Dog Wheels for Paralyzed Dogs

Dog’s lives are a bit less complex than a human’s life. Some of their simple pleasures are to sniff, play, take walks, run, and get loads of attention from their human family. So what happens when a drastic accident or debilitating disease takes away the use of a dog’s legs? Gone is the ability to take sniffing walks, play, run, and roll over for belly rubs…..fortunately it doesn’t have to mean a complete downward spiral for their quality of life. With the use of dog wheels for paralyzed dogs, essentially a doggie wheelchair, dogs are able to get out and about, experience the outdoors, and thereby maintain their quality of life.

Life With a Paralyzed, or Disabled, dog

At times it can be downright disheartening to hear all of the horrible things reported in the news these days, so it is always a wonderful, and enlightening, experience when hearing about all the truly compassionate people who will go the extra mile, and more, to help a dog in need.

I have high regard for all of the people out there who have been kind enough to stick by a dog that only has partial use of his legs, or has become paralyzed, dismembered, or temporarily injured and disabled.

But now let’s try to imagine the huge change of lifestyle not only for the dog, but also for the human owner, and family. I’ve tried, and it is very hard indeed to comprehend the emotional heartache of watching your dog struggle, the monetary strain as medical bills rush in as well as the physical burden of taking care of an immobile dog.

There are things to contend with such as incontinence, cleanup after bathroom accidents, pressure sores caused from lying on one spot too long, and keeping constant watch over the dog, which may lead to loss of freedom for the dog owner.

“Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished” ~Dean Koontz

The Good Part

Mentally, dogs can be better equipped than humans to deal with such things. For one, dogs don’t feel sorry for themselves like us humans do. That’s not to say dogs never feel depression, or sadness, they do, but they don’t mope, have negative projections about the future, or feel a desire to no longer go on with life. Dogs live for today, so this makes helping a dog to get on with things much easier.

Many paralyzed dogs can go through physical therapy which aids in their rehabilitation, enabling many to eventually walk again and make a full recovery. For dogs that are not lucky enough to gain the use of their legs back, with the right owner, they can still go on to lead long and happy lives. A dog wheelchair can assist a dog psychologically by lifting their spirits, and can provide them the health benefit of proper exercise.

Getting a dog to use a wheelchair is a process in itself. When a dog is first introduced to this strange contraption that humans want to attach to their body they won’t understand what it is and may resist, or even feel frightened. It takes patience, and gentle care in order to get them acclimated to such things. Even once the dog is attached to the wheelchair it can take multiple attempts to get a dog to actually want to take a step or two and get moving. Dogs will need time to build up the courage and confidence to use the wheelchair.

Once a dog understands what the wheelchair can mean for them, they will be quite excited to use it. The chair will represent playtime and freedom, and the ability to get outside and do all the things that dogs love to do. It is really quite amazing to see how well they can adapt.

This video shows the amazing benefits of a dog wheelchair. See for yourself how happy a disabled pet can be!