The following guest blogger post was submitted by tripawd pawrent Kelli Nichols. It is the first in a two-part series about chiropractic care for Tripawds. Stay tuned for the second guest-blog post, coming soon!
While owning a tripawd is an extremely rewarding experience, there are extra considerations when it comes to health care compared to four-legged dogs. One thing I have found to be tremendously beneficial with my tripawd is regular chiropractic care.
Tripawds often compensate structurally for only having three legs and this can create stress on joints and recurring subluxations in their spine. Having regular once-monthly or more appointments with a vet trained in chiropractic care can increase mobility and help keep your dog pain free and active.
My dog Molly once was having a hard time walking after a short rigorous hike and a visit to her chiropractor immediately returned her to her normal, jolly self. I am learning that it takes some fine tuning to find the balance between keeping her in shape and not overdoing it. This can be hard sometimes when your dog loves to play! I have also found that proper nutrition and additional high-quality supplements such as mercury free fish oiland glucosamine are helpful in keeping joints limber.
To find a dog chiropractor in your area please visit the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association website.
Good luck and may your tripawd live a long and healthy life!
I am fostering a pitbull tripawd (right hind) who came into the local shelter I volunteer at as a stray and it appears he has been a tripawd for sometime. His back is very curved due to compensating and a friend of mine who is both a traditional and holistic vet is going to do acupuncture and spinal manipulation on him. I am both excited and nervous about this as his spine seems so curved that I wonder how much pain the treatment will cause him initially. I have started him on Yucca Intensive, glucosomine/chondrointan pills, and flaxseed oil, plus I am giving him my own little massages. Any suggestions what else I can do and if I should be nervous about the spinal manipulation. My friend hasn’t seen him yet so she will know what is best I’m sure, but any input from anyone else would be helpful. I want him to be comfortable and happy while he is with me (he’s a foster…but I’m already in love).
I would not be nervous if you are going to a certified practitioner. You will really find much more advice and suggestions in the discussion forums.
Hi, Deb-
Our chiropractor said the initial treatment might result in sore muscles right afterwards, and suggested having some arnica on hand just in case. Turns out that keeping our dog quiet for 24 hrs after treatment was all she needed, and she was up and zooming again the next day.
Thanks so much. I’ll talk to my vet/chiropractor about the arnica. Thanks again!
As a chiropractor, I must say that manipulation of the spine is probably the greatest thing we can do for our friend, family member, and pet. I must say that Vet’s don’t do “chiropractic” Many Vets are trained in manipulation, but Chiropractic is a profession, not an action. Chiropractors perform chiropractic adjustments, vets perform manipulation. That being said, I agree. Tripawds should all be checked for vertebral subluxations, and manipulated to correct them!
Thank you for the professional opinion, and clarification!
Thank you so much. My friend/vet does both holistic and traditional medicine and I’ve heard her refer to what she does as chiropractic as well as manipulation. Either way, Brady had his second acupuncture/manipulation appointment with her this past weekend and I see some good indications that it went well. Having said that, I also just confirmed that he is hypothyroid and we started him on his meds on Thursday so some of the positive things I am seeing could be a result of that, but I will continue with his acupuncture/manipulation as well…he deserves it.
Oh that’s great to hear about Brady! This kind of medicine is such new territory for dawgs, we are so glad you explored it and it’s working for him.
How did you find out he’s hypothyroid?
Brady has some clasic symptons of being hypothyroid…he’s very lethargic, a little on the pudgy side, some skin issues, a rat tail (hairless), drags one of his paws and he had ear infections…he came into the shelter with all of these and now that he’s been on the soloxine for a week, I’m already seeing signs that he is feeling better…last night, to my delight, he was a frootloop playing with his toys, sat on command for the first time, and was just very goofy acting…not lethargic at all. I was thrilled. To think, he could have been hypothyroid for a long time and feeling miserable from that alone, not to mention being a tripawd. I think my little “foster” (lets face it, he’s mine) is starting to feel better and I couldn’t be happier. He’ll still get acupuncture/chiropractic every 2 weeks, and everything else to help with his spine issues of course. But right now I’m just happy to look in the eyes of a dog who doesn’t look like he is depressed. The only problem with his feeling better is that I’ve realized he can be toy aggressive (with other dogs) so I just have to make concessions for that.
Deb, how wonderful to know that he’s doing so well. What a lucky boy! That condition sounds like it might clear up? I hope so. You might also want to try home cooking, I’ve heard that it works miracles on so many dogs with issues like him. Good luck, and keep us posted!