Dog with cancer - leg amputation and exercise

[wickedstepmothfker]

We have a bouncy lab, won’t go into the full drama but he had his back leg off in April due to cancer. He’s still the same boy and desperate for his long walks but as he gets over excited he over exerts himself within a couple of minutes of being out - resulting in him being tired too quick and short walks.

Since the op we’ve never been able to take him out for long as his back leg tires. Has anyone any experience of this and been able to build the strength back up to reasonable walk length? As his front legs are fine I considered some wheels, I’ve seen none on eBay but new ones are £400+ and we’ve already spent £5k on chemo for him. Sounds harsh but as he’ll never be rid of the cancer and is likely to last a max of 1y from now I don’t want to spend that money on something he might hardly use. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for a disability site where the kit isn’t so pricey but still effective?

Back wheels can sometimes cause more issues than they help. I would strongly advise speaking to a dog physio to help make this decision. Your dog has to have very healthy elbows and shoulders to be able to use wheels and also very strong core muscles. Also they need to fit correctly so if you do manage to find a cheapish set they may not be the right fitting.

It may be that some physio exercises will help him before you spend out a lot of money (wheels are expensive)

Turning is hard with wheels and also the terrain you can use them on is very limited but that may not be an issue. However terrain good for wheels is hard and not great for the front legs that have to take all the weight. Even on three legs there is still some power and weight being taken at the back of the dog.

So after being seemingly very negative! Do speak to a physio though all of the above may not apply to your dog but they do need to be considered.

Things you can do with your dog.

Swimming loads and loads of it. Swimming hydros are everywhere and this will help build up muscle and also tire him out, he will love it as be in no pain and weight free. He will be knackered and make him feel fab.

Other thing to consider is a dog buggy. So h e can have his few minutes of walking then pop back into the buggy for a while then get out again later on in the walk. He will be seeing new things , sniffing new things and feel like he has had a walk but not so much physical effort for him.

(We pushed a labrador all around the SW coast path one year in a buggy - we also got quite fit!)

Very basic info and I am sure you are doing this already but get his weight as low as possible. He will feel much better without having to support a lot of weight on three legs.

Thanks for the tips @ShouldIknowthisalready we do try and get him to swim as much as poss and he’s great with it. Totally agree with the weight point - I do keep an eye on his ribs to ensure he’s not filling out. Sadly where we live is very rural but our normal 1hr walk is all road so would be ok with the wheels. The rural bit attracted us because of the dogs but now ironically the hills are the issue!

I don't have anything new to add really, just posting to also say to keep his weight down and to try a buggy. I know of some older dogs with arthritis and an elderly 3 legged dog that all use a buggy for part of their walks. So they get to go out in the fresh air, travel with the family and then walk around and explore in suitable areas. As soon as they're tired they go back in the buggy. In this cold weather your dog might need a jumper and some blankets to snuggle into as he will probably be cold sitting in the buggy.

If you decide to try a buggy introduce it in a fun, positive way. Set it up in the house, encourage him in with treats, make a fuss of him, when he's comfortable just move it a small bit so he gets used to the movement. Give him some more treats and move it a bit further and so on. Just saying this as I know of one person who got a buggy, plonked the dog in and took off walking down the road. The poor dog was terrified and this could have been avoided if they had gradually introduced it in a positive way☹️

Sorry@wickedstepmothfker, cross posted, I see you have just posted about keeping his weight down. That's great that he loves swimming!

Great tips @PuddyR79 I will seriously consider the buggy option you and @ShouldIknowthisalready suggested and good tip on the introduction to it

Is there a buggy suitable for labradors? Mine is three-legged due to arthritis now but still loves to walk.

I am always worried about having to carry him home as his enthusiasm is boundless though his mileage is limited (and shrinking).

We used a doggy hut buggy.

It has a detachable tow bar for a bike but easy to push.

Got it new but then sold if for more than original price in an ebay auction!