Tripawd Lila benefits from free canine rehab evaluation and at-home therapy thanks to Tripawds Foundation Rehab Grant. The consultation, and rehab exercises help Lila 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.
Our dog, Lila, was handicapped as a puppy but officially became a Tripawd at the age of 4.
She is a mixed-breed girl who we think was hit by a car as a puppy. When we adopted her at 4, the veterinarian recommended amputating her lame back leg to help preserve the health of her remaining limbs. She is now 8 years old. When Lila started to show less excitement about jumping onto the couch with us, we knew it was time to visit a certified rehabilitation therapist.
Triipawd Lila Given Thoughtful and Detailed Assessment
The therapist, Dr. Tim Corker (https://www.peakperformancecaninerehab.com), was very kind with Lila. He first spent a lot of time asking us about our concerns and goals. He then did a detailed physical assessment from top to bottom.
Dr. Corker looked holistically at her, explaining how her front limbs can compensate for the loss of the back limb. He also examined her shoulders and her spine and described in detail what he was assessing. Lila was very comfortable with him throughout.
Understanding Tripawd Lila’s Needs and Providing Relief
Dr. Corker identified that Lila had arthritis in her remaining back leg, as well as in her back, with compensatory tightness of the front shoulders. During his assessment of her, he also did some basic massage to help temporarily with her tightness.
He performed a cold laser therapy on her most arthritic joints, which Lila loved. Finally, he taught us exercises that we could do with Lila at home. He described that she would benefit from a large amount of stretching, and showed us several stretching exercises.
Tripawd Lila Begins Exercises to Improve Strength and Mobility
- The first is encouraging her to twist so her head touches her hindquarters, motivating her with a treat.
- The other stretching exercise involved her standing on her back leg and stretching upwards with her front paws on a block. These would stretch her hips, leg, and back in unique ways.
- He then showed us how to activate Lila‘s core by lifting her front legs individually and encouraging her to balance on the remaining two.
- The final exercise he recommended was a ladder walking exercise, where Lila would pick up her feet to traverse a ladder on the ground, thus utilizing her leg muscles in a different way than she is used to.
All of the exercises were straightforward for us to learn and at the appropriate level to challenge Lila.
Progress and Renewed Energy
Since the visit, we have continued to perform the prescribed exercises at home (each exercise 4-5 times, once per day) and have noticed Lila slowly becoming stronger. She even jumps on the couch again!
The thing we learned the most is how just a small amount of targeted effort can make such a huge impact on the quality of life of a Tripawd.
Gratitude for Tripawds Foundation and Maggie Moo Fund
This was largely possible for us through the support from The Maggie Moo Fund for Free Tripawd Rehab, which we discovered after doing our own research online when looking for reliable advice about owning a Tripawd.
Thank you so much for supporting our beloved girl!
— Lauren and Lila