2 replies to this topic

[Crawford Dogs]

Loki, my 2 yr old Border Collie is finally returning to activity after 5 months of medical treatment. In October he subluxated his left shoulder in a fall. After laser treatments and physical therapy Loki began to slowly return to activity at home. About 2 1/2 weeks ago he suddenly began having issues and was diagnosed with a neck injury from his gentle leader head halter. He'd been put on the head halter to keep pressure away from the shoulder region. With chiropractic adjustments, massage, and lots of ice Loki is feeling better and slowly returning to activity again. Has anyone heard of gentle leader injuries? I emailed gentle leader and got a long letter basically saying that out of all the injuries they've investigated THEY have decided that only one injury was entirely due to their head halter. Have other people seen issues?

[SecretBC]

Ha!! Absolutely a dog can get injured from those things. Especially if their idiot owners use them on a Flexi leash where they can build up a good head of steam before getting snapped back when they hit the end.

They certainly can serve their purpose, but when used the dog really should remain on a short lead the entire time so as to never be able to charge off and get snapped back.

If more control is needed and Loki still can't wear a harness, look into purchasing a martingale collar and forming a "basket" with the leash. We do this at the shelter all the time -- lots of control, but there is no pressure on the shoulder.

I tried to find an example online but failed. Basically the leash is attached to the collar. You hold the collar with the leash attachment at the top and then wrap the leash around the dog's girth and then up through the loop in the martingale collar. Instant no-pull harness with zero pressure on the shoulders. Works a treat.

[Crawford Dogs]

Loki's using Ruff Wear's Stow-n-go harness which was one of the harnesses the vet approved. Dr. Carlo (certified canine rehab vet) wasn't sure what Loki should use so she actually contacted Dr. Chris Zink, the foremost expert on canine rehab. He seems to be doing ok with it so no big complaints. He's starting 10 minute walks twice daily and enjoying himself.