Question abour Wheelchairs

[Dachia]

Hello!

This is my first time to post, but I have been lurking around reading everyone's stories about their families. On Feb. 14, 2007, our Akita, Chaz, had his front left leg amputated due to ostesarcoma. He had his 2nd round of chemo on March 15, 2007 and goes back for a third on March 31st. He is doing really well. I have several questions about the wheelchairs. Before Chaz's amputation, he was used to walking 2 to 3 miles a day. Now we are lucky if he makes it around the block, which is about 3/4 of a mile. In his mind he wants to go, but his body won't let him. He gets too pooped out. He has to run to get momentum to go anywhere, however, he is not a runner . I was thinking that a wheelchair might help him go further, but I am not sure if he would use it. Does anyone here have a wheel chair for their front leg amputee? If so, does your dog like it? use it?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dachia

Here is Chaz, lounging by the pool.

[tessa]

aw...poor ole chaz. that pic looks early days...and you can see by his eyes he's been through the wars.
how's he holding up to the chemo?

xena is not the sort that would deign to use a wheelchair. it took a while but her mobility improved over time. she'll never walk as far as she used to...not even a fraction as far. i had great plans for her rehabilitation in the beginning...even so far as taking her on rather longish walks. i don't do that anymore. we've cut back the distance she may travel, and in the end, that's probably smart because of the amount of stress that is being placed on her remaining front leg.
it took longer for me to accept this than for her.
i guess it's just hard to let go of what used to be...when she is still so close at hand...but honestly...those walks are out of our reach now.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

If you go back through the posts, you will find a couple of front leg amputees. I read that some prefer a quad cart to a front leg cart, only because it is easier for the pup to maneuver.
Your Chaz is a beautiful boy, and will regain his balance with time and patience. You can use some water therapy (with a floatie on him) to build some of the other muscles and connections without stress.
WELCOME!

[Dianne]

Hello Dachia,

Have you considered loading him into a child's wagon for walks? Perhaps he would enjoy riding. Although he looks like a big boy, you could still enjoy short walks and he would still enjoy the outing.

I don't usually post in this forum as my dog is a two legger because of IVDD paralysis. We also walked 2 1/2 miles about three times per week before the paralysis. Afterward, he enjoyed riding in a child's stroller.

Welcome.

Dianne

[CarolC]

http://www.doggon.com/products/frontwheel.html

Here is a dog named Soldier who is a front amputee, and his other shoulder tended to dislocate, so he needed extra help walking. You can see he's looking happy in his cart. You might also try a joint supplement like glucosamine if your oncologist says it's OK.


https://www.bestfriends.org/soldier/progress.cfm