Pets
Related: About this forumAn update on Shila, the 3 paw pit bull
A couple of months ago I told everyone about my friend's 3 legged pit bull and its need for a cart. Well, the $600 was raised and her custom walking cart was made and received. After a few weeks of sniffing the cart, climbing on it and general "What the heck is this thing?", Shila has finally been strapped in and is learning to walk with her new wheels. I thought y'allmight like to see how she's doing.
She got dressed up for last month's "Mardi Paws".
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)I am so glad things are working out for her. She is a beauty.
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)It must be hard to get used to the cart strapped to her. She's doing great!
2theleft
(1,136 posts)I love how excited she is to see "Ryan"...He must be a super special human to her.
ceile
(8,692 posts)I don't anything about 3 legged animals- is it harder to get around if it's a missing front paw?
SO cute! She sure loves Ryan- that's some serious "body wagging"!
TexasBushwhacker
(20,043 posts)Shila's front leg was bowing and she had some stress fractures. Being a naturally active, it would start to hurt and she would have to take pain meds. She loved playing and going for walks, but her front leg would sometimes give out and she would have to be carried. She met a woman with a dog with a walking cart that didn't have use of its hind legs. Rose saw how active and happly the dpg was and discussed the cart option with the vet. The alternative was to put Shila on permanent pain management and watch her get more and more disabled. So the cart is to help keep her active, happy and pain free.
She can still swim 3 legged though. Here she is in her glamorous bathing suit.
ceile
(8,692 posts)I'm glad her family was able to get one for her then. Lookin' fabulous in her suit!
sinkingfeeling
(51,274 posts)remaining front leg, but the heat pad and pain meds did the trick. I worry about harm coming to it. Looks like the most difficult part would be learning they have a new 'turning radius'.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,043 posts)The owner is a mechanical engineer by trade. The carts are custom made to the dog's measurements and weight. The alternative is stress fractures, pain mads and early arthritis.
Here's a wiener dog cart race.
IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)I'm bookmarking this to share elsewhere if you don't mind.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,043 posts)I know that a lot of larger dogs lose use of their hind legs because of hip dysplasia and dachshunds often have back problems that affect their mobility. These carts can save them from a lot of pain and probably extends their lives because owners don't feel like the dog has to be put down.
IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)Sadly that was not an option for my old Chows, Joy and Freedom. At the advanced age of 16 they suffered slowly worsening paralysis. Well, Freedom had been senile and deaf plus half blind for at least a year too. For months I'd had to lift them to their rear feet, then they could walk. The last 3 months it got so bad I had to lift them to their front feet as well. Six times a day, then we'd all take a very slow outdoor walk around the house twice. They didn't seem to be in any particular pain, but when they stopped eating I had to let them go. Thank God I had more than enough room to bury them in the back yard, and a kind neighbor with a backhoe. It damned near killed me.
So I'm always glad when an animal and its human family don't have to be separated any sooner than necessary. It's almost laughable the way we still use the term 'owner', which always applied more to them than to us anyway.