Pets and you

[Nienna]

crystalicdream, you may want to take a look at this site:

http://www.k9carts.com/

When my mother's miniature Dachshund's back went out, her hind legs became paralyzed. I lived in northwest Washington at the time so we drove there, with the dog, and had her fitted to a cart. It was sort of expensive - I can't remember how much - but it was worth it. And Pixie (the dog) ended up being able to walk without the cart after several months because of her trying to use her back legs when she ran/walked outside with the cart.

Anyway, if you can't afford one, maybe someone handy that you know would be able to make one for you.

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Hi crystalicdream, you may also want to look at Max`s diet. We had an elderly dog, Trixie, with hip problems, not as severe as you describe Max`s though. I`m not even sure if at this point a change in diet would help Max, but it can`t hurt him either.

I cut out all dry kibble, even though it was suppose to be a quality "organic" dog food ( too many carbs), and went with 100% raw organic meat. I transitioned her by gradually cooking slightly the meat first and within about a week and a half she was just on raw meat.

The difference in her muscle mass and the way she got around in just a few days from changing her diet was something no less than a miracle! What we know how diet can play such a vital role in human health and even in a dog`s health is just amazing. I`m certain the raw meat diet gave Trixie a couple more years of quality life.

Good luck with the wheel/harness apparatus. I`v seen many dogs that can successfully navigate with them. :)

 

[crystalicdream]

Thank you for the helpful link, Nienna! Yes, I have been trying to persuade my parents to get something like this for Max, and I think that with this website that has some pretty good examples, we might as well be getting one of these for Max. If not, my dad loves to create new gadgets for Max. :)

I am not sure about his diet though. Pretty much the only thing he can still eat and which do not cause severe diarrhea for him are dry kibbles (though we do soften them up a bit for him by putting them in a little bit of water for a few minutes). Every time we feed him cooked meat, he is pretty sure to leave quite the gooey mess behind inside the house. But it can be that this would just be the first symptoms for a few days if we would transition him to a diet of cooked or raw meat?