It’s important to keep your dog happy, healthy, and safe. Unfortunately, accidents can happen, and your dog can suffer an injury. That’s why it’s important to understand your dog’s injury and how to treat it.
Many dog injuries can be treated with a dog brace, and there are a number of companies providing braces and supports – but some are better than others.
Balto has become a trusted developer of dog braces. If you’ve never heard of Balto or you’re unfamiliar with the company, don’t worry – that’s why we’re here. We wanted to take the time to go into detail about Balto dog braces and give our thorough review of their current product line.
Let’s get to it!
Five Different Types of Balto Dog Braces
Balto makes five different types of braces for dogs. Each dog brace is designed to treat a specific injury or condition in the dog’s body. We’ll break these types of dog braces down to help you understand more about how they work and what types of injuries on the body they treat.
Balto Jump
Balto Jump is a knee brace designed to support the dog’s knee after an injury or surgery. Knee injuries are among the most common injuries in dogs.
When a dog injures its knee, the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) becomes damaged through a tear or strain. Millions of dogs suffer CCL injuries each year.
In addition to CCL tears and partial tearing, a dog can injure its patella or experience knee joint conditions. Whether it’s a torn CCL injury, a luxating patella, or arthritis that has developed in an older dog, a Balto Jump knee brace will help alleviate the pain and discomfort that comes from all of these injuries.
A Balto Jump knee brace can also be used post-operatively. If your dog has undergone knee surgery and needs a brace to help support him during the recovery process, the Balto Jump will help stabilize the knee during recovery. The brace is designed with angled splints, allowing you to remove them as your dog regains mobility during recovery.
Balto Jump Knee Brace Review
- Removable aluminum splints that can be removed at any time. This allows the brace to continue supporting your dog’s knee while allowing your dog to have more mobility and less stabilization.
- Breathable and secure material makes it comfortable and cool on your dog’s skin while providing maximum support.
- Adjustable straps can be trimmed to give it the perfect fit for your dog. There are also reflective strips on the brace so that your dog can be seen when it is worn at night.
- Available in six sizes so that you can choose the exact size your dog needs.
We recommend that you put the Balto Jump knee brace on your dog for 30-minute increments when first starting out. It will take your dog a little time to get used to the brace. Once your dog has gotten used to wearing the brace, he can wear it for up to 12 hours a day, taking it off at night.
Balto Lux
Balto Lux is a shoulder brace used to treat various shoulder injuries that dogs can incur. This includes minor shoulder pain like inflammation or instability in the joint, or it can be used for more serious shoulder injuries like shoulder dysplasia, dislocation, or medial shoulder instability (MSI).
Shoulder injuries can be extremely painful for dogs even when the injury isn’t severe. That’s why it’s important to get your dog the right care for all types of shoulder pain.
Dogs recovering from shoulder surgery can also benefit from wearing a shoulder brace because it will help them during the recovery process by making them comfortable and increasing mobility, lessening the overall recovery time.
Balto Lux Shoulder Brace Review
- Compresses both shoulders simultaneously to keep them stabilized and protected during the healing or recovery process. This helps the other shoulder from being worn down or used awkwardly while the injured shoulder heals.
- Multiple adjustable straps keep the shoulder brace securely in place around your dog’s forelegs and back to provide maximum support.
- Made of durable and breathable material that won’t rip or tear while also providing the most amount of cooling on your dog.
- Includes internal stiffeners that provide the maximum support for your dog’s shoulders.
What we like most about the Balto Lux shoulder brace is that it helped our dog walk with a normal stride. We noticed that our dog was changing the way he walked because of the pain coming from his shoulders.
Adding the Balto Lux shoulder brace corrected his walking to preserve all of his joints, not just his shoulders.
Like the Balto Jump, we recommend placing the Balto Lux on your dog’s shoulders for 30-minute increments as your dog gets used to wearing the brace. Then, you can allow your dog to wear the Balto brace for up to 12 hours before taking it off at night.
Balto Soft
The Balto Soft is an elbow brace that helps treat elbow injuries in dogs and prevents additional elbow issues from developing.
You can use a Balto Soft for the following ailments and injuries:
- Hygoramas
- Arthritis
- Sores
- Callouses
- Elbow dysplasia
- Bursitis
In addition to new injuries and ailments, you can use the Balto Soft to keep wound dressings or bandages in place and keep your dog from licking the wounds. Dressings can be difficult for canines to leave alone, and sometimes they don’t stay in place.
The Balto Soft elbow brace will prevent your dog from licking the wounds while also keeping the dressings or bandages in place without causing skin irritation.
Balto Soft Elbow Brace Review
- Two spare pads are included with the elbow brace in case you need to replace the pads.
- It is made of high-quality breathable fabric to keep your dog comfortable and cool while wearing it.
- Adjustable straps go around the dog’s back and elbow to give it the perfect non-slip fit.
- Available in 4 sizes from small to extra large.
- Comes in right-leg or left-leg orientation so you can treat the exact elbow that needs treatment.
The Balto Soft elbow brace can be trusted to treat the elbow pain that your dog is experiencing. What we like the most about the Balto Soft elbow brace are the two spare pads that are included with the brace. If the elbow pad wears out or you need to wash it, you can replace it with one of the two spares included with the brace.
Balto Up
The Balto Up dog brace is designed for dogs with extreme difficulty standing and walking due to various types of hip injuries, including hip dysplasia, arthritis, osteoarthritis, and hind leg paralysis.
The Balto Up dog brace works by providing revolutionary stability in your dog’s back hips. Something as simple as standing can be difficult for a dog with hip dysplasia or arthritis. That’s what makes the Balto Up so effective. It works to help your dog do the most basic movements.
The Balto Up is also recommended by veterinarians who are treating dogs currently in physiotherapy or going through rehab. It helps dogs recover by providing stability to the hips as they walk.
Balto Up Dog Brace Review
- Two rigid splints give the Balto Up dog brace the stability that a dog needs when suffering from various types of hip injuries or ailments. The splints help your dog be able to do normal tasks like sitting, standing, and walking.
- Adjustable straps for the Balto brace to fit your dog’s hips and back for optimal support.
- Rigid lateral straps offer maximum support for severe hip injuries and ailments.
- Height-adjustable handle straps so that you can adjust the straps to the optimal length for helping your dog sit, stand, and walk.
- Available in 5 sizes, from extra small to extra large, so that you can choose the perfect size to fit your dog.
Balto Life
The Balto Life is a hip dysplasia brace made specifically for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia or other hip injuries.
The Balto Life works by compressing all sides of the hips to treat all degrees of hip dysplasia, including level E hip dysplasia and arthrosis. Level E hip dysplasia is the most severe and most painful. The Balto Life helps reduce the pain associated with level E hip dysplasia.
The Balto Life is appropriately named Life because it gives life back to dogs that may not be a candidate for hip surgery. It helps them live a comfortable and healthy life as much as possible.
Balto Life Hip Dysplasia Brace Review
- Bilateral compression helps reduce pain in the hips from all sides, making your dog more comfortable and pain-free.
- It is designed for easy potty trips and does not require you to take it off during bathroom breaks. Your pup can keep the Balto Life on during all types of potty trips.
- Height adjustable handle straps are ideal for adjusting to the optimal height for both you and your dog. The handles are removable, so you don’t have to use them at all times.
- High-quality breathable fabric of this Balto brace won’t wear out and keeps your pup cool.
- Available in 5 sizes, from extra small to extra large.
There is no brace better than the Balto Life for dogs with hip dysplasia or other significant hip injuries that have caused limited mobility. What makes the Balto Life so effective are the two rigid discs that are lined with a double layer of padding within the brace. It provides the perfect compression level while also being comfortable and breathable for your pup.
Our favorite feature is the design that allows the brace to be worn during potty trips outside. We don’t have to fight with our dog to take the Balto Life off and on just to go to the bathroom.
It can stay on, and we can help our dog outside by holding onto the two built-in adjustable straps.