Hi Michelle.  What's your sweet pup's name?

First of all, I have a couple of questions for you, okay?

What has his activity level been like pretty much directly right after the amputation? It generally takes a good two maybe three weeks to cover from the surgery itself and then about a month plus for the dog to have a fluid gate with more balance and more flow. But if a dog overdoes it too soon then it might take a solid Mobility a bit longer to develop.

Did the rehab Specialists suggest any specific ways to help build your pup's  core strength? By that I mean did they  suggest some simple things  like going from a Sit position to a stand position then back and forth back and forth back and forth? Did the specialist suggest an exercise where your dog stands and you use a cookie to guide him to look towards his rear to the left and then a cookie to guide  him to look towards his rear at the right?

He often stops and gets tired on the way.  Thanks so much in advance.

Yes, the therapist is right about shorter walks several times a day as opposed to one long walk once or twice a day.  For a tripawd to go around a block (of course depending on size of block), depending o  the pace, some sit down rests help to keep the joy of the walk ongoing.  Usually if a dog sits on a walk, he is already tired and jas overdone it.

I'm just wondering if you have any other rehabilitation specialist in your area you might go to for a second opinion. I think it's kind of odd that they say your dog doesn't need any physical therapy because he's fit. Yes, he may be fit, but it's also about building up muscle in legs,  protecting joints etc for longevity through proper therapies. 

Now, back to being able to increase the walks. What a lot of people do is get a stroller or some type of dog carriage to extend the walk. When the dog shows that he's tired by sitting down you can just put him in the stroller and continue the walk for a while until he rests. Then let him get out of the stroller, continue to walk, and enjoy all of the scents and smells the outdoors has to offer. You can check out our gear shop for suggestions.

Hope some of this helps.  Others will be along for more tips.

Hugs 

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie took

PS.... just want to add that some have started doing nose work. That keeps the dog engaged and fulfilled but doesn't require a lot of physical effort. One of our long-term supporters has done it with her dogs and, hopefully, we'll see this post and elaborate more.