Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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So Miss Rosie has been doing great. I posted a video earlier this week of her playing and chasing ball with the chuck-it. The first day she was cautious and only had one triple saukau.
We rested for 3 days and tried again today. Her success last time I think made her feel invincible this time. She wouldn't lope to get the ball and instead hopped full speed. She couldn't stop today and could only do 3 runs. On 2 occasions she fell hard. It was like her front leg buckled and gave out. It scared me because the last time it was hard for her to get up. It kept giving out. Almost had to Carry her and use her harness to get back to the car.
Im working with a rehab therapist, doing water treadmilll and all that. I know she needs to build strength. Taking it what I thought was slow and steady. What happened? What can I do to build the strength and coordination?
Thanks!
Hi - I am sorry, this must be very unsettling. When you have a dog that has bounced back quickly from amputation like Rosie, I think it is easy to think (for her and for you) that she is invincible. And she IS a warrior. She has done so well!
But this is tough - her balance is different and there is a lot more pressure and weight on that remaining front leg. This becomes very much a balancing act between knowing you want to build her stamina and realizing you have to go slow because you have to take good care of that remaining leg.
If this is a little bit of a soft tissue injury, you and she should probably dial it back. Talk to your rehab consultant for sure. Maybe some more balance work. Also ask about whether a brace might be helpful - Therapaws is one brand that does standard and custom braces.
Give her more rest - injuries always take more time to heal than we want. Is she still taking any meds? An NSAID might be in order to help with any inflammation (Rimadyl).
And if it isn't improving, is an oncologist part of your team? Would definitely mention to the oncologist if you think she isn't improving after a few more days or seems worse.
Sending best thoughts!
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Well Miss Rosie! You quit scaring your humans! We get very stressed when our tripawds have "issues" with their remaining legs!!
There are a lot of links here about core strengthening. I would imagine that's what your Rehab Specialist is at least partially focused on.
It is soooo easy, especially early on (and yes, one month out is still early on!) for front leggers to overdo easily. And each time there is an "owee", taking it really, really easy is an absolute necessity. If proper and thorough healing of joint, muscles, etc doesn't take place then recurrence can happen quite easily.
Often times when a front legger appears ro collapse, the problem originates with the shoulder and/or neck area. Try some gentle massages up and down the neck and shoulder area, the spine, the front leg etc. See if any tension is noticed.
Obviously I'm not a Vet and you need to have Rosie checked out, but chances are it's something related to overdoing it. And thst requires no horsing around, just potty breaks and some anti-inflammatory.
I'll be right back and give you two links that may help you.
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!
Okay here's one link
http://tripawds.....s-to-walk/
And another
http://tripawds.....k/#p178021
And I see in the loooong time it took me tomtype, Lisa, Pofi's Mom, has given you great adice!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
Oh poor Rosie! I agree with Sally that this sounds like a shoulder or neck soft tissue injury. Meg pulled a muscle behind her shoulder blade and kept falling over. Here's a link to the thread.
One other thing... I thought this when I saw the ball video, but she looked so, so happy and I didn't want to be an ol' killjoy, plus she didn't seem to be going too wild, but... I have been advised not to play ball with Meg (who is a ball fanatic). It apparently carries a high risk of injury because of the repetitive nature of the action, plus the sudden stopping and turning. On front leggers this places a large impact on that single front leg, and a lot of pressure on the shoulder area. It's hard because she LOVES her ball, so what we do now is we save it for retrieving from water. This way she gets the thrill without the impact.
I would definitely talk to your rehab therapist about playing ball and see what s/he has to say.
Sending Rosie all best for a speedy recovery.
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Poor Rosie, I'm so sorry she's hurting.
I'll double what Meg's rehab therapist has said about playing ball, we learned the same from vet rehab therapists we have interviewed through the years. "Explosive activity" like Frisbee, Chuck-It tossing, Flyball, they all put an exceptional amount of stress on a four legged dogs joints and even more on a three-legger, especially a front-leg Tripawd, because they carry extra weight up front (try running with your arm outstretched while holding a 10# Kettle Bell...a front-leg Tripawd's body is just like that, 24/7). When the dog isn't properly warmed up before the activity, the risk of severe injury is even higher.
When Jerry was first on three legs, we didn't know about safe and not-safe play, and eventually, our favorite games almost blew out his CCL. We got very lucky it didn't and acupuncture helped him tremendously.
I know how hard it is to think of their life without these types of activities, especially when they live for it. We all want our dogs to be so happy and enjoy their favorite games. But rethinking how you spend playtime together will go a very long way toward protecting her joints and muscles. As an added benefit, new activites will stimulate her mind and keep her sharp.
It's awesome you're working with a rehab therapist. Ask them about games and outdoor activities you can do together that won't put her at risk, there are tons! Scent games, Obedience, you name it. Maggie Moo was a rear leg Tripawd, but here's a couple of Tripawds Gear blog posts that we shared about her favorite activities. Doesn't that look like a blast?
Stay Strong with Maggie’s FitPAWS Workout
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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