This is a specific conversation about Dog mobility aids — ramps, harnesses and support — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A rigid brace causing sores on a Pharaoh Hound is unfortunately a common problem — those breeds have almost no soft tissue buffering on their lower legs, so any hard edge or pressure point goes straight to skin. Before we look at alternatives, can you tell me a bit more: how much does your dog weigh, which leg or joint the brace was targeting, and what you're actually seeing — is it a stability issue, pain when weight-bearing, or something else?
She's about 22kg, the brace was on her right hind leg around the hock. She has degenerative joint disease and was slipping on hard floors and struggling to push off properly. The brace seemed to help the movement but after two weeks she had raw patches where the straps sat.
inparticular.ai
That makes complete sense — the hock is a bony area with very little padding, and most off-the-shelf rigid braces are designed around Labradors or similar breeds with more bulk. The straps just have nowhere safe to sit on a Pharaoh Hound. Two things are worth separating here: the joint support itself and the slipping problem. Can you tell me whether the sores were specifically at the strap contact points, or more along the shin and Achilles area? And is she living mainly on hard floors like wood or tile?
The sores were right where the straps crossed over the shin. And yes, mostly wooden floors throughout the house.
inparticular.ai
Good — that tells me the joint compression itself wasn't the problem, it was purely the strap hardware on thin bone. That's actually fixable without going back to a rigid brace at all. For a 22kg dog with hock DJD who's slipping, I'd recommend the Kruuse Rehab Hock Walker. It's a soft neoprene sleeve that gives meaningful compression and warmth to the hock joint without any hard straps or rigid uprights. It won't overcorrect gait the way a rigid brace does, but for DJD-related instability and proprioception loss it does genuine work. The neoprene is thin enough to conform to narrow legs without bridging over bony prominences. Pair that with some non-slip socks or rugs on the worst floor sections and you'll address both the support and the slipping. I'd start with sizing by measuring the circumference of her hock — Kruuse's sizing guide is more reliable than going by weight alone for sighthound builds.
That sounds much more promising. Is it something she can wear all day or just during activity?
inparticular.ai
For most dogs with DJD it works well during active periods — walks, time loose in the house — but I'd take it off when she's resting or sleeping. Constant compression on a joint that isn't bearing weight can cause its own issues, and neoprene traps heat over long periods. Start with two or three hours at a time, check the skin underneath when you remove it, and build up once you're confident there's no reaction. Given her history with the rigid brace, do a skin check every single day for the first two weeks — you're looking for any redness, flattening of hair, or warmth that doesn't clear within ten minutes of removal.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll measure her hock today and order the right size.
inparticular.ai
Good plan. One last thing worth noting: Pharaoh Hounds are thin-coated so even gentle rubbing shows up fast — if you see any early redness at the top or bottom edge of the sleeve, a small square of medical-grade silicone gel padding inside the cuff at that point usually solves it before it becomes a sore. Good luck with her, DJD is very manageable at this stage with the right support.
