ljs Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 My Belgian Malanios (my retired police dog) is really struggling to walk. Thinking its a disk out in his back, but we have a vet appointment for Friday. Either way, his back legs are pretty much useless at this point and he can't even pull himself up. I'm curious if anyone has experience dealing with having their dog use a cart to walk, or know of anyone who has- There are a whole bunch on the internet from various price ranges. I'm not sure what makes one any better than the other. Not finding many sites that show ratings, or people talking much about them. Besides, there is always someone on ES who knows something about something. random pic for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney B Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Couldn't you just pick him up by his hind legs and walk him around like a wheelbarrow? I bet those rickshaws are kind of expensive. Seriously, I'd wait too see what the vet says before shelling out hundreds of thousands of clams for one of these trolleys. Guess that's not what you asked, though, so, seeing as I know almost nothing about this topic, I'll just add these fairly obvious points: see that strap that runs below the dog's abdomen? A wide strap is bound to be more comfortable than a narrow one. Also, the height of the cart is sure to be an important issue: too high would shift too much of the dog's weight onto his front legs, which would be fatiguing; too low and the dog's rear legs drag on the ground - no fun for Fido, probably (though the tension on that rear strap would allow for some height adjustment, you wouldn't want it adjusted too tight, I'd bet). The tires in that photo look to be a compromise between a softer ride and less rolling resistance - think about what kind of bicycle tire you'd ride on grass to get the idea. And of course, lighter materials would tend to be more expensive, but easier on the dog. This seems like the kind of contraption that you might be able to find used on Craigslist or Ebay (and in fact, a quick search of "dog cart" in "dog supplies" on Ebay shows a good number of these things, some of which look to be insanely overpriced, just like many other pet supplies). Let's hope that this is all a moot point after the vet pulls a thorn from the dog's hiney or something. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadKarma Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 How old is your dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 Couldn't you just pick him up by his hind legs and walk him around like a wheelbarrow? I bet those rickshaws are kind of expensive. Seriously, I'd wait too see what the vet says before shelling out hundreds of thousands of clams for one of these trolleys. This seems like the kind of contraption that you might be able to find used on Craigslist or Ebay (and in fact, a quick search of "dog cart" in "dog supplies" on Ebay shows a good number of these things, some of which look to be insanely overpriced, just like many other pet supplies). Let's hope that this is all a moot point after the vet pulls a thorn from the dog's hiney or something. Good luck. They are about $400 and up...and I like your idea about finding things that I could put together and make one. Seriously considering that. And I'm pretty sure its not some thorn in his hindside. He is a retired patrol dog, sort of like a retired linebacker- at some point the hard work takes a toll on your body. The wheelbarrow thing would be fun though! How old is your dog? almost 12....and if that leads to someone saying, "just put him down". Well, how many humans do we kill because they have a bad back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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