Tripawd Greyhound Sybbie benefits from free canine rehab evaluation and at-home therapy thanks to Tripawds Foundation Rehab Grant #185. The consultation, and rehab exercises help Sybbie stay strong and love life on three legs. Read her 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 Greyhound Sybbie
Sybbie is a 10 year old retired racing greyhound who I adopted from Carolina Greys in 2020. She had been in the racing industry in Florida until age 5 and a lot of her history was a mystery for me, including how she lost a toe and half of her tail before she came to me. Over the pandemic I worked hard to help train her through separation anxiety and we developed a close bond. This past November, we took her out for a run in a local baseball field we’d been to many times. She tripped at high speed and broke her back right leg completely in two, and the surgeons recommended amputation. After a long recovery from complications including a necrotizing fasciitis infection and losing another toe to a bad bed sore, she is now a Tripawd Greyhound and feeling much better.
After she recovered, I took her to get a consult at Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital with Dr. Marc Hirshenson and he and his staff developed the attached program for Sybbie. She has arthritis symptoms in her hips and front wrists, and he explained she was probably walking awkwardly because she’s missing her two weight-bearing toes in the back. Because of her prolonged stays in the surgery hospital, she had significant atrophy in her hamstring muscles.
Sybbie’s Tripawd Rehab Regimen
Tripawd Greyhound Sybbie has good weeks and bad weeks where she moves a lot more slowly and tires quickly. He prescribed light massage for her neck, back, pelvis, and limbs, hip extension stretches for mobility, and mild strengthening exercises for balance and easier movement. The massage and hip extensions are prescribed daily, and the strengthening exercises 3-4 times a week. These include cookie-to-waist crunches for her core, sit-to-stand exercises for her back leg, and step forward and back exercises for her front legs. She really enjoys the hip extension and will stretch out her back leg when I scratch it. We are also exploring Adequan for her joint mobility, and she had her first injection yesterday.
Lessons Learned from Rehab for Sybbie
One thing I learned from this experience with Sybbie is not only the strength and resilience she had while getting through this injury and illness, but my own as well. I’m so glad I found Tripawds while researching other people’s experiences on the internet. Reading the Tripawds Books helped me feel less alone and reassured me that I was doing the best I could for her – both the decision to amputate and following through with rehab. It has helped me be a better advocate for her throughout her recovery process – her surgeon initially didn’t think rehab was necessary, but I followed through with getting a referral anyway and I’m glad I had the knowledge to support my decisions.
~ Julie and Eloise
How to Find a Rehab Therapy for Tripawd Dogs and Cats
At Home Rear Limb Tripawd Rehab Program