Life is great for Rigby the super senior Tripawd dog. In today’s Tripawd Tuesday you’ll learn how this 11-year old gal from North Carolina has stayed healthy, hoppy and injury-free since losing her leg at six months old.
Super Senior Tripawd Rigby’s Secrets to a Hoppy Life
We were thrilled when Matt (aka @mobythedane on Instagram) celebrated Rigby’s 11th birthday in April! We asked him how he kept his super senior Tripawd strong and injury-free all these years, and here’s what he said.
What were some of Rigby’s early challenges as a young Tripawd? What was your greatest lesson learned during that time?
When we adopted Rigby she had just gotten her leg amputated by SPCA the week before and still had staples in place. These were removed before our pick-up date, she did not have any complications or issues with the procedure and did not receive any ongoing medication at that time.
My greatest lesson was learning that she could do everything I had seen a four-legged dog seen and more! Whether it was climbing fences or busting through screen doors we had to learn quickly that her puppy energy was not tempered by her amputation.
What kinds of exercise did she get as a young pup? How did you learn to understand her needs, and when she overdid things then, and now?
Most of her exercise as a puppy came from playing at the dog park and with friends’ dogs. As she has gotten older we’ve switched to more limited and controlled exercise, mostly daily afternoon walks and time in the backyard.
When she was young she was extremely resilient and athletic, however I could tell by her gait on longer walks when she would become tired and rely less on her single rear leg.
Now she is more likely to sit or lay down before she risks overdoing it, however we have also progressively shortened her walks to focus on minimizing strain on her joints.
What is your best advice for having a healthy, injury free super senior Tripawd?
Keeping weight off has proven to be the most important aspect of managing Rigby’s aging. We recently started her on a prescription food to help her lose some stubborn weight as she isn’t as active as when she was younger.
I also make sure that we keep the hair on her paws trimmed to help minimize slipping on our hardwood floors. This also makes it a lot easier for her to get up to a standing position without slipping.
At times when she has had minor injuries we have used a harness designed to help pick up her rear-end as well as a sock w/ a tacky bottom to help her rear leg paw grip when standing.
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Your Pet Can Star in Tripawd Tuesday
Each Tuesday, Tripawd dogs, cats and other critters from around the world can enter for a chance to be “Tripawd of the Week.” Just share your Tripawd’s story and you’re entered to win! On every Tuesday of the week, tell us about your three-legged hero. Just follow these easy steps:
- In a short paragraph or two (or longer if you’d like!), describe your three-legged hero’s story.
- Include photos or links to videos already uploaded to YouTube.
- Include a link to your Tripawds Forum topic and/or Tripawds blog, social media handles, etc.
- Email your story and photos to us.
All entries must be received by Saturday at 11:59 pm. One Tripawd story will be selected at random to be featured the following Tuesday.