TPLO Surgery Dog Recovery Essential: Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness
In March of this year, my dog Diesel underwent dog cruciate ligament surgery (aka dog acl surgery). The most common type of dog acl surgery used now is tplo dog surgery. Knee surgery on a dog is a pretty major surgery and takes a lot of time to heal. This being my first experience with this, I had to learn a lot and figure out the right questions to ask, including finding out what I would need to help make his recovery easiest.
I did a post sharing the best dog bed ramp that was so helpful with Diesel’s recovery so he could still be in his favorite place at night, his bed (*cough cough*) I mean our bed, ha!
In addition to this, I discovered an amazing mobility dog harness that is extremely important and helpful for your dog’s TPLO dog surgery recovery, especially in the first few weeks when putting any initial pressure on their legs is hard. Since we live on the second floor of an apartment and would have follow up vet appointments, I knew I needed something to help us during his healing process.
This post is all about the Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness! This mobility dog harness is for more than just cruciate ligament dog recovery. The Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness also helps senior dogs, is an overall dog walking aid and can assist in the recovery of many other dog surgeries.
Below I’ll be walking through the features of the Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness, how to choose the right size for you, a special custom fit option, and other helpful information!
Why I Chose The Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness
One of the first items recommended to us when we knew Diesel was going to need ccl dog surgery was to get a dog lifting aid/harness. At the time, the main one that was suggested, and one that was gifted to us by a friend was the Labra Dog Support Sling. Originally we tried it out, but the problem with this type of dog mobility aid or dog slings for walking in general, is that they are quite uncomfortable for your dog, especially if you have a male.
When we first put the dog support sling on Diesel, it would slide all the way back to his wiener (yes, I said that), and when we would pull up to lift him, it would put a lot of pressure on it and he would yelp a little. I knew immediately it wasn’t going to work.
The reason I love the Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness is because it is a full body support harness for dogs that doesn’t move. The first time I put it on Diesel, I laughed a little because he looked like he was about to go zip lining and it was the coolest thing ever. I was like wow, my dog looks legit, ha! In the next section I’ll be going into design and fit, which will share how this mobility dog harness is designed to support and not put pressure on sensitive areas.
Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness Sizing & Pricing:
The Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness comes in five sizes. I’ve included all five sizes and their measurements and pricing below for quick access:
- XS ($80.00):
- Neck: 8″ to 23″
- Chest: 10″ to 27″
- Waist: 10″ to 22″
- Weight: 10 to 25 Lbs.
- Small ($95.00):
- Neck: 10″ to 26″
- Chest: 10″ to 38″
- Waist: 14″ to 30″
- Weight: 25 to 45 Lbs.
- Medium ($105.00):
- Neck: 12″ to 32″
- Chest: 16″ to 44″
- Waist: 20″ to 43″
- Weight: 45 to 80 Lbs.
- Large ($120.00 – Diesel’s Size):
- Neck: 16″ to 36″
- Chest: 20″ to 64″
- Waist: 22″ to 47″
- Weight: 80 to 125 Lbs.
- X-Large ($130.00):
- Neck: 18″ to 38″
- Chest: 30″ to 69″
- Waist: 26″ to 56″
- Weight: 125 to 225 Lbs.
The brand recommends starting with weight to help select your dog’s size and then use the individual dimensions to confirm. I used this method and got a very accurate sizing for Diesel (size large).
Choosing The Correct Hip Lift
In addition to the measurements above, this dog mobility harness also allows you to pick the correct “Hip Lift” for your dog to ensure that the pelvic pad (shown in photos below under YouTube video) fits accurately for your male dog. Below are both Hip Lift options, how they fit and which one we have.
- Conventional Hip Lift (What Diesel Has):
- Fits all females and 95% of males
- This style is used if your male dog’s penis is forward of the front of the hind legs so that the pelvic pad would sit behind (see photos below).
- “U” Band Hip Lift:
- This style is used for male dogs who’s penis is located directly under the pelvis or between the rear legs.
- The “U” shape is an opening for the penis to pass through
P.S. If you’d like more visuals/information about choosing the correct hip lift for your dog mobility harness, you can check out the hip lift sizing information page from Help ‘Em Up Harness’ website!
What’s quite funny about this part of my post is that I never imagined having so many shots of my dog’s wiener, ha! When I was shooting this with my photographer, I was like, we need to get some wiener shots to show how the harness lays. I apologize for you having to look back at them later when editing and she just laughed! When I also gave a sneak peek at some of the photos for the brand, I even told them that I had some great shots, including a wiener shot, and they laughed as well! Only dog owners’ man, ha!
One other important thing that I wanted to mention is that you can get a custom Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness using their size mix and match. Something I learned from the brand was that they do a lot of custom harnesses for Boxers due to their big chest and tiny rears. Originally, we thought that we would need to get a custom fit harness for Aiden since he’s half boxer, but after looking at the measurements, we saw that he would fit well in a medium!
Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness Fit & Fabric
Now that you know what Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness size to get, I wanted to go into more detail about fit, fabric and features. One of my favorite features of this dog support harness is that it has two handles on both the front and back. Having a large dog harness with handles is extremely helpful so that pressure is equally distributed when you pick up your dog, plus I know I’m not the only one who needs two hands when lifting their dogs. Especially my hundred pounds of treato loving brindle boy, ha!
The Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness can also be adjusted in practically every single area, creating the perfect fit for your dog. Don’t worry if it looks a little big even after one or two sections being done. Once we did the entire harness, it fit Diesel to the T! When you get your full body dog support harness, it comes with two incredibly helpful pamphlets for how to adjust each section step-by-step.
In terms of fabric, this full body dog lifting harness features both mesh and neoprene material which is makes it soft, breathable, and quick drying which is especially great here in Florida. During Diesel’s dog acl surgery recovery, one of the things he could do at a certain point was swim. Now, if he liked water, that would’ve been amazing, ha! But, if you have a dog that has swimming as part of their rehab, this dog mobility harness is an amazing thing to have because of the material it’s made out of, and with the handles you can easily help your dog in and out of the tank or pool!
Help ‘Em Up Harness Uses:
I know that I’ve mentioned a few throughout this post, but the Help ‘Em Up Harness is extremely helpful for the following and more:
- Harness to lift dog into car
- Dog harness to support back legs
- Overall senior dog mobility aid
- Harness to help dog up and down stairs
- This was HUGE for us since we do live on the second floor at our apartment. We were so concerned with getting Diesel up and down the stairs, but having this was a game-changer. So, if you have stairs at your home as well, this will come in handy!
- Harness to lift dog in and out of pool/tank for rehab
I am honestly so thankful I found the Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness. Going through dog acl surgery and recovery can be so stressful for our dogs and ourselves, that by having something that you know is going to help your dog really helps you to feel better about everything. I know it really helped me.
If you loved learning more about the Help ‘Em Up Dog Harness, check out more of my posts featuring some awesome dog product reviews like my SUV dog ramp, DoggoRamps Large Dog Bed Ramp and more:
- 4 Dog Travel Accessories For Traveling With Large Dogs (SUV Dog Ramp is featured here!)
- Best Dog Bed Ramp: DoggoRamps Large Dog Bed Ramp
- Best Dog Bed For Large and Extra Large Dogs: Big Barker 7 Orthopedic Dog Bed (BEST orthopedic dog bed for large/extra large dogs, made in the USA!)
- Big Barker Backseat Barker SUV Dog Bed Review (orthopedic SUV dog bed made in the USA!)
Photography: Kate Kelley Collection
Thank you Paw Prosper for sponsoring this post. We are so thankful to have found the Help ‘Em Up Harness and have been completely amazed by how helpful it has been during Diesel’s recovery and how helpful it will continue to be as he ages!