sequence (just making sure to not obstruct his urethra) in order to have it stay on, but it is working great. He is able to move freely, and it allows us to give him some time out of the crate without worrying he will injure his knee any further.
We have been very happy with the brace, and the customer service of the company is awesome! We initially ordered a size that was too big, and they worked with us to get the right size and were so nice and helpful along the way!
Thank you again so much for all your help! I really do appreciate it!"
— Katie & Red
"Artemis had a cranial cruciate ligament rupture and is now post-op TPLO surgery. When I first put the Balto® brace on her, she limped and hopped around for a while because she wasn't used to it. After a few days of use, she got used to it and walked normally. I really like the Balto® Brace because I feel like it provides great support to prevent further injury. We use it when we know she'll be doing more strenuous activity, like long walks or hikes. One of the surgeons has looked at the brace and said it was a good way to aid in the post-operative recovery and provides additional support for her knee."
— Channing, RVT & Artemis
"My nine-year-old female Jack Russell/Beagle mix, Mally, tore her CCL in her back left knee in Mid-April. I elected to not go the surgery route when my vet informed that there is a slight chance the injury could heal on its own. Our vet suggested 3-4 weeks of confinement with no running, jumping, playing, and bathroom break walks must be on a leash. When we are home, I feel guilty keeping Mally in a crate when our other 3 dogs roam free. This is what led me to KVP Orthotics. I purchased the small size Balto® Jump and it works great! With the brace on, there is no jumping and the injured knee is comfortably restricted. Mally can still use her leg, sit, and lay down. The brace took a little getting used to but was not bad at all.
It is week two of the healing process, and the brace has become part of our daily routine when going outside. I do not have to walk her on a leash, and if she decides to take off running, she can but not use the damaged knee. The Balto® brace is very well made and easy to use. It fits my dog so well; I choose not to use the extra support straps that came with the brace. There is cushion padding inside the brace that cradles the leg and keeps the knee in place. The KVP Balto® Brace is a quality product that I would recommend, and I have no doubt it is helping my injured dog. Surgery is not out of the picture, but if we do go that route, I have just the brace I need for the healing process. Thank you KVP!"
— Mark & Mally
"We got our dog, Abby, the Balto® Jump to help with her cruciate ligament injury. Initially, we had some difficulty placing the brace on the leg but in a short time learned to do this easily and quickly. The key for us was to first loosely place the abdominal strap around her followed by the clam shell after which the abdominal strap was tightened. This procedure was easily completed within approximately 15 seconds. For the first 8 weeks, the brace was used outdoors to restrict leg movement should Abby attempt to overexert her leg. The brace worked well in keeping the leg stable and discouraging her from attempting to run. When wearing the brace, she didn't put weight on the affected leg. As she is older and not overly active, we didn't feel the need to utilize the brace while indoors. We feel that using the brace outdoors prevented her from over-stressing her leg, allowing for quicker healing times and possibly preventing possible re-injury."
— Fred & Abby
Balto® Hock →
"Marley is a 13-year-old black female English Lab weighing about 70 lbs. She has had a total of 3 surgeries in just 2½ years. The original CCT replacement with a cadaver tendon has lasted about 2 years when the tendon tore through the anchor point. As a solution, a decision was made to try and fuse the joint with a bracket though that had to be removed eventually due to an infection setting in. Screws and pins were used alternatively, but one of the screws backed out, requiring another surgery to remove and replace it.
Marley wore a custom brace right after the second surgery, but the swelling rendered it unuseable. She had to switch back to a splint which was difficult to maintain as it had to be taken off before she could swim for her rehabilitation. We decided it's time to look for a simpler solution and found a Balto® Brace through KVP Orthotics which has worked wonderfully since. She doesn't mind wearing it, there was no rubbing, and it can be taken off easily for swimming and put back on when she walks a lot.
We had a very specific need for a hock brace, and this answered that need. We imagine a more adjustable angle or a pivoting joint could accommodate a wider variety of pets, but overall it has worked really well and reduced the stress on Marley. She had no initial issues to wearing the brace as she was used to the prior, much more intrusive splint, and this was much easier to give her a break from. There isn't any resistance when we put the brace on her. She seems stable when she is walking or chasing a ball which should be a good indication that she accepts the brace.
Balto® Braces are a great middle-ground between 'wrap' type braces you can find anywhere, which offer almost no real support, and the very high-end 'custom' braces. Of all the 'over-the-counter' devices I could find, KVP Orthotics had the most support for what we were needing. If we could adjust the angle via repleaceble 'stays/side bars' to accommodate the highest comfort post-surgery, I would cetainly be willing to pay more for the 'customizable' aspect to better fit a pet."
— Ted & Marley
"Colbie has been using the Balto® Hock for slightly over a year now, and she has made improvements on her willingness to bear weight and step more on her weakened leg. She had a total of four surgeries after she was not properly operated for her calcaneus fracture in 2015. If the vet specialist had suggested a brace right after her arthrodesis surgery, I would think her muscles on that leg would probably be able to gain more and her ligament probably won't deteriorate as quickly. Six months later another vet suggested the Balto® Brace! We instantly ordered one and after putting it on for all her walks, her gait was slowly getting better and was stepping more confidently. Of course, with hydrotherapy and extra swimming lessons, those activities helped her leg muscles as they've already atrophied quite a lot. We tried everything to save her leg from amputation. Everything about the Balto® Brace is great, and the quality is very good. Thumbs up for Balto® for saving dogs like Colbie. I suggest this to other dogs who might need it!"
— Jessica & Colbie
Balto® Lux →
Jake is a 13.5 year old male Pug suffering from severe arthritis and instability to his right shoulder. Patient has significant arthritis to all four limbs, being treated with pain management and acupuncture. Radiographs were taken and sent to orthopedic specialist to evaluate. Due to his age and overall condition owner did not want to do any type of surgical procedure, so getting a brace was the only hope we had for him.
Jake started with the brace on for 2 hours a day for 3 days. The owner reported that he started walking more within the first three days. His progress has since continued to be remarkable day by day as we've seen the brace providing Jake with the stability he needs. After two weeks we started using laser treatment on top of the brace use, and he is like a puppy again and wants his brace on every day!
— Chandra Lang, Office Manager, Miliken Animal Clinic
"The Balto® Lux seems to work well for Echo who has medial shoulder instability. We have found that it stops her leg from abducting from the shoulder, and she walks with a normal stride! The harness itself has durable material. Being a fluffy dog, fur does get everywhere, but it's quite easy to pull off this harness."
— Emba, RVN & Echo
Balto® Splint →
"Ares is a 7 year old male Belgian Malinois who competes in protection sports and helps with herding my livestock when needed. He partially ruptured his tendon in his pastern, so we decided to get him a Balto® Splint brace from KVP. Initially when he started wearing the brace, he walked around trying to avoid putting full weight on that leg, shaking it, etc. He adapted fairly quickly though and now just goes through a brief 'this feels weird' period when I put it on then settles down. I've been very happy with the brace, and the customer support from the company. I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know and will continue to recommend them. I wish I'd known about this company 8 years ago when another one of my dogs tore her cruciate. I think I would have been happy with a brace from KVP."
— Kadi & Ares