Author Topic: Expensive Dog Wheelchair  (Read 4429 times)

bornOK

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Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« on: February 14, 2014, 06:51:02 AM »
This is my first post here. So, I'm a rookie.

My dog Sadie has reached the point where her hind legs no longer work for her. I'm not very good at construction, and I would not know how to build her a wheelchair, but I notice that a place in the USA makes dog wheelchairs, such that for about $500 USD [including shipping], I could buy her a wheelchair to support her hind legs. I've seen someone in the neighbourhood walk his dog with this sort of device.

Clearly my dog likes to live, and normally she suffers through a long flight of stairs every morning to be greeted at my bedside so that she can annoy me when I'm getting dressed, and come crashing down the stairs barking her brains out to get breakfast. It's extremely annoying, but then again, she has an IQ of less than 12.

By the standards of the Mustdashians here, Sadie doesn't really add to my happiness much, in fact, her aggressiveness and barking can be extremely annoying, but she can be sweet after you have fed her and she chills out. But sadly today, I even to carry her outside onto my deck, and she was crawling in the snow on her chest and pooped that way. There is a fist sized tumour on her chest, but it's not malignant. At one point I had it surgically removed which cost quite a bit, but somehow it grew back. [that's another problem waiting to happen]

Should I bite the bullet and import this doggie wheelchair, or should I pay to euthanize her, cry my brains out and suck it up? I'm not very far along in my Mustdashian ways yet, although I understand the concepts very well. I came from a family such that my mom suffered a lifetime of disability with MS, so my Dad became a sort of superman, and could easily have built a doggie wheelchair, but my skills never seemed to go in that direction. Should I just accept my limitations and buy commercially, or is the whole idea folly?

Rural

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Re: Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2014, 06:56:55 AM »
Perhaps it's not an either/or situation? Here's a site that connects owners of pets in need with people who have used dog wheelchairs: http://useddogwheelchairs.com/

bornOK

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Re: Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2014, 07:03:37 AM »
many thanks Rural. I was not aware of that site. Maybe I'll get lucky.

Rural

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Re: Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2014, 07:03:50 AM »
Another option: does she need help all the time or mostly with stairs, getting up, etc? A lift harness might help if that's the case. You can buy one for ~100 or so depending on her size, or, if you can sew, or have a friend who can, perhaps that could be a DIY: http://helpemup.com/store

bornOK

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Re: Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2014, 07:15:22 AM »
wow, that looks like a great alternative if she can sort of improve a bit. Today was the worst, but lots of times she just needs a boost.


sheepstache

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Re: Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2014, 12:27:03 PM »
Also, you can't count on it, but there might be resale value once your dog is gone, which would cut down on the overall expense.

Good luck!

Argyle

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Re: Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2014, 01:28:34 PM »
Another question would be how old she is and how much longer she might live.  If she's already 15, that's different than if she's 8.  But I agree that getting a deal on a wheelchair is an ideal option.  And the resale value is also useful to keep in mind — you might be able to recoup some of your costs plus keep someone else from having to make an agonizing decision.

wareenmc

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Re: Expensive Dog Wheelchair
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2017, 04:42:43 AM »
Hi,

I also have a dog and he also using wheelchair. It's very easy to build and it very helpful for the pet. My dog was very upset and  behave very aggressive when he had a problem with his leg. That time, I researched about how to make a dog wheelchair and after that, I build very good wheelchair for my dog. After using this, my dog behave very happy and he move anywhere easily. You should to try this yourself, really it's very easy. Surely, you will feel good after this. Thanks.