elderly dog and stairs

[rower]

Hello,
I have an almost 14 year old shepard mix. She has always been very active her whole life (running, hiking, etc.) and is still going on 3 mile walks, albeit slowly these days. Just this week we had a scare where she almost died from a sudden onset bout with pneumonia. She is recovering nicely, but her hindquarters have become very weak, mostly due to the pneumonia, and the rest to old age and arthritis. Hopefully she will regain the strength she had in her hindquarters, but if not, I am very concerned as my condominium is on the second story and we have to climb a flight of stairs. She weighs 75 pounds and it is not easy for me to carry her up a few steps, let alone 15 steps to my condo. I need some advice. I know that one can get slings and harnesses. She does have a harness for the front part of her body. Has anyone tried a rear harness for their dog? Does it work well? Does anyone have a similar situation and can suggest other ideas?

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

I had to towel walk my big guy before I heard about this board, and I have to say the rear lift would have been a WHOLE lot easier. He is now having troubles again (crushed hips and shot front leg, 6.5 years later) and I am also thinking about the rear lift harness. Almost everyone who has used it and posted has benefitted from it. My big guy is shepherd, pit bull, black lab mix and he's pretty big. So I would definately recommend it. I would suggest wrapping the straps in a fleece to cushion them. Others will be along shortly. I am so glad she made it through the pneumonia! A massage will give her comfort and bring her some relief, as well as you. WELCOME!

[CarolC]

I have the Hartman Harness for my dog and it gives great control. I also have a rear harness (Walkabout harness) and it works really well, too. They both work.

www.hartmanharness.com
http://handicappedpets.biz/www/rear-dog ... pport.html

My experience is that the rear harness does not stay "up" on my dog's hindquarters if he is walking around, no matter how I adjust it. So it works great if you are going to put it on your dog and walk with your dog assisting him, or load your dog in the car, but it does not work great if I want to put it on my dog, help him to his feet, and then let him walk around unassisted. Before long it slides down off his hips and around his ankles where it can trip him.

The Hartman harness cannot slide off, the dog can wear it all day. The problem with it is if you do not adjust it just right, with my dog at least, when he is lying down he can get his knee caught in it, it's hard to explain.

Both harnesses would work for going up the stairs, the Hartman would give slightly better control going down the stairs because you are gripping closer to the body.

Hope this helps, and I hope she does get her feet back under her, she very well may once she bounces back from this. But I think you'd be glad you invested in a harness anyway, even if she just uses it for a couple of weeks, because you'll be prepared if you ever need it again.

[mayasdad]

I just ordered the Heavy Duty Support Suit with shoulder strap because of a similar situation... (we have 3 flights of stairs) Check it out on this site... at 70 lbs, I may have my "hands" full but am desperate to save our maya from those stairs once and for all... I can let you know more when we receive it later this week. good luck.

[rower]

Thank you Maya's dad. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. I've been out of town.

How is the harness working? Please let me know.
'
So far so good with a combo of front and rear harness. I lift her rear with the rear harness, and just hold onto the front harness to stablize her as she walks under her own power with her front legs.