Grizzy benefits from front leg Tripawd rehab evaluation and at-home therapy thanks to Tripawds Foundation Rehab Grant #207. The consultation, and rehab exercises help Grizzy 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.
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Our front left leg Tripawd, Grizzy, is 2 months post-amputation and in week 3 of physical therapy rehab. She is a 10-month old Great Pyrenees mix, and we’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old. Grizzy was dumped or thrown over my in-law’s fence into their backyard, and was living under their shed for at least a week, maybe longer. We went over and it took over an hour to coax her out.
After bringing her home and giving her a bath, we noticed one of her legs splayed out slightly. We took her to the vet, and they said she likely had a crush injury, but it seemed to be healed and wasn’t causing her pain. As she grew, she used the leg less and less, and also began limping. After multiple doctor’s visits, x-rays, and CT scans, we were blindsided with the news that instead of a performing surgery to save Grizzy’s leg, the damage to her growth plates was too extensive, and she already had arthritis from her wrist to her shoulder, leaving the best option as amputation.
Grizzy’s At Home Front Leg Tripawd Rehab Regimen
Two of the exercises we were given that have benefited Grizzy the best so far are “push ups” and hurdles. Because she is a front leg amputee, her weight distribution is all on her front leg. The push ups are when you make her drop her head to the floor while in a standing position, and then back up. This helps elongate her neck and shoulders and build stability in her remaining front leg. The hurdles have been helpful for weight distribution as well; Grizzy does well running, but you can see the bobbing of her body when she is walking at a slower pace. Having to get over the hurdles while walking instead of jumping straight over them helps put her rhythm back to even as she walks.
We perform these exercises twice per day for about 5-10 minutes, and she has been getting better each time. So far, we have learned that she needs to relearn how to distribute weight in order to best preserve her front leg now that the fourth limb is gone. Exercises at the clinic, such as the water treadmill, will help make Grizzy more comfortable walking at a normal pace with less strain on her front leg. Our rehab clinic team is Ace of Paws in Albuquerque, NM with Dr. Ana Esquivel.
We heard about Tripawds when we were doing research after Grizzy’s amputation diagnosis, but Ace of Paws recommended us to look into Tripawds as well.
~ Madi and Front Leg Tripawd Grizzy