Do any of you have any information for or against  about dog carriers/ wheels for a dog that has no use of his back legs ?.
My daughters 9 year old GSD has lost all use of in his back legs .He still has the will to live ,would anyone recommend the dog wheels that you can buy these days or do you think that he should just be pts ?.
Has anyone had experieince of these good or bad .She just feels that he could have another few years if she could get him to use one of these Any info please .Thanks in advance .

I personally wouldnt want to resort to wheels but thats just me, it also depends on the dog and his dignity. Does he have control of his bladder and bowels ? and also what are his front legs like ?

He has full control of both.His front legs are fine  .He has lost muscle tone in rear but not the front end.He has CDRM

I've never used them, but my last dog had a dodgy rear end when we got him. We decided that if his rear legs failed completley we would try out some sort of doggy wheel chair for him. He was the sort of dog that would have not been phased by it. It turned out that his legs kept on going as long as the rest of him, so we never needed to go down that route.

With my current dog, I wouldn't even consider it, I would have him PTS. He is not the sort of dog that I feel would cope with having a moving  'contraption' on him.

I think it's a very personal choice that can only be made by those that know the dog well.

Trouble with him is once supported & upright ,he thinks he has his legs back & shoots of out the door at a gallop so my daughter struggles to keep up with him.Before his problems he weighed in at approx 64kgs .he has lost weight but is still a big boy !!

I've seen videos of dogs with them and they all seem to do well. Is it the sort of thing that you can borrow from a specialist vet or something to see how he likes it?

From internet search,I think that they have to be made to measure so to speak,Will try other places for a hire if poss.Thanks for the ideas .

My question would be what happens indoors. Presumably they have to be left off now and then? (Otherwise how would the dog sleep.) And how would the dog cope with NOT being able to use the hindlegs at those times? It's not like the use of the hindlegs would be back 100 %, so the problem would still exist, just not all the time. Personally, I'd not consider it.

I broke my heart doing it, but I put my Harry to sleep rather than go down the wheelchair route. As you say, Marianne, it can be a huge problem indoors, where the dog is either dragging himself around getting friction sores, or is banging into furniture and doorways, and is unable to lie down when he wants - and of course can't even scratch his ear when it itches. I chose not to subject him to it, but still weep whenever I remember.

I think you have to take it on a case by case basis, of my two I would consider one for Spud as I think he would do fine, he's very robust in temperament and would probably adapt well. Daisy on the other hand wouldn't do well at all, she's far too sensitive and doesn't cope well with change.

My friend had one for her young GSD who had spinal deformities,she scooted about no problem, although she did have some mobility of her rear so could still manage round the house.

I have seen a small dog on the park with one. Seemingly she has brain damage and cannot walk without falling over. To see that little dog running around after her companion brings tears to my eyes. Most certainly that dog would not have a live without the trolley. Also on the Australian Vet progtramme there was a Golden Retriever that had been in an RTA and had lost the use of her back legs. She got around great with her trolley. She however did eventually gain use of her back legs but certainly the trolley helped her eventually build some muscle up. Tough decision really.

> My daughters 9 year old GSD has lost all use of in his back legs

We used to see a GSD at swimming that had lost the use of his back legs. He came in from the car park with his dog wheels attached and apparently got on very well with them. The wheels came off by the side of the pool and he swam about happily for his half an hour in his life jacket. He even retrieved toys and looked very comfortable.

I don't know how he got on at home though, and never thought to ask. Quite a decision for your daughter, all the best with him.

I got one for my gsd,I cant say it was a raging success,but  then,it was secondhand and im not sure it was working properly,as the dog was supposed to be able to lay down in it,and she never managed it-although she may not have wanted to!She did go on a few walks,but i think we both found it hard work!Having said that,years later I saw a lady with a gorgeous gsd on wheels at the beach,the dog was a natural in it,looked happy,and as if nothing at all was wrong!It brought tears to my eyes!So they CAN work!(my dog was older,too,about twelve,the girl at the beach was fairly young).

Charlie is 10 at the end of the month but has such a zest for life still ,If we get him one walks on the beach & around lakes on cinder path would we feel give him a better quality of life .I think we must give him a chance .See if he takes to it .Will take it easy as do not want to freak him out .Thanks for all that have replied .I think that if he was ill with it we wouldnt even think about it .But he is so good in his self .

This is personal choice, however I had my beautiful gsd pts in March rather than go down the wheels road. I felt that she used to love to run and be a part of the 'gang' with the other dogs and that it would break her heart if she couldn't join in with them. I preferred to let her go with dignity as soon as I felt that her quality of life and ability to enjoy a mooch round the field with the others was gone. But as I said before this was what I felt was right for me and especially right for my lovely dog

Our vet has rescued a staffy from an rta who as a result of her injuries cannot use her back legs and is also incontinent. They have raised money to get her a cart which was going well last time I saw her. yes to begin with she wasnt happy and couldnt get used tothe thing following her but as the weeks as gone by things hgave improved. Indoors she is only uses her front legs and they take her out with a sling under her belly and her walking on her front legs for a wee etc.

Keep us posted - hope it goes well. :-)

Furriefriends,That is what Charlie does indoors she has ordered a sling thingy to lift him as he is a very large dog ,He has a sore or two  due  I think from carpet  burns so really need to sort something very soon as he could get an infection .She (my daughter) cannot bear to  let him go as she lost a Gsd last year with the same thing ,he was older ,Sam let him go a week before his 13 th birtday ,but Charlie is not yet 10 .We will just have to see if he will accept a carriage behind him .If it freaks him to much I am sure she will let him go,Sam just wants to give him a chance .

I have heard of this working quite well for a lot of dogs, I remember one of the old writers for Our Dogs used to talk about taking her dog out on a carriage with wheels, can't remember her name.
Have you tried the GSD breed club and see if anyone has any information about them ?

Our breed suffers from back problems & it's something we've had to discuss with a specialist some years ago when Lucas (now Lazarus to his friends) was paralysed after an attack & again this past summer when he suffered a slipped disc.

When paralysed behind his shoulders, talked that I did not want him to exist as a trolley basset if he didn't recover within the seven week period, which thank god he did. I've since been told he is too long for wheels, & hope that I will be strong enough should I need to intervene in the future. I had him crawling/swimming around the floor for a couple of days trying to be his normal Velcro hound, supporting him to go outside, having to help him back to his basket at night as he attempted to follow me to the bathroom, checking that he was drinking enough, never again even after just five days he was beginning to show signs of sores.

A horrendous decision to make & I was saved from having to make it but should it happen again I will gently let him go, my pain can be his release to a better place & existence.

You might find this site to be some help http://www.spanna.net/Index.html not sure how current it is as it was on the go when my GSD was an oldie, about 6 years ago.