Murphy’s Necessities

In the beginning, there was a dog - a wonderful, bright eyed little Shih-Tzu named Murphy who looked like an Ewok, bounced when he walked with a plume of a tail held high over his back.

When he was three or so, something awful happened and he could no longer use his rear […]

At the end of October 2002 I found Cody on my bed crying in great pain. It turned out he hurt his neck and shoulder and over the next three months ‘though getting Veterinary care became weaker & weaker. In January he had spinal cord disk surgery and again two weeks later in February when more matter was found. He walked in very weakly, he did NOT walk out. He was given back to us completely paralyzed, traumatized & no control of bodily functions. He could only move his head slightly when placed on his left side.

My best buddy Ozo (10 years old) has degenerative Myelopathy, and hasn’t been able to walk unassisted since February of this year. It took him almost a year to get that way from the first time we saw he was having problems walking in smooth surfaces. We have done about everything we can for him medically.

Homemade do it yourself wheels for a dog ot cat or other pet A dog cart, or wheelchair for pets can offer a handicapped dog years of joy and freedom. Professionally made dog carts are a significant investment, often costing $300.00 - $500.00. Many of us choose to build our own. This section of our […]

For Pre-Built Stairs and Ramps, see Pet Ramps and Steps

Depending on distance and size of dog, use 1 x 1 or 2 x 1 supports along sides of plyboard or use 1/8 or 1/4 inch plyboard. Measure distance you will need, ie if your dog is strong the angle can be quite short

One 1 x […]

Lethal White Aussie A Simple Genetics Lesson to show how double- merle, lethal white, Aussies come to be

Sometimes, there are alternatives to putting down an injured or elderly dog, cat, or other pet. I’d like to discuss our best friends and some of those alternatives. There are thousands of people caring for an elderly, disabled, hurt, or handicapped dog, cat, or other animal.

When a family member is injured or grows older, […]

An injured animal often loses its ability to urinate. This is a critical, sometimes fatal problem unless the caretaker knows how to manually cause the animal to urinate, called ‘expressing’ the animal. Your vet will show you, step-by-step, how to do this and it is important that you follow your vet’s instructions carefully. This page is a discussion of expressing and not intended to be a substitute for a vet’s advice.