Mr Rams

Mr Rams received his tripawd bandanna and so paraded it around the house…. although he wouldn’t keep still so it was hard to get a photo :/

Thank you Tripwads!

Mel x

Its been….quiet a while since my last blog about Rams. We’ve been in all sorts of chaos, 2016 was a very busy year.
Maggie healed up really well after her surgery then went back to Mum when she came back overseas (I don’t think she misses me) Then I took holidays, then we had to move house, then Christmas and then new years. And before you know it we are almost at the end of January 2017!

In February it will be Rambo’s 12 month anniversary of becoming a tripod and it feels like it flew by.

He’s been doing very well physically. He gets around really well and i’m very happy with his progress.
Mentally, it’s been very draining. You forget how much stress can take a toll on you and what it can do. I’ve been dealing with digestion issues, hormonal imbalances and fatigue. Rambo has been dealing with his anxiety and digestion issues. And unfortunately it’s not an overnight fix.

Before his amputation we were managing his anxiety and severe panic attacks, and was showing some great improvement. After surgery once the drugs wore off his anxiety did pick up again and at times I couldn’t calm him down as quickly as I could before.

It took a good 6-8 months to get him back to his healthy self again and another 8-9 months to get his anxiety in order, with him only having panic attacks 2-3 months apart.

And only just recently has his digestion played up again.

A recent blood test showed that everything is normal and that he is healthy, so I’ve sent some his hair off to have him tested for any allergies/intolerance that may be a/or one of the causes.

Although it’s taken 12 months to really manage everything, no doubt it will take another 12 months to get back on top.

Here’s to 2017 being a smoother, brighter, healthier year!

Mel xo

It’s been pretty busy in our household lately!

Rambo had a good three weeks off from walking and running, replaced with simple exercises, massages and quick trips to the parks. I made a lot of notes and took some pointers from him for my next holiday.

1.Take 3 weeks off

2. Have a massage every 3 – 4 days

3. Sleep a lot

4. Get people to bring me food

His weight is still being transferred to his front legs a little but he’s been standing and walking much better.  The step up exercise has been the only core exercise he’s been doing for now. And I’ve been building up the height for him but I’ll read through the Tripawd PDF again to get some more core exercise ideas as he’s finding the exercise pretty easy.

We’ve also had another dog in the household, Maggie. She’s mum’s dog, and with mum overseas till October she’s been staying with us. During Rambo’s mini vacation, she ruptured her left back knee so required TPLO surgery. For the next 2-3 weeks she’ll be doing no exercise and will only be allowed to walk around when she needs to go outside to do her business.

Lucky for Maggie I’ve got everything she needs because of Rambo’s surgery. And Rambo had mostly everything he needed because Jazzy had a hip replacement when she was one >o<

trying to catch some sun

So for now Jazzy is the only dog in the house that needs a good amount of exercise.

So off to the park!

Mel x

Rambo has been pretty wobbly the last few weeks. He’s gone back to putting all his weight into his front legs and allowing that back leg to roll out a little which makes him quite un stable standing and walking.

I took him to Dogs In Motion in Moorabbin and saw one of the physiotherapists there to help us out. She suspects that he may have tweaked a muscle in the back and so has transfered all his weight to the front.
She gave him a good massage to help with his knots, and I fed him treats as he was a little cautious of her.
He definitely enjoyed the massage but had that “im still watching what you’re doing” look in his face… 😛

So a week or two of rest is on the agenda for Rams as well as a massage at home 2-3 times a week and his step up exercises daily.

It’s back to square one for us with his exercises, focusing on core, balance and stability again.

He’s also wearing his harness over his coat because he’s a little fashionista in winter.

Mel x

Rambo has been travelling very well lately. He’s getting use to life on three legs now, although he still has the occasional slip or fall.

He still faces challenges but I am starting to see huge improvements as well. Physically and mentally.

Physically, he cannot jump as high as he use to, (to be honest we’re glad about that because he would be able to jump over the fence at home) his walks are still kept short and I think he still does experience a phantom limb sensation but no pain. He still cannot stand for long periods of time but he does sit or lie down when he needs.

His chest muscles are coming back now as well as the muscles in his back leg, so he’s starting to look quite strong again. His stamina is back which is so good to see 🙂 but it just means that I need to tell him when enough is enough.

His biggest challenge that we have come across so far is the steps that lead into mums backyard.

But the other week he managed to climb up them all by himself 😀

He’s also managing very well on different surfaces as well as hoisting himself up over large barriers. I keep the harness on him when we go out, but i’m not helping him around so much anymore.

Mentally, he’s also been doing very well. He’s aware of what he can and can’t do and when he has a challenge in front of him. He’s pretty good at avoiding something he thinks is too much. He’s also learning patience as he has to try a few times to accomplish something or he’s just that little bit slower.

He’s also been experiencing anxiety for a little over 12 months so with all the training that I had been doing prior to his amputation I was worried that the surgery would worsen it. We aren’t out of the dark yet but he is showing signs of maturity and handling situations better than before.

My sister and I took him to the park with my other dog Jazzy and these two have not gotten along for over 12 months. But both were quite content being next to each other, no problems at all 🙂

Mel xo