Specialized Pet Solutions Helps Animals Stay On The Move

When a pet or farm animal gets a major injury, life becomes more challenging. There's bills to pay, veterinarians to visit, and hard discussions about long term care. We all want our animals to have the best life we can give them - but it can be hard to envision how that looks, especially when their mobility is impacted.

I was stunned when I recently came across Specialized Pet Solutions, an independent business in Eastern Washington that provides animal orthotics and prosthetics. I'd seen these assistive devices for pets and farm animals before, but never like this, with so many happy faces and shining reviews. I had to reach out, and thankfully Angela (owner and founder), Christy, and the Specialized Pet Solutions team took the time to answer my questions.

I've read your story through the "Letter From Our Founder" on your website, so I won't drill into some of the questions that are answered there. Let me start instead with this: you mentioned you thought about becoming a veterinarian but chose to go into human O&P care instead. Why'd you choose humans instead of animals back then, and do you regret making that decision?

I wanted to be Veterinarian when I was younger but the schooling seemed really daunting to me. I've always liked working with my hands, building things, honestly I thought O&P would be more robotic. I do not regret starting in the human industry first, this is what gave me the knowledge of different components, the knowledge of modifying a mold from a cast and just downright how to fabricate O&P. The same techniques/components are used for both industries, you just have to understand the animals anatomy just like you would in the human world. As far as I know there is not an accredited animal O&P school out there, this has been a self taught journey but starting with the basics was key!

With the innovative work you've done, you could have gone to so many places or worked for so many companies. So why did you feel that coming back to Eastern Washington and staying independent was the best decision for you?

I have been a subcontractor for two of the biggest players in veterinary O&P (orthotics and prosthetics) since 2010 and continue to be a subcontractor for the largest one but it has been really hard sitting behind the curtain helping them grow their companies reputation all while standing in the shadows. Me stepping out publicly as a lead contributor of Animal O&P has put a toll on my relationship with the company that uses Specialized Pet Solutions as there subcontractor but we are a business that should be recognized for what we are capable of.

When I rescued Prince my three legged pony in 2007, I knew this is what I was meant to do and have not looked back since. Working for myself on my very own rescue ranch has been the most rewarding work I have done. I get to spend time with my animals and help so many other animals too. If I was stuck in a traditional 9-5 job commuting somewhere, I would not have been able to rescue the animals that I have rescued. Plus I grew up in Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho, this is home and where my family lives, I was always coming home at some point!

It's been classic belief that a lame horse's only reasonable fate is euthanasia, unless you're rich enough to afford prosthetics which have been prohibitively expensive for most horse owners. Yet your prosthetics are so affordable - what's the secret?

We love animals and want to help them. We purposely keep our prices as low as possible so more people can afford them. With 20 years of working with animals we have gained the knowledge and skills to build devices for animals without too much guess work and that does keep the price down because we are not spending hours and hours brainstorming. We already have an idea of how things should work and function and how we are going to accomplish the goal of mobility for the animal. We are a small business with a low overhead so we like to pass that savings down to the consumers.

Your website is full of so many success stories - but have you had any failures with O&P treatment, and how do you cope with them?

Usually if a device doesn't work it is because the animal has a difficult time adapting to the device and that is difficult for us because we want to help them and it's difficult for the owner because usually there are no other options for the animal if we can't help them. If there is a difficult case we are always up front on how complicated the project is and the reality if it will work or not. Which breaks our hearts as we want to try everything we can to figure it out but sometimes the reality of the issue needs to be addressed before we proceed on a difficult case.

I know I can't ask for your favorite - so what has been one of your most unique clients/patients?

Our favorite case is Gracie Girl, she is a Cane Corso puppy we just adopted that was born with her two front legs deformed. So since she is ours she is our favorite; however our most unique cases would have to be Herbie the OX which was a constant battle to dial in his front leg brace, since he was so big we needed to constantly beef up his brace (no pun intended) and come up with new ideas for him. The other one was for a goat named Enzo, who had a contracted front leg and no back legs, we ended up building a hybrid orthotic for the front leg and a custom cart for his rear end. There is a video floating around with him zooming around with all of his bionic parts, that one is pretty cool!

I saw mention of a lemur getting a device - does that mean you've consulted with zoos?

We have worked with Boise City Zoo for a front legged brace for a Warthog and a Goat, but most of our interesting clients come from animal sanctuaries or independent people wanting to help an animal that they have rescued.

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Are there any animals you can't create devices for yet, like birds - and if so do you plan on expanding in that direction?

Birds are difficult because of their lightweight bone structures and cats also have small light bones and tend to be really finicky about things being strapped to their bodies. We always tell people about the difficulties and challenges we have had with these types of animals so they know what to expect. In the future we plan to break into the 3D printing world for the smaller cases to help with cost and material weight.

How do you plan to ensure that the devices and methods you've discovered will continue forward into new generations after you retire?

We have a technician that is currently working with Angela learning her techniques. Someday 20+ years down the road we hope that one of our younger counterparts will want to carry on the business. We are currently working on a playbook for the business that will have a step by step guide on how to run/fabricate the company, that will help any potential buyers and or new employees coming on board.

Do customers have to pay for their own shipping to send back their cast? If so, how much does that usually cost?

We provide shipping of the casting kit and the final device (unless it's international then they are responsible for all shipping charges) The client will have to ship the cast back to us. Normally a dog cast will cost anywhere between $10 to $15 to ship back to use depending on size. Some of the larger animals (horses, cows, etc) could be in the $20- $30 range.

I've seen that you offer discount programs which is great. Do you also offer payment plans for those struggling to afford an orthotic or prosthetic?

Since our devices are 100% custom made and can not be used on any other animals, we do require payment in full before we start building. We can do payment plans via Paypal invoicing as they will split it up into 4 payments. Another option is we will ship the casting kit with as little as $100 down with the balance due before the build starts. This gives people time to pay without delaying the entire process completely. We also are partnered up with Joey's PAW, it's an organization that helps people that can not afford an orthotic or prosthetic. Joey's PAW will pay for the device and in return we give Joey's PAW a discounted cost.

Speaking of payments and purchases - do you offer any warranty or guarantee on your work for clients?

We guarantee fit and function however we cannot guarantee animal acceptance as discussed above. There are no refunds because it is 100% customized to a specific animal but we will make adjustments for up to 6 months to ensure proper fit as long as we are notified within 30 days of receiving the device that the fit is off.

We want to again thank Specialized Pet Solutions for taking the time to talk with us. Please check out their website and consider supporting this small PNW business with a big heart.