Help with Hershey's Eddie's Wheels Cart

[Shani]

Hi Everyone,

I havent update in a while, but not much has been going on. Hershey can hold a stance for quite a while once I lift him into standing position. He also has appears to have some brain to motor function -- he lifts his legs in an attempt to scratch himself all the time. He's also been standing in water during his hydrotherapy sessions and his legs are constantly twitching. Once, I caught him doing leg lifts in his sleep, . He even swings his tail from side to side. Not full swings, but still it's movement that wasn't there a few months ago.He still flexes his toes quite a bit, but has no deep pain.

So, he has a cart now, but im concerned with the fit of the cart. He's gotten adjusted to it pretty quickly. After refusing to move in the first two days, he's pretty much taken off in it now. We took it to his PT/Vet and he adjusted the cart, but it still seems to fit weird. The shoulder bar bounces slightly when he walks even with the chest strap pulled into the tightest fit. Also, his legs/feet dont quite fit into the stirrups. Maybe because he has big/long feet? Also is it normal for him to be a bit wobbly in it? He walks just fine when I sling walk him, but he seems to wobble a bit in the cart, maybe he's just getting used to using it?

Anyway, here are some pics, any advice? Does the fit look ok, am I just being paranoid? Also, has anyone had any problems with the bars rubbing against the fur and causing any problems?

*pardon his rough look, he's due for a cut any day now*

You can see the small gap between the shoulder bar and his shoulder on the right. Does this need to be adjusted? Maybe it's because he's leaning forward with one leg?


Side view


Here you can see how far over the stirrups his feet are. Should his legs be bent instead of straight?

[BethT]

Hi Shani,

I am glad Hershey is doing well. Those are very good photos of him in his cart. I have some thoughts since Waffles also has an Eddie's cart. The first thing is you should contact Leslie at Eddie's and send her the photos. I had some questions in the beginning regarding fit and they were very helpful over the phone. You can get some very soft sheepskin seatbelt covers cut them and put them around the shoulder yoke. This would tighten up the fit so that the bar would not bounce around. This is one area that Waffles has had his hair rubbed off so it helps for that too. I also put the seatbelt covers on the saddle bars too. Waffles butt would move back and forth in it when he would walk (it was a little wide for his back end). This kept Waffles from bouncing all around in the saddle plus I am sure that the extra padding makes it more comfortable. Take a look at the big Eddie's cart at PetPT. It has the sheepskin covers on it. They velcro right around the bars. As far as the stirrups go, Waffles has a different style so I am not quite sure about the fit there. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Beth

[Bobbie]

Yes, definitely email Eddie's and ask- send the photos. The shoulder bar looks a bit too far forward from these photos but they can tell you for sure. The leg rings might be slightly large, too.

[Shani]

Thanks for the replies.

Hi Beth, how are you? I asked about you last week because I haven't seen you in a while, I thought you may have left.

I emailed Eddie's, but I'm not getting much feedback on the fit, only the bouncing of the yoke. Leslie suggested that I leave his feet out of the stirrups and get booties for his feet to help with the dragging, but I still dont feel comfortable with the yoke bouncing off of his shoulders because it's hindering his movement.

This cart is the most frustrating thing because I just dont think it fits and I have no idea how to adjust it to make it fit better.

[Cindidoxiemom]

I think the sheepskin around the yoke that Beth suggested is a very good idea. Have you tried that yet?
Also...are his legs dragging when they are in the stirrups? If not, I wouldn't worry about it.
Oscar's yoke bounces a little...but it doesn't seem to bother him a bit.
If it is still bothering you...CALL leslie and talk to her.
You say he has adjusted to it and is getting around fine...I think that is all you need to worry about. IF something arrises later...rubbing etc...it can be addressed.
Cindi

[Bobbie]

Why don't you just attach a belly strap behind the forelegs? If your problem is not that the shoulder bar is putting pressure on the back, then it won't hurt to snug it down a bit. I would also try shortening the length just a bit to move the shoulder bar back. It should be sitting over his legs, not in front of them. And try padding the back rings. (You might get some pipe insulation to slip over them and tape it in place.) If the back rings are too big (as they look to be) it might increase the bouncing.

Where do you live? Maybe you are near someone else who has an Eddie's cart and can help you get it adjusted.

Also, try a videotape of him walking in the cart, and send that to Eddie's.

Bobbie

[missmabelline]

Hi Shani:

I saw your post regarding the fit of your Eddie's Cart. I had an Eddie's Cart made for my bulldog Mabelline when her rear legs became paralyzed last summer. As it turned out, Mabelline regained the use of her legs and we did not have to use it. However, when we received it, I had taken her over to a rehab hospital to be looked at and they told me that if she needed to use it, they could adjust it to fit her. Maybe you could try a local rehab hospital near you. The rehab hospital where I brought Mabellline was really familiar with Eddie's Carts and had other dogs who had been fitted there.

Good luck!
Vanessa