When taking the kid's to school this morning, i noticed a German Shepherd dog and owner.
I cried because the dog obviously had something wrong with it, as the owner was semi carrying the dog with a belt around its waist as the dog was dragging its back legs.
I cant understand this as no matter how much i love my girl if anything resulted in this happening to her i would have her sent to doggy heaven.
The dog looked very uncomfortable, and kept stopping and the owner lowered its backend down on the floor, god knows what was wrong, but surely this is'nt good owner behaviour to treat a dog like this.I cant actuallt critizise as i dont know the circumstances, yet it has left me very upset and gutted.
As i was in the car i could'nt see the dogs paws, so i can only assume they must be sore as the bottom of the feet were dragging along the pavement.
why;;;why why..............

i can understand how upsetting this must have been, its horrible to see anything like that,
i personally would have been nosy and asked,
Heidi

Have sent GSD sam a PM but may be more of you would like to read this it will not change your mind but it may make your think.

Jackie pm back to you?

Hi GSD Sam
There could be so many reasons for this, and it might be aa short term situation. It's a case of there but for the grace of god etc, and until you're there you don't know what you would do. In our case with my old GSD I saved her the discomfort, distress and indignity and she was PTS 2 days after becoming paralysed as she had too many other things wrong with her to cope with that. Sometimes it is hard to let go though. I'm not saying there's a right or wrong approach, all dogs people and the situations are different.
Kat

Thank you Jackie, that link on the GSD has just made me cry.  I think it was the 'duvet path to the back door' that did it for me.  With all the horror stories going around of late this one well restored my faith in human kindness.

Going to wipe my eyes...

Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT sounds as if the dog had CDRM which is a disease not uncommon in middle to old aged GSD's - the back legs become weak and a classic signs is the 'knuckling over' of the back paws, which can become sore.  The trouble is that inactivity leads the digestives system to slow down and the dog can become constipated (although they are often also incontinent :( ) It's very probable that the owner was doing their best for the dog........ Although a thick towel may have given the dog more comfort.

Brilliant story! :)

Yes Digger it was CDRM, he never had trouble with his bowels but during the last year I did have to empty his bladder.

Thank you Jackie. I'm sitting trying to type with tears in my eyes. He was obviously loved for his final years. Makes it all worth while, doesn't it?

:D He was a real looker Jacki and it sounds like he had the personality to match :)

It could be that this owner was doing the best he could for the dog. Maybe you should talk to him next time you see him, I'm sure he's fed up with people judging him without knowing the full story.

Hi Wishfairy, Rex's first owners are dead, it was myself who rescued him. Some people did criticised but I convinced myself that I had been around dogs long enough to know what was best for Rex. Another dog or different circumstances and I may well have PTS. Just realised you may be talking about the subject of this thread, it takes time for the awfull truth to sink in, some days they seem better than others to start with and you always think they may not get any worse, of course, they do. With Rex, for the last 2 years he could not wag his tail but when he was asleep and dreaming he could, strange because the conection was still working from brain to tail but not in his control.

4 months after Rex died we started looking again for a different breed and that is when we changed to Elkhounds.

Sorry Jacki - I meant the dog owner in the original post :o

It's never an easy decision to make when it comes to a 'happy' dog with a disability. My sister in law has an 8 yo boxer bitch who is incontinant with little hope of recovery. She keeps giving it a little longer but she's trying for a baby now so I think that might be the final straw :(

No problem I guessed after I had replied that, not for the first time, I had mis-understood.

I'm sure i have seen some kind of harness on somewhere specially designed for helping dogs move when they don't have full use of the back legs. It was some kind of strap that went round the back legs and tummmy with a handle to help support their weight. I just can't remember where i saw it though.

That is the sort of thing we had made up before we got the cart, trouble was Rex weighed 110 lb and that is not easy to hold even if there are 2 of you.

Another possiblity, maybe the owner was taking the dog to the vet, if t was unable to walk unaided then that is why it was being semi carried.
Not many vets will come to the house and if you dont have your own transport it can be hard getting a sick animal to the vets.

My aunt had to have her old english sheep dog pts a few years back, her back legs had gone and many other probs aswell, she had been told about 2 years before flicker died that the time had come. She went home and looked at flicker and spoke in more detail to the vet and they decided as she was in no pain to wait a while. Over the 2 years the vet became a close friend and when flicker started to mess herself and get very upset whenever she done it, she would try to get to the door but her legs gave out one day and that was the start they all decided the time had come.

The vet as a friend came to the house and put her to sleep in her own bed with my aunty holding her.
After,the vet said that he never done house calls to put to sleep and neither did any other vet that he knew.

So maybe just maybe this owner was having to make the hardest decision of their life as a dog owner and didnt have the surport needed in getting there.

Debbie

PS. i dont know if this is the fact but it just makes me feel better to think that the dogs suffering (if it was suffering) wasnt going to last much longer.

The owner of this dog may just be in the same position I am.
I have an almost 13 year old Miniature Dachshund, who had a ruptured disc nearly 12 months ago.  He has partially recovered, but sometimes he can't walk, and I have to hold him up with a towel under his belly. He is in no pain, he eats and drinks normally,  and he is perfectly happy to still be with us.
I, personally, congratulate the owner the original poster talked about. I have the advantage of being able to exercise Cooper in my back garden, rather than have to take him out.
Some people may think I am a bad owner to keep a "Disabled" dog alive, but I have had him since he was 12 weeks old, and I intend to keep him alive, and happy, as long as he is in no pain.
Pauline

I think it boils down to the dog and the owners capabilities. I hated seing one person with an old dog who couldn't walk properly hold him up and swing him about to turn him by his TAIL!

Jesse

I do appologise if i have offended anyone, i did not come to this forum for backlash or offending anyone so i am sorry if infact my humble, concerned worry's and genuine upset have indeed offended or outraged any members,
When you are oblivious and ignorant to the real problems it becomes an oversight over your own feelings.in this case i was shocked, stunned and very upset.
I will be more careful in future not to post any thing else, which could give any false impressions.
I might also just forget trying to make friends and finding out anything here as from several postings ihave read  get the impression that there is either too much compertition or plain stabbing.
I have only been a member for a short while and found solice and members whom i have spoken to very compasionate people and there for do not wish to un-intentially upset anyone further
i am sorry

Sam, you are being too sensitive and you have a right to say how you feel, it gives the chance for others to put their point of view and that is what the forum is all about, an exchange of views, so we can all learn.

Hi J, so far i can stand against what i have said, You have been a true support/friend advisor,
i am shocked to see from nozeeing around;all the hatred and back stabbing on this forum, my god the allegations and finger pointing, i didnt think getting a puppy was so intense.
I know that you do have to use alittle decoram [probably spelt wrong] but as a new member myself i feel that those inexperienced few like myself do have a slight disadvantage on here.
I have tried very hard and been very patient of late to curb my tongue when i have heard and seen some of the nastyness.
Why cant we all just get on and enjoy each others doggy tales, trivulations and concerns without the false acusations+childishness, its not whjat the forum is for is it J, my postings have always been with good intentions and i do feel sorry for a couple of lasses who seem to have been lashed.
They could only after all be youngsters? not like this old timer? well thats how i feel.
regards
sam

Sam don't worry about it! Jackie is right. Exchanging views is what makes CD's such a popular site, and I fail to see how anyone could have been offended by your post.
Chin up :)

liberty:)

Thanks Liberty, i browsed around before my reply to J and saw a couple of people, pauliedee and is ita something??
i have read the posts and i can sympathise with them about the elite few who have from what i can see have made nasty comments and false allegations.
I am very weary now about posting on here and i think it will be such a shame as i hope i have found an allie in Jackie H with her years of experience with shepherds.
Like so many other members which replies have been well appreciated.
just thought i would mention my glasses are at the optitions as my lovely girl[[[[[[[ggggrrrr]]]]]] has chewed them, my fault for leaving them in her reach, so i can hardly see the keyboard as its a dimm corner where i type. my reading skills though are not as bad hahaha
regards
sam

Sam have PM'd you :)

liberty

Sam, members on this forum are human and as such are inclined from time to time to lose their cool and become Pi*sed off by new comers who are instance experts or those who contradict anything anyone else says without bothering to find out who they are arguing with. But most, if not all of us are happy to help if we can and only get upset with people we think are less than genuine. Sadly we are not always accurate in our conclusion, but most are happy to apologise if proved wrong.

hi jackie, your reply was sound advice and i will state for my own personal piece of mind that I am a newbie to this site, i have a 12 week old pup, i am ignorant to what to expect from her and her breed.
I am a learner in all doggy ways  BUT  i love her enough to find out as much advice, sugestions, listen to experienced gsd handlers/owners so my pup, my family and i can give our pet all the healthy care and love we can,if this means joining a doggy forum site and loads of reading then i am game.
You are so right when you say we are all human, we all have fall outs with things from time to time but a valuble lesson is i personally have learnt, you are never too old or too expert to learn new things.
Thankyou all for the replies.

Unfortunately it is all too easy to jump to conclusions before knowing the facts. 

My first dog was extremely ill with a digestive problem once and to cut a long story short, whilst he was being extensively investigated, he was passing blood and mucus and looked as though he could have come off an RSPCA poster.  During this time he needed to go for short walks.  I was reported to the RSPCA and when they came round I had to take them to the vets to reassure them about his health and welfare.

It can be very upsetting when one's beloved dog is virtually disappearing before ones eyes, you are emotionally vulnerable and exhausted from worry and the last thing you need is someone accusing you of mistreating your dog.

Whilst of course there are dogs that ARE mistreated and neglected there are an awful lot who may just be going through a very bad patch of illness etc and being nursed by very dedicated owners.

I am so sorry for giving you the impression i was pointing the finger at the owner of this gsd in my first post.
I was more upset and shocked to see this as i have never seen any dog with a belt round its waist before or dragging its legs in the wet and muddy pavements.
I was deeply saddened and all i can say for the hundredth time is i am sorry from my heart to any owner which is or has experienced this personally.
Please,,,,no malice was intended

Nobody is getting at you they are just explaining what they think was wrong and offering stories to base the info on, I personally don't know anything about the condition, I've heard of it but like you i wouldn't have understood or connected it to the chap with the dog.
So don't beat yourself up over it, you know now and the good thing is you can repeat the info and pass it on making other people aware!
:)

Hi will do. thanks for your vote of confidence

As it has just been pointed out to me by a fellow member more experienced than i, I am in sole aggreement with what she has said in answer to a feeding post.STOP SAYING SORRY
thanks to that member?
I have aired a genuine view and offloaded a sad feeling in the most genuine way i could and wanted to share this with fellow owners.
I will not be saying sorry again as i do not believe i need to keep repeating myself to anyone.
I have a sight impedement not a stammer.
[no cause to upset anyone with a stammer, gareths my toy boy]

I saw the dog and owner today.
This time i was out with my girl getting her used to street noise, people, cars etc.
I actually approached the man and we started chatting about the two gsd's, he was very nice and explained that they have had there bill for 12 years and he has had hip dysplasia for the last year, bill's condition got worse in the summer when all movement of his back legs stopped.
The owner told me that they love this dog and coul'nt bear for him to be put down, so with the help of this belt it helps to give the dog a bit of extra life.
Thanks to several forum members i learnt about a dog carty and told the owner this, if anyone has an address or contact number the owner wants me to get it for him as he is willing to seek advice.
What a god send champ dogs are and thanks to some members i think now that "BILL" will have a greater lease of life
thanks all
sam

Sounds more like Degenerative Myelopathy than HD Seems strange that a dog would develop HD at 11, Degenerative Myelopathy is when the dogs gradually loses the use of it's hindquarters slowly & is the curse of GSDs. A dog with perfect hips can develop it & to date there is no cure. The up side is there is no pain just a gradual lost of mobility

hi, the owner deffinately told me hip dysplasia and it was in the summer of last year when the hind legs completely went.
his vet is also giving the dog monthly hydrocortizone injections,spelling is probably  wrong for that injection,anyway the owner said that from even when bill was a pup he would have stiff legs when he came home from been walked, back in the early days the vet he had then just told him that bill probably had a touch of arthritis.
well, this is what the owner has told me

Hi Sam, if it is HD then I am not sure the cart would be suitable as there is pain with the HD and the cart supports the hindquarters via the pelvis and this could cause pain if the dog has HD. Not contradicting what you have been told but must say it sounds more like Degenerative Myelopathy and in that case no problem with using the cart but if it is HD then I have to say at 12years old I think the dog should be released from it's pain, JMO.

It just that I have lived with dogs with HD & DM over the years & oddly the ones  with HD never went off their legs nor had to be helped by me to walk, sadly not so with the DM

Here's a link http://spanna.homestead.com/CDRM.html  The HC injection is a anti infammatory I think

The trouble is a lot of vets diagnose DM as HD because HD is expected in GSDs. It can start very early & my dog who has HD now(scored 34:34=68 so it is bad)is never stiff or lame. The last dog I lost with DM had a 0:0=0 hip score & I lost him within a year of being diagnosed, luckily my vet has GSDs & is very aware of the difference between the two. Another vet at the group tried to tell me he had HD(& had just developed it)when he first started dragging back his feet I actually told him what my dog had, When you have had GSDs as long(god that makes me feel old :D)as I have DM is something at present we have to live with

Dogs do not get HD at 11 they have it from birth which is why to me it sounds like DM & carts are used for these dogs more than dogs with HD as there is pain in some cases of HD & a cart could make things worse

my Gsd will be 14 this year and she has  weakness in her back legs, she drags her feet and wobbles and finds it hard to turn around, I was worried that people would think i was being cruel for keeping her like this, she has has a check up at the vets and although there is nothing he can do for her he said he will not put her down, she enjoys her walks and is always first to get to the car, she still eats well, and is still clean indoors,I do a lot of grass walking so she doesn't wear her nails down,she lets me know when shes had enough walking, and as she is still well I am not ready to let her go.

Woodsford, by the sound of it, she isn't ready to go yet, either. Enjoy her - I love the oldies. They have that certain 'something' that makes them very special.
:)