Tripawd Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix Paige Benefits from Canine Rehab

Tripawd Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix Paige benefits from free canine rehab evaluation and at-home therapy thanks to Tripawds Foundation Rehab Grant #192. The consultation, and rehab exercises help Paige 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.

Help Keep This Program Going!

Tripawd Rhodesian Paige is about 3.5 years old. I’m not sure of her breed but her mum looked like a Rhodesian ridgeback cross, so she’s listed as a ridgeback cross. I adopted Paige from a rescue when she was about 6 weeks old. Paige sustained a growth plate fracture in her right tibia when she was just over a year old. Her tibia grew curved and would have ended up with a torn ACL eventually. So, she had a tibial wedge osteotomy which didn’t heal. She had a second surgery with a bone graft which also didn’t heal and ended up being badly infected.

We made the tough decision to save her from further pain and discomfort by removing her leg. After joining support groups, including the Tripawds group on social media, I discovered I was doing pretty much everything I needed to help Paige with her new tripawd life, everything but rehab.

Canine Rehab for Tripawd Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix Paige

8 months after her amputation I took Paige to rehab. When I took Paige to rehab I discovered just how much muscular discomfort she was in. I was shown massages along her front legs, shoulders, neck, spine, back leg and glutes. This is when I realised that Paige had been putting up with a lot of muscular pain to compensate for her lost leg. A lot of her muscles were tense, sore and short. I was instructed to massage Paige every day, even if we were just sitting and watching TV together. they showed me massages that will help the specific muscle groups that have been compensating since her amputation.

I was given exercises to help stretch her muscles and increase her stability. Using an exercise step Paige needs to put her front legs on the step and have her back leg on the ground. She needs to stretch forward with her neck to get a treat. This exercise stretches her back muscles and maintains the vertical position of her back leg which tends to drop when she’s walking after she becomes tired.

Another exercise using the same step, Paige needs to turn her head from side to side while maintaining where her feet are to increase stability through her back and her back leg. This will increase her muscular balance throughout her body. A final exercise is having Paige sit and lay down between a V I have made with my legs. This helps Paige centre her movements, so she doesn’t lean to one side while sitting or lying down.

Lessons Learned with Paige

By taking Paige to rehab I gained a great understanding of how the amputation has significantly affected the rest of her body. She’s a very stoic dog who doesn’t want to show how much pain she is in, however, now I’m able to help her move more comfortably and maintain her body health, such as joint health, to a far greater extent than I would have if I didn’t attend this session.

~ Tamara and Paige