"Big Love" improving, but needs wheels

[Patrick&Suzie]

Our Miniature Dachshund Nathan (4 1/2 yr old adopted) has IVDD and is paralyzed in his hind legs. Over the past few weeks he has made amazing progress regaining control of his bodily functions (that's a big one) wagging his tail and can even push himself into a standing position and take a few steps before his hips/legs give out and his rear flops over sideways. We are still keeping him mostly crated or in our laps, but when he goes outside to potty he wants to take off and play. We push him around in a stroller when we walk him and his Brother, Oscar...he really likes that.

While he has made progress in some areas, he still has no reflex or control in others. This is most noticeable in his feet. He cannot straighten them out at the ankle without help (he "walks" on the tops of them) and his hips have no "balance" or strength to keep him upright. His legs slowly give out as well, but that will probably improve a little per the Vet. While he may never truly walk again, we have made the commitment to care for him for the rest of his life. He is simply the most loving, funny and happy boy I've ever seen. His nickname is "Big Love".

The day this happened, we didn't realize what was going on until it was too late. In a matter of hours, he went from pokey to wobbly to paralyzed. We were devastated. Even if we could have afforded the surgery, 12 hours had passed before we could get him to our Vet. He was on steroid treatment for a few days there and is still on Prednisone every other day for the next few weeks. We'll see what ultimately happens, but the Vet says he will probably not fully recover.

We cannot afford 300.00 for wheels so we're looking for used or donated ones. I've been laid off and Suzie is barely keeping our heads above water. (Thank God for her, she's my rock) I've gotten lots of advise on how to find used or donated wheels, but wanted to post here as well. Thanks for listening.

P.S. Vet bills and phone number available for confirmation, we've heard people are out there scamming!

Patrick

[Dianne]

Patrick,

Have you done 6 to 10 weeks of crate rest before moving on to wheels?

I couldn't afford the wheels for my doxie, but my husband constructed a wheelchair for under $15 with salvaged wheels from a child's toy, eye bolts, clips for the collar, a $1 pool noodle, a used ski headband for back support, and schedule 40 PVC from Lowe's/Home Depot.

You'll need a hack saw, a drill to drill through the PVC, and PVC cement once you have positioned the PVC to your satisfaction. The pup's back should be level in the chair so you don't put too much weight on the front legs.

You might consider making one.

Dianne

[CarolC]

Hi Patrick&Suzie,

It looks like he had surgery around Aug 25? Gosh, it's barely 2 weeks and he's doing extremely well. I don't blame you for trying to plan ahead and line up a wheelchair if needed, but with that much recovery so soon, he very well may not need it. I am glad you are crating him, that is so important. Don't know if you saw the crate rest advice on Dodger's List? There is a lot of other good information there, especially for IVDD doxies, and they have an email group if you are interested.

http://www.dodgerslist.com/literature/CrateRRP.htm

The cart manufacturer I dealt with for my dog did not recommend putting a dog in a wheelchair until at least 6 weeks post injury. This is mainly because the dog must have time to heal, but also because in many cases the dog will end up not needing the wheelchair, and your dog sounds like he may be one of those cases. Resting him strictly right now is an investment in his future.

Here is another picture of Dianne's dog in the wheelchair (Dianne, I hope you don't mind) so you can see how it works.

It is something like the ones made by Dogs to Go. I don't think they have a Walkin' Wheels to fit a mini yet, but Dogs to Go has been making wheelchairs for a long, long time and I have never heard anything bad about them, ever. Only compliments and praise. Their cart for 10 lbs is $70 and $13.50 shipping, their cart for 11-20 lbs is $75 and $15.50 shipping. If you are totally all thumbs and neither you nor your wife think you could assemble a homemade cart, here is the promise from Dogs to Go :

Our belief has always been that anyone who needs a cart should have a cart. Financial restraints should not determine whether or not your pet can have the cart that they need.

So, WE PROMISE, as we always have, that if you need a wheelchair, you will have it! We want you to feel free to ask us about our financing, we are very easy to work with. No one should ever let financial issues get in the way of their pet getting the help it needs.