Tripawd Silver Labrador Aurora Rose benefits from free canine rehab evaluation and at-home therapy thanks to Tripawds Foundation Rehab Grant #198. The consultation, and rehab exercises help Rose 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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Aurora Briar Rose is a 7-year-old silver Labrador retriever, and she is a Tripawd. We are often asked “what happened” to cause her condition, but she was simply born without her front left fore-paw. She was part of a large litter, and the veterinarian’s theory is that she simply didn’t have the room to fully develop the limb! The owners of the parent dogs were selling the puppies, but happened to be good friends of my husband, who is a well-known sucker for fur-babies. They offered us this little ray of sunshine for the cost of her care, because they knew we would love her and give her a good home.
Nothing Slows Tripawd Silver Labrador Briar Rose Down
That’s how we met our “sleeping beauty!” For a long time, Briar Rose never let her condition slow her down. She has always been impressively fast, even outpacing one of her siblings owned by my mother-in-law. In recent years, however; she has become less active. We had our first child and simply didn’t have the same amount of time to play. Unfortunately, this led to a decent amount of weight gain which snuck up on us. She started having trouble jumping down from furniture without face-planting. We suspected she might be getting arthritis until the vet explained it was more likely due to her weight.
Briar Rose has always been a smaller girl, and she hid her extra pounds. Even though she didn’t appear that overweight to us, she was about 20 pounds over the recommended weight for a female of her breed. Learning this made us feel like the worst fur-parents ever. We did some research and reached out to Tripawds for help finding a veterinarian we could consult for physical therapy.
Tripawds recommended Companion Animal Medical Center, “The Small Animal Practice with the Big Heart!” I could not be more pleased with this clinic. Dr. Kathryn Hartline truly took her time to go over the details and help us set attainable goals for Briar Rose. We discussed her diet and how to measure food appropriately for weight loss, and the importance of maintaining muscle tone.
Rehab Recommendations for Briar Rose
Dr. Hartline recommended some very basic, easy exercises to accomplish this. We’ll have Briar Rose go from lying down to stand and walk a few steps, about 5 times. Later we can progress to going from sit-to-stand. Once Briar Rose seems to adjust, we will do some standing exercises or down-to-stand on a cushion, 5-10 times. Dr. Hartline also recommended encouraging her to play in a kiddie pool for some resistance, but we haven’t been able to find one that reaches her recommended waist-high water level—we hope to find one soon!
We are already seeing significant improvement! Briar Rose’s energy level has increased, and she catches herself much more easily when she jumps down from furniture. I haven’t seen her face-plant in over a week! I am so thankful to Dr. Hartline, Companion Animal Medical Center, and especially Tripawds—we never would have found them without you!
~ Melanie and Aurora Briar Rose
How to Find a Rehab Therapy for Tripawd Dogs and Cats
Join the Discussion: Limb Differences