Tripawd Golden Retriever Pula benefits from free canine rehab evaluation and at-home therapy thanks to Tripawds Foundation Rehab Grant. The consultation, and rehab exercises help Pula 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.
Pula (“rain” in Setswana) is a 6-year-old Golden Retriever who grew up in Istanbul, Turkey.
Pula was living on the streets when she was rescued and flown to Colorado through a program operated by Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR).
Her front-right leg was badly deformed, non-functional, and was causing a lot of pain. She was taking 13 pain meds per day. GRRR staff thought that she had likely been hit by a car while living homeless. Her leg was amputated in May 2020, and we adopted her shortly thereafter.
Tripawd Golden Pula Loves Adventure but is Losing Mobility
After a quick recovery, she was on the move! She loves hiking, camping, swimming, and making snow angels! She would happily hike for several miles on the trails. We have always had a doggie carrier backpack for her, for when she gets tired.
However, over the past year, we noticed Pula starting to slow down. She was having more difficulty and was wanting to be carried after just 1-2 miles. We want to keep her moving, comfortable, and happy as long as possible. So we were thrilled to hear about the Tripawd Rehab Reimbursement Program through Instagram!
Tripawd Golden Pula Begins Rehab
We were fortunate enough that we live only about an hour away from a veterinary rehab specialist, Dr. Anna Pedroni at Surpass Wellness (https://www.surpasswellness.com/). And we were able to see the day after Thanksgiving 2024 and Pula was so excited to meet her!
First we shared Pula’s history and what we had been seeing over the past year, as described above. Dr. Pedroni then examined Pula and watched her walk, noticing that she was stiff in her back legs, with tight muscle groups. She showed us how to stretch her iliopsoas muscles and her hamstrings, as well as her triceps in her front leg. Pula wasn’t so sure about these stretches. But did like them better when she was given a treat to distract her!
Tripawd Golden Pula’s Rehab Plan
Dr. Pedroni also noticed that Pula tended to sit and walk with a hunched positioning of her back (kyphosis). She demonstrated exercises (cookie stretches, and the stand-and-reach) to help improve her core strength and to help with this positioning. She also showed us how to massage Pula’s back muscles, to help with the tightness.
Dr. Pedroni then let us practice all of these exercises to make sure we felt comfortable doing them on our own, which was super helpful.
Lessons from Tripawd Golden Pula’s Rehab Journey
We have been doing these exercises daily at home, and Pula is getting more used to them! One thing that we really took away from this experience is just how much the amputation affects her other limbs and overall posture as she has learned to compensate over the years.
We are excited to have these tools to help Pula move better and more comfortably. We look forward to many more adventures together for years to come. Thank you, Dr. Pedroni, Surpass Wellness, and the Tripawd Rehab Reimbursement Program for supporting this goal.
—Cristina and Pula