Tripawds Community member aslavik is recipient #70 of the Maggie Moo Fund for Tripawd Rehab. Read on for details about the benefits of free canine rehabilitation for Buddy, and learn how you can get a free canine rehab consultation for your dog or cat.
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Free Canine Rehab Consult for Buddy
Buddy is a St. Bernard/Shepard mix Tripawd who is approximately 6 years old. Buddy lost his leg in April of 2018 when his previous family brought him to Foothills Animal Shelter to be put down due to aggression and high anxiety. The shelter took him in, did an evaluation, and determined his right leg was severely damaged from being hit by a car a few years prior and never taken to the vet. The team at Foothills removed his leg, evaluated him, and listed him for adoption.
This is where I come in! I saw his sweet, big, scared face on an adoption listing. The shelter required three (3) visits before allowing adoption due to his anxiety (the shelter said he never showed aggression even before the leg amputation). I consistently met with Buddy three (3) more times and then brought him home on April 27, 2018! He seemed to take to the Tripawd life very easily and quickly, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact his leg had been hurting him for a long time and no one sought care for him.
He was such a joy but difficult to manage at first. We had a lot of things to work on. He needed to be taught love, safety and socialization. I was able to build up his confidence with positive reinforcement. We are still working on his anxiety, but he has come such a long way! I am so proud of him.
About a month ago, Buddy started to develop pain upon standing on his front leg in the mornings. Some days were worse than others. I would massage his leg at night and in the mornings and some days he would still cry out in pain. The vet referred me to a rehab specialist and I posted in the Tripawds Forums and was told about the Maggie Moo Fund. After extensive research, Buddy and I decided to go with Dr. Heidi Servi at Canine and Conditioning Rehabilitation Group here in Colorado. Our evaluation lasted about two (2) hours and she wasn’t able to find any localized pain (good news!).
She taught us some massage techniques and range of motion (scapular glides, shoulder flexion/extension PROM, bicycling of front leg, front limb on balance disk, and some good ol’ fashion hot packs to relieve pain). So now I know the correct massage techniques instead of just aimlessly massaging his leg/shoulder. We are also working on getting his weight down another 10lbs since the amputation is to his front leg. We will be doing a 4-6 week rehab plan.
We are now about a week in to the home exercise program and I am already able to tell a difference in Buddy’s morning. He struggles occasionally to get up, but has not cried out in pain since started the regimen. We were given simple exercises and massages to really loosen up and distribute blood flow to his remaining front limb.
Out of this free canine rehab experience, I learned how incredibly agile my boy is, and how extremely important massages are to the well-being of my loving boy.
My user name is aslavik and I heard about Tripawds through a dog trainer friend of mine when I first adopted Buddy. This has been so incredibly helpful and it is such a relief to know there is a place to go if I need help or just at least positive reinforcement to know I’m not alone.
Thank you so much!
~Amanda & Buddy (aka: aslavik)
I have a tripawd rescue dog and would like to start her with physical therapy. How do I apply to Maggie Moo?
Visit a certified therapist, submit your receipt with photos and a short essay. It’s that simple! For application guidelines, review complete details here.