Tripawd Blue Heeler Zeek benefits from free canine rehab evaluation and treatment thanks to Tripawds Foundation Rehab Grant #181. The free consultation, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and at-home rehab exercises help Zeek stay strong and love life on three legs. Read his story, and learn how you can get a free veterinary rehab evaluation for your dog or cat.
Yes! Tri-kitties qualify for free feline rehab too. See all Tripawds who have received free rehab sessions thanks to your support.
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Meet Tripawd Blue Heeler Zeek
Zeek is a 7 yr old, male, neutered, Blue Heeler. He was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on 1/29/2024 after fracturing his ulna. I’ve had him since he was a puppy and is my heart dog. Everyone always laughs and says they don’t know how I found the dog version of myself but we’re so alike!
We take Zeek to Cleveland Vet Rehab for rehab. Zeek has always loved swimming so we knew right away that hydrotherapy was a must once he became a Tripawd since walking wasn’t going to be his best friend. He does really well and seems to really enjoy each visit. To manage pain, we also do acupuncture. We truly have seen such a big difference with this. Post op, it seemed that he was experiencing phantom pain and had done research that acupuncture would help. He’s also going through chemo right now, and acupuncture helps their immune system so it was truly a no-brainer.
Zeek truly loves going to therapy which makes it so much more enjoyable. He gets so excited to jump in the pool to play, loves his peanut butter lick mat for acupuncture, and any and every exercise get does means extra attention, which he’ll never say no to.
Zeek’s Canine Rehab Regiment
Zeek’s favorite stretches and exercises outside of hydrotherapy and acupuncture are Effleurage and Skin Rolling – most likely because he gets to lay there and enjoy the benefits of getting a massage! He also doesn’t love being touched so getting him to do the exercises when he’s tired is a must. Other stretches we were given for strength and joint help were Cookie Stretch (pictured below), Cat Stretch, Front and Rear Leg Stretch. They told us to do these once a week after he exercised when his muscles were warmed up.
This experience has been a roller coaster. Taking away the incredibly heartbreaking reasoning Zeek lost his leg, he is so resilient and incredibly strong. He’ll never be the same dog he once was, but I’m so thankful that we have extra time with him. To see him run, swim and play ball like he always has is truly so heartwarming. He’s still working on gaining his confidence, but seeing how all these Tripawds truly live their best lives gives us hope that Zeek will continue to do just that. We also couldn’t be where we are with him right now without the help of CVR!
We heard about Tripawds through the Facebook groups we joined and are so thankful! We’ve learned so much about dog nutrition, cancer, and so much more. It’ll forever amaze me how these 3 legged pups do so well.
~ Lauren & Zeek
How to Find a Rehab Therapy for Tripawd Dogs and Cats
At Home Front Limb Tripawd Rehab Program