help for abused dog paralyzed NEED WHEELCHAIR
help for abused dog paralyzed NEED WHEELCHAIR
Can anyone help find an affordable wheelchair for a 7 yr old female mi that we think was abused & now has no use of hind legs?? PLESE HELP with suggestions, or if you know of vet schools that help with surgery...(unless it's too late, it happened about 2 wks ago) Thanks Cathy
Re: help for abused dog paralyzed NEED WHEELCHAIR
Hi,
I'm sorry, what does mi stand for? I can't think of a breed of dog with that abbreviation.
It may not be too late for surgery if the dog still has feeling in the hind legs. A vet can evaluate whether there is still deep pain sensation and whether surgery will help. I do not know of hospitals that do free surgery, but many participate in Care Credit which is a loan for emergency veterinary care. http://www.carecredit.com . The terms are great and they let you know right away if you are approved. Veterinary colleges are often cheaper for surgery than specialty hospitals.
Does the dog have bladder control? Is the dog currently crated so she can't move around?
I'm sorry, what does mi stand for? I can't think of a breed of dog with that abbreviation.
It may not be too late for surgery if the dog still has feeling in the hind legs. A vet can evaluate whether there is still deep pain sensation and whether surgery will help. I do not know of hospitals that do free surgery, but many participate in Care Credit which is a loan for emergency veterinary care. http://www.carecredit.com . The terms are great and they let you know right away if you are approved. Veterinary colleges are often cheaper for surgery than specialty hospitals.
Does the dog have bladder control? Is the dog currently crated so she can't move around?
Re: help for abused dog paralyzed NEED WHEELCHAIR
oops...mi doesnt stand for anything..I must have backspaced to type something else & didnt notice 
Jada is 1/2 shepard 1/2 boxer (I think). She belongs to one of the younger girls i work with. To make a long story short, she shared a house with a gf..The gf invited 6 ppl to live there, & my co-worker asked them to leave...the next morning..the dog was paralyzed. If it was me..somebody might be dead by now (maybe not literally, but almost). She has no $ and doesnt want to put her 7 yr old dog down. She has no control with bladder or bowels & I assume has no feeling at all from somewhere w/i the spine to the hind legs. It happened 2 wks ago.
It's ashame that it sounds like surgery is not an option at this point. The dr in our small town originally told hr she could go to a big city for $3000-$7000 for surgry with no gaurentees. I offered $1000 if she could find others to pitch in also, but she isnt able to....
Do you have advice on wheelchairs? I read one add that made me wonder if jada needed a back wheel or quad wheel?? I am willing to buy one for her...
Jada is 1/2 shepard 1/2 boxer (I think). She belongs to one of the younger girls i work with. To make a long story short, she shared a house with a gf..The gf invited 6 ppl to live there, & my co-worker asked them to leave...the next morning..the dog was paralyzed. If it was me..somebody might be dead by now (maybe not literally, but almost). She has no $ and doesnt want to put her 7 yr old dog down. She has no control with bladder or bowels & I assume has no feeling at all from somewhere w/i the spine to the hind legs. It happened 2 wks ago.It's ashame that it sounds like surgery is not an option at this point. The dr in our small town originally told hr she could go to a big city for $3000-$7000 for surgry with no gaurentees. I offered $1000 if she could find others to pitch in also, but she isnt able to....
Do you have advice on wheelchairs? I read one add that made me wonder if jada needed a back wheel or quad wheel?? I am willing to buy one for her...
Re: help for abused dog paralyzed NEED WHEELCHAIR
Wow. Well, if Jada still has use of her front legs, all she will need is a 2-wheel cart. They do not recommend getting a wheelchair until 6 weeks post injury, as the injury needs time to heal and sometimes the dog will recover and not need the cart. You and the young lady may want to start researching carts. Here are some links.
http://www.handicappedpets.com
http://www.walkinwheels.com
http://www.doggon.com
http://www.eddieswheels.com
http://www.k9-carts.com/
http://www.k-9cart.com/
http://www.wheelchairsfordogs.com
http://www.enablingpets.com/
I am trying to think here. Is the girl strong enough that she can physically handle a large dog for the next 5 years? Assuming the dog is 80 lbs, she will be lifting the weight of her hindquarters which is about 32 lbs several times daily, but consider it a little more weight depending on how the dog moves.
For a fixed saddle cart, where the saddle is built into the cart, she will need to lift the dog's hindquarters high enough that the hind feet clear the saddle of the cart, which may be about 18", someone could give you a closer measure. There is another kind of cart where the saddle is a detachable nylon sling and you put the saddle on the dog first, then attach it to the cart, you are still going to need to be able to support the dog in a standing position while fastening the saddle but you are not going to have to lift the hind feet off the ground. There is also a company that makes a collapsible cart so you don't have to lift as high.
Having a good lifting harness is a blessing for a dog like this. Please let me know if you want some links for harnesses.
If the dog is incontinent, is the young lady expressing her bladder? Here is an article on expressing the bladder, the first part explains the importance of it. She needs to be emptying the bladder at least every 8 hours. For those of us who work full time that normally means before work, going home on your lunch hour, again when you get home, and at bedtime. It might be easier for her to express the dog in the cart. Do you have any idea if the dog is dribbling, or just voiding urine from time to time?
http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Express_a_dog_or_cat
Can the dog turn herself? She needs to be turning the dog every few hours to prevent bedsores. Not knowing exactly where the injury is or whether the back is broken, I guess all she can do is be really careful. She also needs to be really careful to keep the bed dry, nothing starts a sore like lying in urine.
I have gone off on a lot of tangents other than what you asked. I guess I am saying if you are willing to buy the dog a chair (bless you) it sounds like you can afford any brand of wheelchair, so that is nice. It would be better if she could at least have the dog examined by a specialist so you know what you are dealing with. But if the specialist wants to do an MRI then there goes your wheelchair money unless she gets Care Credit for the exam and pays it off over time. I hope this works out somehow for Jada. Is she on prednisone? If the injury is not severe, it is possible she could recover or improve.
http://www.handicappedpets.com
http://www.walkinwheels.com
http://www.doggon.com
http://www.eddieswheels.com
http://www.k9-carts.com/
http://www.k-9cart.com/
http://www.wheelchairsfordogs.com
http://www.enablingpets.com/
I am trying to think here. Is the girl strong enough that she can physically handle a large dog for the next 5 years? Assuming the dog is 80 lbs, she will be lifting the weight of her hindquarters which is about 32 lbs several times daily, but consider it a little more weight depending on how the dog moves.
For a fixed saddle cart, where the saddle is built into the cart, she will need to lift the dog's hindquarters high enough that the hind feet clear the saddle of the cart, which may be about 18", someone could give you a closer measure. There is another kind of cart where the saddle is a detachable nylon sling and you put the saddle on the dog first, then attach it to the cart, you are still going to need to be able to support the dog in a standing position while fastening the saddle but you are not going to have to lift the hind feet off the ground. There is also a company that makes a collapsible cart so you don't have to lift as high.
Having a good lifting harness is a blessing for a dog like this. Please let me know if you want some links for harnesses.
If the dog is incontinent, is the young lady expressing her bladder? Here is an article on expressing the bladder, the first part explains the importance of it. She needs to be emptying the bladder at least every 8 hours. For those of us who work full time that normally means before work, going home on your lunch hour, again when you get home, and at bedtime. It might be easier for her to express the dog in the cart. Do you have any idea if the dog is dribbling, or just voiding urine from time to time?
http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Express_a_dog_or_cat
Can the dog turn herself? She needs to be turning the dog every few hours to prevent bedsores. Not knowing exactly where the injury is or whether the back is broken, I guess all she can do is be really careful. She also needs to be really careful to keep the bed dry, nothing starts a sore like lying in urine.
I have gone off on a lot of tangents other than what you asked. I guess I am saying if you are willing to buy the dog a chair (bless you) it sounds like you can afford any brand of wheelchair, so that is nice. It would be better if she could at least have the dog examined by a specialist so you know what you are dealing with. But if the specialist wants to do an MRI then there goes your wheelchair money unless she gets Care Credit for the exam and pays it off over time. I hope this works out somehow for Jada. Is she on prednisone? If the injury is not severe, it is possible she could recover or improve.