by Kelsey Warren-Bryant
Rex, a French Bulldog, found himself at Tornado Alley Bulldog Rescue after being born during a snowstorm. A victim of neglect and backyard breeding, the newborn puppy was left outside for an extended period, which resulted in frostbite and the loss of three of his paws. Prior to his rescue, his paws had not been professionally amputated.
Physical therapy student Kalie Skinner already owned two French Bulldogs before stumbling across Rex’s story on the rescue’s social media page. His heartbreaking beginnings had a profound effect on Skinner.
“I have followed Tornado Alley Bulldog Rescue for a long time and wasn’t necessarily looking for another fur kiddo,” Skinner explained. “But Rex popped up on my feed, and I was immediately in tears. I felt called to help him, and I knew that I could help him!”
Determined to give Rex a normal life, Skinner met with his foster mom the following Saturday. She knew immediately that Rex was a perfect fit for her family, and shortly after, she was allowed to take Rex home. Skinner was overjoyed to be able to welcome Rex into her home. However, adopting Rex was just the beginning of what would become a long journey of healing. Skinner was determined to use her knowledge and connections in physical therapy to give Rex a better chance.
“My goal has always been to build his strength so that he can be as independent as possible without a wheelchair, without carrying him everywhere, and prevent injury,” Skinner explained. “He deserves to be spoiled and live as close to a normal dog life as possible!”
Celerity Prosthetics creates custom limbs
Shortly after, Skinner took him to get custom-fitted for his prosthetics by Andy Anders and his team at Celerity Prosthetics. Anders began the complex process by taking measurements of each leg, then applying a wet plaster cast.
Once the plaster was dry, Rex had finished his first appointment. However, the work had only just begun for Anders. His next step was to remove the casts and fill them. He then had to sand the plaster down to enhance smoothness. To add cushion and provide additional comfort, he heated a material called Pe-Lite foam to 350 degrees, then vacuum-sealed the foam to the plaster model. After some final layers and smoothing, the final step was to add Velcro straps, in addition to rubber soles to the bottoms for grip.
After hours of hard work, the prosthetics were completed, and Rex could finally try them on. He did well according to Anders, despite being unsure about his prosthetics.
“Rex was a little trooper during the measurements and the fitting,” Anders said. “He was a little hesitant at first walking on them, but with much persuasion with his toys, we were able to get him to run around on them.”
Rex begins physical therapy
Once Rex’s prosthetics were complete, it was time to get him accustomed to the prosthetics and begin regular exercises to build his strength. In addition to at-home exercises, Skinner enrolled Rex in a weekly physical therapy treatment led by Josie Gimple from Pawsitive Steps Canine Rehab at Waterloo Animal Hospital.
Gimple and her team soon discovered that Rex not only had his amputations and poor balance to overcome, but also a grade 4 heart murmur, which added additional complications to his treatment plan. Once Gimple and her team had fully assessed Rex’s condition, they began to introduce his prosthetics. Despite doing well at his previous fitting at Celerity, Rex was less than eager to use them again.
“At Rex’s evaluation, his mom (Kalie) brought his prosthetics (front limb and hind limb), and he was not a fan,” Gimple recalled. “He growled and barked so loudly, I was surprised people didn’t come in to make sure everyone was OK.”
The next session they tried again, but this time, Gimple asked Skinner to wait outside. Her reasoning was that some dogs tend to respond better to therapy without their owners there. Unfortunately, Rex reacted even stronger than before.
“This time people actually did come to see what all the commotion was,” Gimple continued. “The second we pulled the prosthetics out of the bag to put on him, he went ballistic.”
However, they were not ready to give up, and Skinner brought Rex in for a third session the following week. Gimple was shocked at Rex’s sudden cooperation.
“I asked his parents if they had drugged him or who this dog was because he was a perfect angel,” Gimple said. “He gladly came back with me and let me work with him and only made a slight sound when I put the front prosthetic limb on him. … Now I can put it on without any reaction from him.”
Gimple and her team could finally begin Rex’s therapy. At the time, Rex had very little core strength and stabilization and would fall over when losing his balance. Additionally, while he was willing to put his front prosthetic on, he was hesitant to put any weight on it. Gimple and her team have since used a combination of techniques to build Rex’s strength and confidence, including slow walking with the prosthetic limb and side-stepping activities, as well as the use of tools such as a whole-body vibration plate to activate his muscles and dry needling. They also incorporated massage, with rest breaks as needed.
While Rex’s healing journey is still ongoing, he is now able to catch his balance when walking and is comfortable applying his weight to the front prosthetic. Rex is now a favorite visitor of the team at Pawsitive Steps Canine Rehab, and they have given him the affectionate nickname “Lieutenant Dan.”
Rex came from difficult beginnings, but his physical therapy team and mom Skinner couldn’t be prouder of his progress. They are thrilled to watch him living life to the fullest every day, surrounded by people who love him.
“He has a team of cheerleaders and support behind him, and I couldn’t do it without them,” Skinner concluded. “He has been a joy in our household. We love him so much!”
