Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Moose is a 6-year old Berner with osteosarcoma, exactly three weeks post rear leg amp. That first week was brutal! But he is now pain free, getting around great, learning to do stairs, and we are starting to take short walks.
Before diagnosis we walked daily in the woods behind our house, usually twice a day, off leash, for about 30 minutes each time. In our new normal, we are starting with 3 minute walks. He does great, terrain no problem, he’s just so happy to be out and about. Each day I add a tiny distance. But he can’t tell me when he needs to rest, and I’m afraid of overdoing it. I know his whole body needs time to adjust to this new gait. How do we progress?
I’m working on a “rest” command, meaning, I ask him to sit and then lie down, and we’ll just hang out a minute or two, give that back leg a chance to rest. Ultimately I’d like him to tell ME he wants to rest but I don’t know how we’ll figure that out.
We did rehab after his TPLO last fall so I’m familiar with that, but my question is more about taking walks without overdoing it. I want to slowly and carefully build his strength, but I don’t know how to gauge how far he can go.
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Your post has been approved so you will be able to get some good feedback from forum members
First of all, you are doing an excellent job of monitoring your pups pace and taking things slow and easy. We know the first week or two were really hard, but you are now at the point where you can start building up his strength and his walks.
We did rehab after his TPLO
My first suggestion was to get him into a program with a Certified Rehabilitation Specialist. It sounds like you are already familiar with some of the exercises stretches, core strength building techniques, etc. If not, you can still go for another appointment with your pup and the Tripawd Foundation will pay for that first consult.
I’m working on a “rest” command, meaning, I ask him to sit and then lie down, and we’ll just hang out a minute or two, give that back leg a chance to rest.
That's a great strategy.
Ultimately I’d like him to tell ME he wants to rest but I don’t know how we’ll figure that out.
Generally, not always, a dog will slow his gait and then sit on his own if he's done too much
Also, several short walks, generally no more that 15 minutes at a time (with some "stop and smell the roses" rest) are recommended moreso than two long walks a day.
Berner's are such great dogs. Moose is a perfect name for thos sweet pups
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Welcome! I'm sorry you had to join our club, but glad you found us.
Sally's insight is spot on. I would really encourage you to re-start rehab therapy. It's completely different for a dog with three legs, and you will learn Moose's language that will tell you when he's had enough. They can also show you exercises to help him build strength, core muscles, balance, and develop good habits. And yep, Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit !
On a similar note, I published this article a while back, about longer walks:
https://gear.tr.....pawd-dogs/
Basically, any time a dog sits down on a walk, they've gone too far. You want to minimize that from happening. It's a learning curve for sure! But by keeping his walks shorter (no more than 10 to 20 minutes by the time a couple of months go by), and doing them more frequently (2 or 3 short walks throughout the day are better than one long one), you will minimize those situations where he's overdone it.
We have a lot of great rehab therapy articles and podcasts too, check 'em out!
Hello and welcome.
My rear amp Tripawd is on the opposite side of the size scale! Elly is just under 15 pounds, she lost her leg to a car accident when she was 7 months old, she is now just over 9 years old.
When she was younger she was not good at self regulation- she was full of puppy energy when I adopted her at 10 months old. It took me quite a while to train her to not jump up on the furniture without using steps or stools. She would go miles on our walks if I let her. There were a couple times when I was trying to figure out her abilities that she did too much and developed muscle spasms in the evenings.
Now that she is over 9 years old (and had an injury a couple years ago) she is much better about self regulating. To be honest I'm not sure if she has just gotten used to her stroller and likes riding- but I'm erring on the side of caution at this point. I have a two year old quad-dog who needs exercise, we walk 2 to 3 miles daily and Elly comes along on most days, walking some and riding the rest of the way.
One gauge I developed- if when we got home from a walk the first thing she did was get a toy then we hadn't done too much.
I was ambivalent about rehab- mostly because she has severe anxiety and fear issues so vet visits are hard for her. We had always done exercises at home and I feel like she was very fit and strong. But when she hurt her one hip in a freak accident I felt the need for rehab outweighed her other issues. She did some treatments but we got a home exercise program and a muscle building supplement. We had a follow up visit last fall and we adjusted her exercises, added some meds, and started chiropractic treatments. All the vets that have seen her for her hip injury have said that this will be an ongoing issue that we have to monitor and treat for the rest of her life. Hopefully you can get Moose as fit and as strong as possible so you can avoid injuries.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
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