It really isn't all about arthritis

Golden Doodles Ronnie & Roo are brothers from the same father and different litter. I worked with Ronnie last year. Since then his Mum has adopted Tripawd Roo. Roo has been a Tripawd since birth so doesn’t know any different. To him, three legs is normal. 

Ronnie is 3, Roo is 2. Ronnie has mild hip subluxation which is being managed conservatively with appropriate exercise, hydrotherapy and massage. When his Mum looked for a friend for him, she wanted a dog who could match his reduced exercise regime. Roo came along at the right time. 

We were invited around before Roo moved in permanently to help Mum assess the suitability of her house. But she already knew of all the things to do – just needed our professional confirmation. Things like carpets in strategic places, harnesses, ramps, joint supplements and garden access. The latter has already had plans approved for a bridge to be built from the patio out to the gate. Now THAT is forethought and equals the bespoke Corkie Stair Lift. 

Roo is a happy smiley playful carefree young lad who adores his brother who, in turn, has assumed a protector role. They have both benefitted from the new brotherly arrangement. 

When I first Ronnie last year, he was initially reticent about massage. This time the massage mat went down with Ronnie on top of it immediately. Sighs came within 5 minutes. The aim with Ronnie is to keep him fit and mobile so that his hip issues don’t become a chronic mobility problem. His Mum had been doing her homework – he felt remarkable. 

The aim with Roo is to make sure his tripawdness doesn’t lead to any long-term aches and strains by the different forces his body is going through. He only has a left fore-leg and moves that into the middle. That’ll cause the outer leg muscles to stretch while the inner muscles will shorten – a bit like a Greyhound who always runs the same direction round the track. Roo will also need maintenance work along his spinal muscles as they are also working extra to keep him mobile. He will be using his rear legs and back more to help him stand up. All these movements will cause compensation issues. Luckily, he loved his massage session – getting straight down on his mat so Chris could start work immediately. 

The brothers are now on our unique double-therapist maintenance programme which, with the hydrotherapy, should help them remain bouncy, contented and untroubled.