What to do with the amputee dog?

12 Oct 2014

Hi Laurie,

Do you have any info on your site about forelimb amputation dogs? How to support a young one? (large breed). 

-KM

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Hi KM,

As for Amputation dogs...

I DON'T seem to have anything on that topic yet.  It's a great suggestion.

The forelimb amputations are the hardest since the front end is usually more involved in weight bearing.

To me, I would say to watch the carpus in particular.  Yes all of the joints are important, but the carpus in particular is most at risk.

Perhaps going with a neoprene sports wrap (Therapaw carpal sports wrap) would be a good starting place.  It's more or less a reminder for the joint… proprioceptive (but that's okay as a first defence strategy).

I'd then see this dog for it's lifetime for checkups / tuneups of the spine / axial skeleton - (I'll be teaching my Basic Manual Therapy of Canine Axial Skeleton at the STAAR conference in April 2015).  Being 3-legged will really throw a wrench into the spinal mechanics.  As well, watch for soft tissue overload signs (especially in supraspinatus & biceps tendons) and myofascial trigger points in the triceps.  I'd use laser on all the joints as a preventative cartilage 'preservation strategy'.  And keep an eye on the sacroiliac joints.  Since they don't move normally, they can slip & slide more easily and put them out-of-whack - which affects function quite dramatically.  Naturally (but same holds true for any dog), monitor hips and stifles as well.

Show the owner how to stretch their dog.  Thinking about how a 3-legged dog moves.  They don't take full running strides anymore.  So work on extension of the limbs one by one, stretch out their anti-gravity muscles that are having to work harder. 

Show the owner how to do 'cookie stretches' in side lying (to work on active sidebend in the direction that they don't tend to go because of their 'Tripod stance'.) as a way to maintain spinal mobility.  Show them chest lifts (forelimb amputee) or tail pulls (rear limb amputee) as a maintenance strategy.

Showing them how to massage their dog too might be of some benefit.

I hope this starts to give you some good ideas.

This would make a great video... Let me get to work on it!

Cheers,

Laurie