HandicappedPets.Net

I have a Hound Shepard mix (I think) he is a rescue so we are not sure. He is 40lbs and medium sized. When we got him he was a recent front leg amputee (his left front) and not even 9 months later had a herniated disc and had to go through that surgery. He has yet to fully regain the use of his back legs and it is harder since he is missing one in the front. He scoots around the house in diapers because he urinates when ever he moves and defecates on our floor too. We missed walks and getting him at least outdoors for bowl movements. We found Walkin-Wheels and hoped that would help. We have a 4 wheel because we thought it would be more helpful with that front leg missing, but he is used to hopping up and down on that one leg from his pre disc surgery, so he is awkward in the wheels. We are thinking of taking off the front, but right now we are feeling very hopeless. Any ideas? He is so awkward in this thing- it doesn't seem as natural as we have seen on the videos promoting it. I miss having a dog that could at least go for walks. Being a full time caregiver is hard.

Hmm. It seems to me that a quad (4-wheeled) cart would be the way to go with a tripod, but maybe not right now. Can you take the front wheels off easily? (I'm not familiar with the HP quad carts.) If that works, I'd certainly keep the front wheels in case your baby needs them later, perhaps even trying them again after an adjustment period. Quads don't seem to be as "natural" as the typical 2-wheeled kind, but a quad could help take some of the load off of his remaining arm.

You may want to post on the neurological board as well, or you may want to reply to posts there to talk to other parents in a similar circumstance.

Hi,

I have a little insight on what you are going through. I would recommend taking off the front wheels to see how he does. You can always add them back. When an Amputee uses the Walkin Wheels, or any wheelchair, it's like re learning how to walk again. It does take time. The other important thing is to take a few pictures of dog in wheelchair for fitting evaluation. I would like to see a side view and a rear view. Do two sets, one with the quad set up and one with just the rear set up. Please get down low to take the pictures. Send them to: Helpme@walkinpets.com
Then we can let you know if it looks good, or any adjustments that need to be made.
nancy

Hi,

If you send me pictures or videos of you dog in the video, I will have a better idea. It might just be some fitting issue.

Please send it to: nancy@hpets.net

and I will get back to you.