Need wheelchair plans for 6 lb. dog

[Dogsalot]

I have an elderly Chi (est. 16 yrs. & about 5 1/2 lbs. ) who had a spinal injury 4 yrs. ago. I knew SOMETHING was wrong & took him in for an exam when he kept being snappish. The vet X-rayed & said he'd had a spinal injury but it was too late to do anything for it. I was not told exactly what happened until about a yr. ago. I also pulled a paralysis tick off him that had been attached only a few hours last summer. Recently I came home from work to find him splayed out in water from the water dish, cold, with abraded places on his knees & in extreme distress. His symptoms seem to be that of MD, but after a period of time when I actually considered EU because he was beginning to refuse to eat & very despondent, I've put him on amino acids & vitamins & he's been improving daily to the point he can now move his head around, shake, & move his legs early in the day. Towards evening he seems to stiffen & be in pain & my curent vets have given him a standing prescription for Metacam, to be underdosed as needed. I cannot afford a wheelchair for him all in one lump sum & none of the manfacturers will allow payments after delivery (I was told he needs to begin using one immediately to avoid muscle atrophy). Does anyone on this board have plans for making one? My husband uses pvc in his work, & I'm a retired art teacher with a farm do-it-yourelf background & could probably build him one, if I had sources for whatever else is needed.

Thanks for any advice

[critters]

I don't see the comprehensive page (Carol?), but here's the PVC one I did.http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Homemade_quad_cart_for_a_severely_disabled_cat

[Dogsalot]

Thank you! I think I could do this except I don't know where I'd get the stroller wheels. Hard to tell in the pics, so can you tell me the dimensions of the frame, how many Ts & elbows you need. Also what schedule of pvc did you use & was it 1/2 inch? I have two different schedules on hand, both 1/2 in.

Also what are the straps on the frame made from & how are they attached? Since Simba is an intact male, that would be an issue on the hammock set up. He wants to do his PP business standing & absolutely HATES to lay in PP on his commercial pads he stays on most of the time. Some feeling has come back into his paws, but towards the end of the day he starts getting rigid again & they get cold.

One other question, what is your kitty's head position in relation to the front bar? Is it above it? I would need to pad that bar for Simba as he sometimes has spasms that make him sort of curl up like an armadillo.

[Dogsalot]

Sorry I didn't mention it earlier; he is quadraplegic, but seems to have regained more movement in his back legs than his front.

[CarolC]

Sorry I didn't mention it earlier; he is quadraplegic, but seems to have regained more movement in his back legs than his front.

Since his front legs are affected, it sounds like he is having neck problems. Activity could make it worse. Neck problems are painful, which explains the snapping, little dogs have to protect themselves. I would think he needs to be on strict crate rest for several weeks with some kind of anti-inflammatory medication (you already have that), and possibly muscle relaxers. It sounds like you also want to keep him warm, but paralyzed pets cannot use a heating pad, so maybe a light blanket would help. I know your vet spoke about losing muscle tone, but in spite of that, I would rest him, not get him a wheelchair. I would also be extremely careful when lifting him and carrying him. I suggest you give him a verbal cue such as "Up up" when you are going to lift him, and use it every time so he knows to be ready.

If he does need a cart for mobility later, I think PVC might to be too heavy for such a tiny dog. And any cart is going to be a strain on his neck muscles to pull, because they do have to pull the weight of the cart to move around, therefore the lighter the better. Honestly, at his age, I think a baby stroller would be more appropriate. I would not expect him to run around like he used to, just let him take it easy. It is a big adjustment in thinking to go from, "Ideally I would like to get him a wheelchair so he can run around" to "Realistically he is weak in the front legs and a stroller is going to be better for him because this injury is in the neck". Even though wheelchairs are a godsend to dogs that need them, not all dogs are good candidates for a wheelchair. I wouldn't even do a stroller till he's had 6-8 weeks of real rest and is feeling better, then ease into activity gradually.

The thing to keep in mind is, if this is a neck injury and it gets worse (which might not take a lot), not only can it be excruciatingly painful (where the dog is screaming on the examining table and your choices are emergency surgery or euthanasia) but it can cause paralysis affecting everything from the neck down, including the breathing. This is why it is so much better to be safe than sorry with neck injuries. If he still has bowel and bladder control, you're really fortunate, and you don't want to do anything to make his neck worse to where it might affect bowel and bladder. I can see where you might be able to use a 4-wheel wheelchair for him to stand in to pee if he understands the purpose, just using it as kind of a frame, not a rolling wheelchair. In that case, it won't matter if it is heavy. But as far as a cart for mobility, I wouldn't. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it sounds like he is at great risk and I don't know why the vet did not advise strict crate rest. Neck problems are more difficult than other kinds of spinal problems, you have to be careful.

Your dog is lucky that he has family that are so willing and able to create some kind of mobility device for him, so it's kind of a pity that he isn't the best candidate for wheelchair. If he was a young strong dog that just went down in the hind end, I know you would get him fixed up with some excellent wheels and he'd tear around like crazy and be happy. But with your eldery little chihuahua with weak front legs, if you can fix up a baby stroller to make him comfortable, that would probably be the way to go. Then when he is done with his crate rest, if he is feeling better, you can take him around the block if the bumps in the sidewalk do not aggravate his condition. But that will probably be 6-8 weeks from now. And if people say, "Why don't you just get him a wheelchair," you'll have to educate them and tell them, "We wanted to, but he has neck problems and is weak in the front legs, so this works better for him."

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[Dogsalot]

I guess I should have made it a little clearer when this second episode happened & what seems to be most likely what is going on. It's been almost a month since I came home & found him splayed on the floor, & it was progressive before then. I just didn't realize what was happening. It was not a recent injury, it is apparently a combination of an old injury & progressive disease. He was gradually developing a wide rear stance & walking stilt stepped with his front legs. He has always rested with his front legs straight out in front & crossed & that is worsened now. The vet who saw him & administered the Dex immediately named what he assessed him to be suffering with (not a recent injury), but I can't remember the medical name for it & he has not been available to ask again. Simba is not snapping now, this was weeks ago. He is able to move it & does not appear to be in pain early in the day. He only stiffens up as the day progresses & he gets tired. I took him out to do his pp this morning & yapped out me to take him outside. He was very happy that he was able to hold it all night & do it outside. I got a big smile & a little tail wag.

If I'd had information as to what was most likely happening to him before his complete collapse, I could have begun the holistic treatment I have him on now & at least slowed its progress on him- (MD, despite one wheelchair company's statement that this only happens to certain breeds & his isn't one of them. My litle guy shows all the classic symptoms). The vet at my clinic (farm animal oriented) gave him the Dex series, which made him very, very sick, bleed internally & he & did not hold out much hope for improvement & mentioned EU- which I considered as my little guy was despondent, beginning to refuse to eat & only getting worse. This vet (not holistic, traditional) only prescribed Metacam for him. He only got slowly worse on that alone. However, with the amino acid complex, Simba continues to improve daily, and he struggles to move around & stand on his own, so I began searching for a wheelchair for him. The recommendation to put him in a quad-chair ASAP so that he doesn't loose his muscle tone came from a small manufacturer with 25 yrs. experience & a personal small dog with the problem. My little guy doesn't WANT to be carried or in a stroller & a stroller isn't practical where I live- on a remote 40 acres with the house on the side of a hill with only a gravel drive down to the highway. I do have access to a large climate controlled clear span building with a concrete floor where I work & where he could roll around. Hope this clears up everything. I do need more specific instructions or pics on how to build him a quad cart, if someone is willing to give details, such as what body measurements & support are critical, etc.

[markcrobinson]

I see individual wheels at http://SmallTiresAndWheels.com
They may be able to help.

Warm Regards,
Mark

[critters]

I ripped Baby's wheels off of a stroller from the thrift shop. I couldn't separate the duallies, but it worked out better that way anyway.

[critters]

Oh, I forgot--I DID buy the single wheels from the hardware store, but I shouldn't have gotten swivels; I don't think they had anything but them. They tend to run over Baby's feet, not that she tolerates it long.