Necessity is the mother of invention. When Reston resident Schon Gross realized that her dog Greif, a Rottweiler, had painful swelling in his legs due to arthritis, she took matters into her own hands. She designed DogLeggs, a therapeutic treatment that takes the pressure off sores and suffering.
"Greif had swelling from his elbows to his toenails," said Gross. "None of the therapies were working, including tubes to drain the sores. The only solution was to have him lay on a soft pad or crate him."
A graphic designer by trade, Gross put her imagination to work by first pulling apart knee pads, the kind that athletes wear, to examine their construction. With the help of her old sewing machine, she created the first pair of DogLeggs for Greif.
"Within two days, the swelling went down by half," she said. "By day five, the condition was completely gone." Gross had the product patented in 1999. In 2001, she stopped doing graphic design, and now, devotes herself full-time to her new invention.
Each set of DogLeggs is custom-made using polar fleece and lycra-covered neoprene. Velcro is used to adjust the fit. Exact measurements must be taken to ensure the proper fit. Different dogs have special needs. Some dogs, such as Newfoundlands (giants) or greyhounds (short-haired and smooth-coated) require additional chest straps.
"I became aware of Schon about a year ago," said Matt Browning, a veterinarian at Clocktower Animal Hospital in Herndon. "We prescribe the hygroma wrap for dogs with swelling. It's a condition you see typically with older, heavier dogs sitting on hard surfaces."
For Dana Plank of Reston, it was just the relief his Harlequin Great Dane, Rex, needed. The 5-year-old, 175-pound, 36-inch-high pet was suffering from swelling in the elbow. "It was bleeding and developing infections," said Plank. "We put Band-Aids on the sore three times a day, but they never stayed on. I heard about DogLeggs through my vet, and after two days of using it, Rex was on the road to recovery."
Gross, who once managed a cattle ranch in California, hasn't seen much profit from her invention. She's not discouraged. She actively travels to trade shows, advertises in industry publications and maintains a Web site. Last summer, she hired an assistant, and she's developing similar products for cats and bunnies.
The pair of DogLeggs hang in the home office where Gross spends most of her time. They're a reminder of a special friend, Greif, who passed away in December of 1999.
"All your life, you have really great ideas," she said. "This is something I knew I had to do. In graphic design, you are always trying to invent something new, but with this, I become an important part of the dog's family. It feels like magic."