Ivan is a German Shepherd X Lab who has been hypothyroid since 2, had elbow displasia at 9 months and ACL surgery at 2 1/2 years. He has had arthritis in his knees (stifles) since he was 3. Ivan will be 10 in January. He has been overweight most of his life (he was 166 at one point..he is 142 right now), but still been a happy guy who gets around.
The picture is of Ivan in one of his favorite positions at the store (with Rags..the frostbitten ears, fanbelt amputated tail stray that adopted us) Read the rest of this entry »

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 legs. The plume now droops and barely wags, but he is still my beloved companion.

Recently he has been joined by another paraplegic rescue dog named Molly and I care for them as best I can. I’ve learned the hardest part is knowing what to do to keep them clean, make them comfortable, to keep the skin from breaking down (bed sores) common with this condition, and most of all, to make their lives worthwhile

Too many little dogs are put down every year because not only the owners, but the veterinarians also, have no idea how to care for them. My purpose in life is to tell you it CAN be done. I won’t promise you it’s easy, but it does become easier with time and experience, like anything else.

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I wanted to take out some time to tell you something incredible.

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.

Several months later I discovered HandicappedPets.com. I wrote the letters below to Mark in April to get some help. After researching on the site, we decided to help Cody by going to the Vet we chose to holistically treat Chelsey (our cocker spaniel & Cody’s best friend who tragically died amid all this ) . We scheduled several sessions with this Vet to give Cody Proton Beam therapy. I have no idea if what happened next was the result of that therapy or not. The next day after that first session, Cody was able to curl up for the first time in three months. A few days later one of his legs started to move. My Sister-In-Law Rachel (who helped us immensely) first noticed it.
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OZO’s Homemade Cart

I had a dog ten years ago (his name was Si) who lost the use of his rear legs rather suddenly at the ago of 14. The vet gave him some med’s for the pain, etc, but his age was prohibitive to any permanent fix. We helped him get around the best we knew how, but saw that the quality of his life was getting poor. He was extremely independent and didn’t like any assistance. Before very long, he had worn off most of his fur on his rump from dragging himself around the lawn.

My wife made the appointment three times to have him put down…….but I just couldn’t do it. He was so much there mentally. I remember saying “if he was a human, we would go get him a wheelchair, and he could continue on for at least a little while more.” Read the rest of this entry »

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 website is devoted to ideas, plans, and experiences around home made carts. We hope you’ll add yours.

Index:

• Purchase a professionally-made cart
• Rich Bergins designs and builds a sturdy cart for a larger dog.
• Kid John’s Cart (complete plans and Photos) Outstanding for larger dogs.
• Dennis in Seattle (instructions)
• How to Make a Homemade Cart
• Inexpensive Alternatives & GREAT Ideas… A Cat Cart.
• Ozo’s cart
• Speedy Kitten’s cart

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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 1 (or 1 x 2) on each side, and along top and bottom edge - nail or screw in place Length of indoor/outdoor carpet or carpet grass which will cover the breadth of the plyboard and wrap along the 1 x 1s nail or staple gun in place OR a Carpet Runner which exceeds length of ramp by at least foot on each end

BEVEL THE EDGES OF THE BOTTOM 1 x 1s at an angle that will accommodate the ground, if you are so inclined (haha) The top 1 x 1s can be steadied with a good bottom bevel and the carpet runner over the top, or for the bigger dog, get an L bracket and bend to the required angle. Affix a rubberized surface to the L bracket to prevent slippage.

On an elbow grease scale this is about a 3. Go to Home Depot with photos of your best friend, as I did, cry because your heart is breaking, as I did, buy scraps and by gum, if you go, If you cry, they will build it! If they don’t it’s a fairly simple project

Lethal White Aussie

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

Posted By: kim k Date: Sunday, 10 April 2005, at 10:10 a.m.

This is a copy of a post I worked really hard on for the Yahoo Deaf Dogs group and the Yahoo Lethal White Aussie Rescue group, to show how and why merle to merle breeding produces double merle pups and other breedings do not. I have added a 4th pairing, which shows why double merles are sometimes used in breeding to obtain 100% merle litters (the only way, statistically speaking, you can get all-merle litters, because breeding a merle to merle — as you will see — won’t do this).

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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, the amount of extra care they need changes. Fortunately, advances in medicine and assistive devices help us care for them and make them more comfortable. This holds true when our family includes pets. The deep, loving bond that is created when we choose to care for them evokes lasting warmth.

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Express a dog or cat - How To.

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 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.

Your pet’s bladder needs to be completely emptied ‘expressed’ at least three times a day (every 8 hours). When an animal can’t walk, urine can ‘pool,’ sitting in the bladder. Sometimes, when you find your pet’s bedding wet it does not mean that it is incontinent or peeing in its sleep but rather that the bladder has become so full that it is overflowing.

Following injury to the spine, or the rear area of an animal, cystitis of bladder can become a serious threat to your pet’s health. These infections can cause death in a few days if not treated. Bladder care plays a crucial part in the health of your pet, whether is has had surgery or not and whether it is completely, or partially disabled.

Here are the most common signs of a bladder problem or urinary tract infection:

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