Question by animalhouse751: New wheelchair for dog… she seems slow to adjust?
My 13-year-old shepherd is getting weak in her back legs. She is having weekly water treadmill and acupuncture to help with arthritis pain and strength. I got her a wheelchair last week and she is slow to adjust to it. The harness seems uncomfortable even though it is on correctly. I also have to order her feet protectors because she scraped the top of her feet because she drags them. She dragged them pretty bad on a walk on Sunday (without using the wheelchair). It’s just a condition of her arthritis to drag her feet.

I was wondering if anyone else has a dog in a wheelchair and how long it took for them to adjust. Any pointers? Did your dog have success adjusting and playing ball while in the chair? Like when she needs to pivot and turn to run and get the ball?

Best answer:

Answer by Sandra R
Not sure where you got your chair from but it sounds like she has not been fitted 100% correctly and is imbalanced. She should not be dragging anything. It sounds a bit too small. Most places fit to the animal personally. There are a number of places around if that type of chair isn’t working for you. It will depend on where you are located though.

Eddies Wheels are a place in the states that are good. I think a lot of people on this list are American. Let me know if you are Canadian and I can recommend someone else.

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Question by Karen A: Update…Dog lethargic, goes up steps slow…?
For those that responded, thank you so much. My little Shih Tzu was seen that day. Definate arthritis problems. Vet put her on a Rimadyl treatment and by morning she was moving around like her old self. Thanks you all again.

Best answer:

Answer by Bob
Glad to hear all is well.

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Question by ♥ Leo ♥: What are some ways to slow the progression of arthritis in senior dogs?
I have a 15 year old (about to be 16 in April) golden lab that has arthritis in her hips and shoulders. She’s on anti-inflammatory medication, and is doing as well as any 15 year old dog can do. She has a heated orthopedic bed she sleeps on, and we have put a ramp on the back door steps. So physically she’s able to get around our house with ease.

Are there anymore steps we could take to slow the progression of her arthritis? I’d hate for her to get so bad she has to get euthanized before her time.

Best answer:

Answer by QueenBee
GARLIC…..lol

Garlic helps with arthritis in both humans and animals. I use to feed my 12 year old Doberman cloves of garlic wrapped in cheese and then seems to help him. Mind you I was 10 so it probably wasn’t the best way to give it to him.
Find a garlic supplement and mix that into his food.

Small amounts of exercise are good too. Keep her moving but only for 10 minutes for a walk and then give her a break. Do this a few times a day. THe more she lays around the stiffer she will be.

Diet is very important. I don’t know what diet your dog is on so I am just going to suggest somethign I woudl try. Labs tend to get chunky and this is never good for their joints. she should be on a senior or low cal/low activity diet. Minimal treats to keep her at a healthy weight.

Lots of love always helps too!!!!

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i recently found out my 3yo Dane, Fergie, has HD, arthritis & a bad knee. The vet has her on G3 & Deramaxx. She acts like it doesn’t hurt her &, other than a slight limp, you’d never know by the way she runs & plays. I have 2 other danes & during the day i keep them seperated from her so they don’t play rough while i’m away. When i get them back together, they play like they haven’t seen each other in years!

My problem is this: Fergie is a very energetic Dane who’s full of play, but her recent diagnosis is requiring her to rest. How do i let her get expell some of this energy without her hurting or straining herself? I’d love to be able to let her swim (i’ve read that does wonders) but i live in Ohio & its not the season for that. Also – there aren’t any facilities around that cater to animal therapy. The vet says to leash walk, & we do, but she’s still peppy after that! I hate to deprive her of playing w/the other dogs, but i have no way limiting how rough they get. Help!
Sidenote: Fergie is supposed to ‘rest’ for about a week. By ‘rest’ i mean ‘take it easy’ and not run sprints or wrestle with the others, until the G3 can start to work it’s magic. She’s not confined to a crate or not allowed to exercise – we leash-walk every other day. =)