Dog Story That Will Make You Cry: The Amazing Life of Blind, Three-legged Dog

Jamie, who is a vet tech in Nashville, saved Roo’s life when the Shiba Inu puppy was only nine weeks old. Since that time, the pair have faced more challenges than any dog mom and dog should have to go through. Jamie shared the story of her three-legged, blind dog with us in an interview.

I worked for a veterinary clinic in Michigan that approved health certificates for puppies coming into our state from puppy mills. About 60% of the puppies seen at the clinic were born in puppy mills and being sold at local pet shops. Many of them had parasites, pneumonia or genetic defects, like Roo.

The pet store that had Roo sent her to our clinic because she wasn’t walking right. She was supposed to get an x-ray and go back to the shop, but the equipment had broken down and Roo had to stay with us for a couple of days. I watched over her and fell in love with her.

When Roo finally had an X-ray, it showed that her knee had a genetic condition called a luxating patella in dogs. The patella is the bone we call the knee cap and it supposed to fit into a groove at the end of the thigh bone so it can glide smoothly in all directions. Some dogs have a malformation where the groove is too shallow and the knee cap won’t stay in place. Most of the time, it is a fixable problem.

I had the opportunity to assist with Roo’s surgery. When the surgeon looked closely at her leg he noticed that in addition to a luxating patella she had a fracture in her leg that probably happened while she was being transported. The surgeon said Roo’s leg couldn’t be fixed. He suggested amputating her left hind leg.

After the surgery, the pet shop didn’t want Roo and the breeder wouldn’t take her back. I bought Roo from the pet shop and brought her home to heal.

Tell us about how you discovered that your dog had glaucoma:  

Roo had a pretty normal life until she was about 4 ½ years old when I noticed that one of her eyes was weepy and very painful. She was diagnosed with glaucoma and put on medication, but it didn’t help. Our veterinarian said the best way to treat the problem was to remove Roo’s eye.

The vet explained that Roo would feel better and missing an eye wouldn’t affect her life. He was right. Roo didn’t feel sorry for herself and adapted well.

Then when Roo was six years old glaucoma struck her other eye. I was devastated when it had to be removed.

Did you ever think the amputation combined with blindness was too much for your dog to handle? 

No, I didn’t ever think that because she didn’t feel sorry for herself. But when Roo lost her vision completely, I panicked at the idea. The veterinary ophthalmologist assured me that I would be amazed at how well Roo would adapt to being completely blind and within two weeks she had learned to navigate around our house.

She even did great outdoors. She relies heavily on sound. I can stand on one side of the yard and call her and she comes to me.

What was a particular challenge for your dog? 

Our biggest challenge became the hardwood floors in our home. With only three-legs and no sight, Roo would slip and fall. She didn’t have the footing that a regular four-legged blind dog would have. I tried grippy socks, but they didn’t help.

How did you discover ToeGrips® dog nail grips?

A vet tech I once worked with in Georgia told me about them. She now worked at Georgia Veterinary Rehabilitation, which is one of the first hospitals to add ToeGrips to their practice. I posted on Facebook that my dog was having a hard time walking on slippery floors and asked for suggestions.

ToeGrips changed Roo’s life. She wears them all the time.Click To Tweet

Is that why the vet clinic where you work started carrying ToeGrips® dog nail grips?

Yes, I work at Parker’s Paws Animal Hospital in Nashville and I showed them the video I made of Roo wearing ToeGrips for the first time. They were impressed and wanted to have them available for patients because we see a lot of older dogs in the practice who are having a hard time walking.

I understand you and Roo are also advocates against puppy mills.

We work with animal groups that rescue the mama dogs from puppy mills. Those poor dogs live in wire cages their entire lives and have so many health problems. Roo and I post on social media facts about puppy mills and try to educate people. It helps when they actually meet Roo and see firsthand the results of a puppy mill.

Thank you to Jamie and her dog, Roo, for sharing such an emotional dog story and video.