Free Knitting Pattern Dog Chew-No-More Leg Cover

My dog, Gibson, has been fighting bladder cancer for the past few years. Although there is no cure for canine bladder cancer, he has beat the odds and has lived much longer than expected. He has good days and bad days, but is still very happy.

Gibson has tried several different treatments. For awhile, he was getting IV chemotherapy. Just like in humans, there are risks that come with chemotherapy. He had a reaction to an injection that he received in his upper front leg. He kept chewing and licking the spot, which made the irritation worse. 

I looked around at the store for something to cover it, but could not find anything that would stay on his leg and he would leave alone.

I created this to cover the wound and prevent him from further irritating the sore. He was still able to pull it down with his teeth, so I attached a piece of elastic to wrap around it and hold it up. It worked perfectly! Gibson left it alone long enough to heal.

Materials Needed:

• Worsted Weight Yarn - If this is going to be on a sore, natural fibers will be less irritating than synthetic fibers. 
• Set of four size 7 double-pointed knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Optional Materials: 

• Roll of 1 inch wide elastic band.
• Needle and thread.
• Fasteners - I used the fasteners from an old set of sheet straps.

Instructions:

With size 7 dpns, cast on 20 stitches. 
Join in the round, and work in K1, P1 ribbing for 5 rounds. 
Evenly increase 4 stitches on the next round and continue in the K1, P1 ribbing until work from beginning measures about 1 ¾ inches.

Elbow Opening: Cast off 12 stitches loosely in ribbing. Rib to the end of the round. Cast on 12 stitches and rejoin in round. Work 5 rounds in K1, P1 ribbing. Knit all stitches in round until work from the elbow opening measures about 4 ¾ inches (or the length needed for your dog’s leg). Decrease 4 stitches evenly on the next round. Work 8 rounds in k1, P1 ribbing. Cast off in ribbing. Weave in ends.

Elastic band: Cut a piece of 1 inch wide elastic long enough to wrap around the dog. Make sure it is not too loose so the dog can pull the cover down, but you don’t want it too tight to make it uncomfortable. My dog is a fat lab, and the elastic I used was about 27 ½ inches. You can either sew it directly to the leg cover or attach some kind of fastener to be able to remove the strap.

Notes: I made this for a large lab’s leg. You may have to adjust the number of stitches and/or change the yarn or needle size to obtain a size that fits your dog.

You can download the pdf of this pattern here or from the Ravelry website. While you are on the Ravelry website, be sure to check out some of my other projects on my project page!