STEP 1

Notice a change and arrange an examination

Limping, toe-touching, slipping, a lowered wrist or hock, difficulty rising, reduced activity, or a postoperative support need may be the first clue. These signs do not tell you which structure is affected. If you are researching how to get a custom dog brace, avoid choosing the joint or product from appearance alone: paw pain, tendon injury, joint instability, fracture, arthritis, and neurological weakness can look similar at home.

Seek prompt veterinary care for complete inability to bear weight, major trauma, obvious deformity, rapidly increasing swelling, severe pain, an open wound, sudden neurological weakness, or an unexpected postoperative setback. Do not apply an online brace while waiting, because pressure or restriction in the wrong place may obscure the problem or worsen discomfort.

STEP 2

Confirm the diagnosis and mechanical goal

Your veterinarian will examine your dog and may recommend radiographs, ultrasound, advanced imaging, neurological assessment, or referral, depending on the presentation. The goal is not simply to label the leg as “weak.” The team needs to identify the affected structure, direction and severity of instability, skin condition, pain, range of motion, and whether surgery or another treatment should take priority. This examination is the clinical foundation for how to get a custom dog brace safely.

This diagnostic stage determines whether a veterinary brace for dogs has a specific job. For example, a device may be intended to limit excessive carpal extension, control selected tarsal motion, support a suitable CrCL-deficient stifle, or restrict selected C1–C2 movement. Learning how to get a custom dog brace means understanding that the prescription begins with what movement should be allowed, restricted, or guided.

STEP 3

Decide whether WIMBA matches the case

Not every dog who limps needs a WIMBA dog brace. The diagnosis, available surgical options, expected tissue healing, body size, limb shape, skin and sensation, behaviour, activity, and your ability to manage daily application all affect candidacy. A custom device is not automatically appropriate simply because it is personalised.

If your clinic is unsure how to get a custom dog brace through WIMBA, a veterinary professional can submit the history, diagnosis, examination findings, images, and proposed goal for a WIMBA Case Consult. The Clinical Support Team can advise whether a current device and Go or Pro pathway may match the case, but the treating professional retains clinical responsibility.⁴

Pet parents can also use the WIMBA Provider Map to locate an experienced clinic. If there is no provider nearby, your usual veterinary team can contact WIMBA for guidance rather than transferring care automatically. This is another practical way to learn how to get a custom dog brace without trying to select the device yourself.

STEP 4

Choose the correct Go, Pro, or collar pathway

The original draft treated Go as one seven-measurement method and described WimbaBOX as an alternative to WimbaSCAN. Current workflows are product-specific. Knowing how to get a custom dog brace requires distinguishing the three pathways below.⁴

What about sedation? Plaster casting is not part of these WIMBA measurement workflows, and sedation is not a routine requirement for photographs, manual measurements, or WimbaSCAN. However, your veterinarian may recommend sedation for separate diagnostic procedures or safe handling in an individual patient. That distinction matters when planning how to get a custom dog brace: a non-invasive measurement visit does not remove the need for appropriate diagnostics. Never delay necessary imaging because the brace-measurement step itself is usually non-invasive.

STEP 5

The clinic captures and submits the patient data

WimbaAPP is designed for veterinary professionals. For families asking how to get a custom dog brace, this means the ordering platform remains behind the scenes. Your clinic creates or verifies its account, selects the prescribed product, follows the current measurement sequence, and uploads the required photographs, scan data, diagnosis, and supporting clinical information.⁹ Pet parents do not independently perform a Pro scan or place the clinical order.

Accurate data matter. The team checks the patient and side, measurement units, limb position, visible landmarks, image quality, scan completeness, and consistency with the diagnosis. When learning how to get a custom dog brace, this may look like a brief administrative stage, but incomplete or contradictory information can delay production or affect the intended geometry.

The measurement visit does not replace the examination. It converts the clinical prescription into the dataset needed for the selected WIMBA dog brace. If swelling, wound location, pain, or limb position has changed since the diagnosis, the clinic may pause and reassess before submitting.

STEP 6

WIMBA designs, 3D-prints, and ships the device

After the required information is accepted, WIMBA translates the photographs and measurements or WimbaSCAN dataset into the prescribed geometry. This is the manufacturing stage in how to get a custom dog brace, not a new clinical assessment. Limb orthoses are produced using HP Multi Jet Fusion. WIMBA’s current material information describes PA11 for the main rigid frame, PA12 for components such as Tokens and hinge caps, and flexible TPU for selected limb-contact inserts.¹¹

These materials and digital manufacturing do not guarantee that the first dog orthosis fitting will be perfect or that healing will be faster. The device still needs to match the prescription, sit correctly on the moving patient, avoid focal pressure, and be tolerated during the intended activity.

How long does it take? Current Carpus Go, Tarsus Go, and Stifle Pro product pages state a production target of about 10 business days after complete data and order processing, followed by shipping to the practice.^5,6,7 This is not a guaranteed door-to-fitting date. Clinical review, incomplete data, holidays, region, customs, courier time, and the clinic’s fitting schedule can extend the total custom dog brace process.

STEP 7

Professional fitting, acclimatisation, and follow-up

The device is delivered to the clinic for dog orthosis fitting. For pet parents, this is the hands-on part of how to get a custom dog brace. The treating professional checks the correct patient and side, frame position, joint alignment, strap tension, edge clearance, circulation, skin contact, suspension, and whether the device rotates or slips during controlled walking. Delivery is the beginning of supported use, not the end of clinical care.

Current Tarsus Go and Stifle Pro manuals describe an introductory starting point of up to 15 minutes of controlled leash walking, no more than three times daily, followed by increases of about 15 minutes every two days if tolerated.^10,13 This is not a universal schedule. Surgery, tissue healing, diagnosis, behaviour, pain, and the selected veterinary brace for dogs may require a different plan. Follow the instructions given for your patient and device.

A WIMBA dog brace is not intended for uninterrupted 24-hour wear, and the dog should not be left unattended while wearing it. Remove it for scheduled skin checks, cleaning, rest, and any activity excluded by the treating team. Do not change Tokens or range-of-motion settings unless the prescribing professional directs you to do so.

Daily care includes checking the skin before and after use, confirming that the device is clean and undamaged, and hand-cleaning it according to the product manual. Current limb-device instructions describe lukewarm water, mild soap, and air-drying. Do not apply heat, machine-wash the device, drill or reshape the frame, or add improvised padding that changes alignment.