Is it possible for a pet to manage with two legs?

[Sandie]

A week ago my dog became a bilateral front limb amputee (missing both front legs). From the few replies I had to a previous post, I assume this must be pretty rare. I just wanted to let anyone know who is contemplating euthanizing their animal because of this to just stop and think a moment about the age, health and personality of their dog. One week after his final surgery, Bear is now walking all over the house on his back legs. He doesn't walk like other dogs I have seen on the net (right up on his back legs), instead his back is almost parallel to the floor as if his front legs were still there. He can sit indefinitely, and can toilet balancing on his hind legs. He sits to eat, and easily springs up from lying down into sitting. We have found him asleep on a bed, so assume he can jump up, although we aren't encouraging this as he still has his sutures in. Life on two legs at this early stage does seem very possible, but I would still love to hear from anyone in a similar position. For anyone interested, Bear has a blog.
bearthetwoleggeddog.blogspot.com.au

[CarolC]

Sandie, THANK YOU! I just looked at your blog, it's wonderful.
Hope you will post some of pictures here.
There are a couple of dogs who walk as you describe, little Scooter and Amy.
I think you will enjoy seeing their photos.
http://disabledchihuahua.8m.net/photo.html

[Sandie]

Watch my two legged dog Bear walking!

How awesome is he after just two weeks!

[CarolC]

He is just precious! It's hard to believe he can do so well, and so soon. It looks like he was slipping a time or two? If it was my dog I would be looking for some carpet runners to put on the slippery floor. If he tears a ligament or messes up a knee slipping heaven forbid, he would be completely unable to walk. I feel like, why not make it as easy and safe as possible for him, kind of adapt the house for him? I got mats for my kitchen and bathroom floors so my pets would not slip. Just my .

[Sandie]

Hi Carole, yes slipping is a problem, especially when I mop the floors! Happy not to mop for a while!! The major problem is, I have quite a large house, and it just isn't feasible to cover all the polished floors and tiles. I'm putting in a carpet runner in the major areas where he picks up speed such as the hall, and have put mats across areas he often slips- like moving from the polished floor to carpet. I have also tried non slip socks, which just kept falling straight off or turning around no matter what we did. I'm looking at a more substantial boot that goes right up his leg. I'm actually more fearful of him hurting his back legs in the last few days as if I don't watch him like a hawk, he wants to jump up on the lounge. He can actually do it, but I'm worried about slipping, so have purchased a large soft dog bed that he can step up on, and then the jump isn't so high. The worrying thing also is he follows me everywhere, and once, when I thought my husband was staying in the room, I went downstairs. Not sure how, and it makes me go cold to imagine it, but Bear got off the bed. I guess it will just take a little more thought and adjustment as he gets more clever and determined. However, on the plus side, he's right back to being the happy awesome little dog he usually is. It's just up to us to keep him as safe as we can.

[Sandie]

The polished floorboards in my house are still a challenge for Bear. We have huge expanses of them, more than a few rugs or hall runners can cover. Over the weeks he has got more cautious (not less) as he has had quite a few knocks to his chin. Being an excitable little dog, he often takes off quickly, and his back legs slip and slide. I don't want him to sit marooned on a rug waiting for me to pick him up. I have tried switching to mopping the floors with vinegar (instead of a commercial product) and this helps a little. What I have found works and covers all problem areas cheaply are rolls of the thin non slip liners designed to line shelves. The rolls I found are 30cm by 150cm and seem durable enough to last a while and wide enough for a little dog. I've stuck the short ends together with double sided tape. The product I found (here in Australia) is by Ladelle. It will still be a short term solution, but he is now tearing up and down the row I have put together from one end of the house to the other, and you can almost see him breathing a sigh of relief. I'm sure this solution has been discovered by many of the smart and innovative people on the website, but I seem to be bumbling through working it out as we go! Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
By the way, Bear continues to make me so proud. He got his cart a few days ago, and we try it three times a day. He was completely bemused until I put him in a harness with a leash on it as well as the cart. The light bulbs went on. He walks a short distance before getting excited and turning in circles, but I think this is amazing for him to be doing this at all, and when he grabbed the leash in his mouth just like he used to, I burst into tears. My amazing brave dog! I can't believe how quickly he returned to enjoying his life.

[Christine]

I just cry watching the spirit and absolute joy of Bear. I can imagine how you feel! he is just amazing. I am going to share your story with Daniela of Taildom. What an inspiration both of you are!

[Christine]

Sandie,

Within hours of my email to Daniela, Bear has been featured on her blog. Take a look at your precious boy!

http://taildom.com/blog/dogs/bear-hope- ... gged-dogs/

[CarolC]

Sandie, thanks for posting that tip, because I don't remember anyone posting it before. Good! Glad you found something that works!


P.S. Here is a link to Kandu's website.

http://www.kandu.us/index.html

[Sandie]

Hi Christine, it's so lovely that you have taken an interest in Bear. Thank you so much. I looked at the article on Taildom. It's wonderful, and thanks for mentioning Bear to them. Over the months that Bear was either staying at the vets, or in every day for injections, I spent many hours talking with the vets and the clinic nurses. I became part of the furniture as I would come in and visit Bear in the quiet times. We had a long time to discuss life after amputation. It now seems just really important to me that losing two legs doesn't simply become an automatic death sentence. Of course it is hard, and of course I grieve for him, and of course you'd never choose it for your pet, but I just couldn't deny Bear's massive will to live. It's fortunate that this horrible situation is relatively rare, but I'm sure Bear's vets would now consider life on two legs as workable (his primary vet was very against us trying initially). His vets are now his biggest advocates! I'd have to say that the things in Bear's favor are his small size, but extremely powerful back legs, his young age, and of course his determined, stoic and endearingly beautiful and loving nature. Thanks again for your interest Christine, have a lovely day!

Hi Carole, the liner is working out brilliantly. I guess it cost around $60 to make the row all around the floors. I roll it up to clean the floors and then just lay it back out. The product is by Ladelle, and I've thrown out the package, but I believe it was called something like "Grip Magic Liner'. You can get vinyl like product, but this would be as slippery as the floor, but this product is like a smooth almost soft rubber and it just doesn't slide on the floor, even when we walk on it. It is very thin, so we don't kick it up or trip on it's edges. Bear is super happy tearing around now (although right at this moment I'm looking at him snoozing in the sun out the back!). Great to hear from you again!

[Benny2Paws]

It's so wonderful to see how well Bear has adapted to his new life. Animals are incredible that way. They take what life throws at them and they make the best of it. How blessed he is to have you for his mommy!

I was wondering... Have you ever considered getting him a wheelchair? Although he's clearly managing well on his hind legs, a dog's body is not naturally designed to function that way. Walking in that manner puts a great deal of excess stress on his spine and hind legs, because he no longer has anything under his front end to evenly distribute his weight. Imagine if you lost one of your legs and didn't wear a prosthetic to redistribute your body weight in a natural way. You could certainly hop from one place to another on the one remaining good leg, but that would eventually take a serious toll on your knee, hip joint, and lower back. A wheelchair would alleviate that extra strain for him. He could still get around on his own outside of the chair, but at least he wouldn't be spending as much time walking solely on his hind legs.

My little guy, Benny, lost the use of his back legs at the age of four. He got around great by dragging himself around the house on his front legs. I even found a little garment specially made for dogs in his situation that he could wear on his hind end to protect him from rug burns, etc. Eventually, a doctor of veterinary neurology recommended I get him a wheelchair. It was the best investment I ever made. Once I put him in that chair, I realized how much easier it was for him to get around and just how limited he had been without it. It greatly improved his remaining years. He could walk as far as he did when he had four legs and he never slipped or lost his footing again. If money is an issue, I know there are companies out there who sell refurbished wheelchairs at a discounted rate. Some will even donate them to you. The company who made Ben's wheelchair did that for me.

It's just something to think about...

I wish you the best of luck, my dear. You are embarking on a journey that is more rewarding than you could ever imagine. I'm sure you've already found how much stronger it's made your bond with Bear and it will only get stronger. You are both so incredibly fortunate to have each other. You are his angel and he is yours.

God bless,
Rae Linn

[Sandie]

Dear Rae Linn, thanks for your reply. It sounds like your Benny had a wonderful life thanks to your care and love.
Bear has had his front wheel cart for just over a week. We are taking it slowly, he loves to go in it, but stands very arched (which is common, and also understandable given he walks very arched). Luckily, he hasn't spent long on two legs, so hasn't developed any muscle tightness. He can walk about 10 feet in a straight line before getting excited and going in circles-but I figure we have all the time in the world, so I'm not pushing him. I'm a children's physical therapist, so this last little while I've switched my attention to Bear. He gets massage while in his cart to stretch him out, and I just let him take a step or two in a good position and return to working on his posture if he tries to arch again. Pictures of Bear in his cart are on his blog 'bearthetwoleggeddog.blogspot.com.au
Thanks again for your interest Rae Linn
Sandie

[CarolC]

http://www.handicappedpets.com/index.ph ... tters.html

Bear is in the newsletter!!!

Sandie, how perfect that you are a children's physical therapist. That is wonderful!

Benny2Paws, I love your username.

[Benny2Paws]

It's great that you've gotten him a cart! I found out about Bear through the very newsletter CarolC mentioned, and got to this page through the link there, so I hadn't seen your blog yet to view the newest pics you posted of him with his wheels. Some dogs take to them right away; some need a little more time to adjust. Bear is such an adaptable little guy, I'm sure he'll embrace it fully eventually. Plus, he couldn't have a better teacher. I can't believe you're a children's physical therapist! What are the odds this little guy would end up in such capable and loving hands? How wonderful!

I also think it's phenomenal that you've created a blog about Bear and your experiences with him. Doing so helps others in your situation realize their dogs can overcome what many still mistakenly believe is an automatic death sentence. I wish I had taken the time to do one about Ben while he was still alive, so people could see the progress he was making as it happened. We had an amazing and fulfilling life together and I would've loved to have shared all the details of it with the masses to educate them on just how hopeful life with a special-needs dog can be. It's funny...I always thought there would be plenty of time. I kept thinking, "I'll get to it tomorrow." I applaud you for living in the moment and giving everyone a glimpse into your beautiful life with Bear as it unfolds.

I've attached a couple of links, so you can see my little Benjamin...

Here's a link to an archive article our local newspaper did about Ben a few years ago
http://times-news.com/archive/x1540416752/print

Here's the pic they ran with the article
http://times-news.com/archive/x1448726743

Here's a Fido Friendly article where he appeared in 2010, as well:
http://dogtime.com/special-needs-dogs-f ... ryant.html

I wish you every happiness with your sweet and incredibly adorable Bear, Sandie. It's so amazing the little miracles life puts in our paths.

CarolC - Thank you so much for the compliment on my username.

[Sandie]

Hi everyone! Thanks for your replies, and I was really blown away to see Bear in the newsletter! I'm really having issues sorting out how to add things from my phone, so if you'd like to see Bear walking in his cart (and running over my poor cat!) look at his blog (bearthetwoleggeddog.blogspot.com.au)
Also, a photo I just posted there proves pretty conclusively that he has phantom sensation. Quite a strange photo!