Meet Bowser, our November 2019 Pet of the Month! We first met Bowser in January 2019 after he was abandoned at a boarding facility and taken in by I Heart Dogs Rescue and Animal Haven. It was quickly noted that Bowser’s elbows had very limited range of motion. It is suspected that Bowser was born with deformities in both forelimbs, which resulted in a very unique gait. Bowser would propel himself up and forward with his hind limbs and then land down on his elbows, almost like a frog hopping. Unfortunately, this is a very concussive way of getting around and, eventually, this would likely cause damage to his shoulders, back and neck.
His new family had purchased a cart from Eddie’s Wheels for him, but Bowser had some difficulty acclimating to his wheels. Our main goal was to help Bowser get used to walking in his cart and to accomplish that, we had to slow him down! Through targeted exercise, we were able to improve Bowser’s core strength and help teach him to move his hind limb independently. Today, Bowser is cruising in his cart and happy to be able to go for long walks around the neighborhood with his brother.
For more information about Bowser’s story, please go to the Case Reports page on our website: https://www.pawsitivestepsrehab.com/case-reports/item.html/n/200138
Bowser also has his own Instagram page with his brother Gus: https://www.instagram.com/gus_and_bowser/