# Bought my dog a wheelchair ... not sure it will work but worth a try?



## Melensdad

At best we are just delaying the inevitable.  But hopefully it will buy Misha some time and allow her to roam around the property (at least the flat parts) a little bit.  

Going to have to build a bunch of ramps around the house too.  We have 1 ramp going out our kitchen door but I think that one is too narrow for her to use with the wheelchair so I'll need to rebuild it and make it wider.  I'll also need to build one on the other side of the house to get her into the living room, that is only 1 step so it should be easier.  Might need one to get her up onto the patio too, its 1 step above the ground, but I may just put down a couple bags of topsoil and grass seed there?

Damned expensive, I hope it works:  https://www.handicappedpets.com

Photo below shows the wheelchair on a dog of similar size to Misha, but that is not Misha in the photo.  Should have the wheelchair by mid-next week.


----------



## Galvatron

Very nice, i hope it gives you and Misha the extra time you clearly deserve.


----------



## bczoom

Looks like a good idea Bob.

Can you explain the hose?  Is the wheelchair water powered or does giving the dog a water enema get them moving faster?


----------



## Galvatron

bczoom said:


> Looks like a good idea Bob.
> 
> Can you explain the hose?  Is it wheelchair water powered or does giving the dog a water enema get them moving faster?



Bob just wants the garden watered and Misha aint getting out of it that easy 

PS keep an eye on that under belly strap for sores as it may need a little extra padding to suit her needs.


----------



## Melensdad

That is NOT a hose on the dog in that photo.  Its a dog leash.  Just looks like a hose.

The chair is dog powered, by the front feet of the dog.  Misha still has some use of her rear legs ... but that is dwindling each day.  The wheelchair people said that as long as there is SOME use of the rear legs then I should keep it adjusted to let her rear legs work to help keep what muscles she still has from becoming too atrophied.  Eventually she will wear a loop around her rear legs to keep them from dragging.


----------



## MrLiberty

Melensdad said:


> At best we are just delaying the inevitable.  But hopefully it will buy Misha some time and allow her to roam around the property (at least the flat parts) a little bit.
> 
> Going to have to build a bunch of ramps around the house too.  We have 1 ramp going out our kitchen door but I think that one is too narrow for her to use with the wheelchair so I'll need to rebuild it and make it wider.  I'll also need to build one on the other side of the house to get her into the living room, that is only 1 step so it should be easier.  Might need one to get her up onto the patio too, its 1 step above the ground, but I may just put down a couple bags of topsoil and grass seed there?
> 
> Damned expensive, I hope it works:  https://www.handicappedpets.com
> 
> Photo below shows the wheelchair on a dog of similar size to Misha, but that is not Misha in the photo.  Should have the wheelchair by mid-next week.



You're a good man Bob with a big heart.


----------



## pirate_girl

MrLiberty said:


> You're a good man Bob with a big heart.



What he said.


----------



## Kane

Hope Misha adapts to the wheelchair. Great idea, Bob. 

I was surprised to see that eBay has so many doggie wheelchairs listed for sale. Nice prices on the used rigs. Nice prices on the new items. Of course for our dog, price is no consideration. 

Good luck.


----------



## Melensdad

Kane said:


> Hope Misha adapts to the wheelchair. Great idea, Bob.
> 
> I was surprised to see that eBay has so many doggie wheelchairs listed for sale. Nice prices on the used rigs. Nice prices on the new items. Of course for our dog, price is no consideration.
> 
> Good luck.



The problem with many of the brands that I checked out is that they are essentially custom built to your dog's measurements.  At least the better brands seem to be built that way.  While good for THAT dog, it might not be so good for YOUR dog if some of the measurements are off.  Obviously you can adjust them for your dog IF you know what you are doing _(I am not sure I know what is best)_.  The brand I picked makes adjustments very simple, which is another reason I picked it.


----------



## Copperhead

Ours passed away a few weeks ago at 15.  Coyotes had got to her when she was younger and we had to amputate one of her rear legs.   She adjusted fine but in her last year she got some kind of muscle disease that began to take away her strength starting in her rear leg.  By the end she could just spin in a circle.  We were carrying her in and out for potty breaks.  Then she started getting sores and the vet was afraid that septis was setting in.  The vet said there was no more to be done so we held her while they gave her the anesthesia to take away her pain.  I still miss her.   Best of luck witheyour dog.  They are great friends.


----------



## Melensdad

Copperhead said:


> Ours passed away a few weeks ago at 15.  Coyotes had got to her when she was younger and we had to amputate one of her rear legs.   She adjusted fine but in her last year she got some kind of muscle disease that began to take away her strength starting in her rear leg.  By the end she could just spin in a circle.  We were carrying her in and out for potty breaks.  Then she started getting sores and the vet was afraid that septis was setting in.  The vet said there was no more to be done so we held her while they gave her the anesthesia to take away her pain.  I still miss her.   Best of luck witheyour dog. * They are great friends.*



It is amazing what we do for our dogs, and we do it because they are worth it.  Sorry to hear about your dog.  We lost our 8# maltese in the spring and still miss him.  Not sur what it would be like to have no dogs in our house.


----------



## Melensdad

IT WORKS  

Arrived today, built it and put her in ... lots of panic and barking while I was adjusting it for her.  But it works.  

They suggested only a short session, so she was only in it for about 15 minutes today.  I'll try again tomorrow.  Again just for a short time.


----------



## OhioTC18 RIP

That's great Bob. Looks like a well built unit. She'll get used to it in time. After all, she got used to the lift harness.


----------



## Melensdad

Today she walked about 100 yards in the harness.  Out the living room patio, all the way around the house out to the swimming pool, and then back again.  

Every day she is getting a little better.  Can't say she likes it yet.  But it certainly gets her farther than without it!


----------



## Galvatron

Would you like a wheel chair...no...but you would adapt just like Misha will....you done good.


----------



## Melensdad

Things are not looking too good for Misha.  I'm hoping its just a bad day.  She is unable to stand or walk when I get her up. She now as a sore (like a bed sore) on her tail and another on her right hip.  It looks like we are getting closer to the end.

Sadly her mind is very sharp, she is alert and loving and wants to be active, the rear half of her body just isn't cooperating at all.  Its the worst day she's had.  She has rebounded in the past, but its clearly a steady decline.


----------



## EastTexFrank

Mr Skurka, you are a good man and I can think of no higher compliment to pay anybody. 

I've been there and it was the saddest day of my life.


----------



## Helmsman38

I have one laying around the house here from our dog that passed away.  You might consider booties for the rear feet. The rear feet are going to drag and grind the toenails off till they bleed. We used booties out of Toronto. They worked great.  Love the photos of your buddy


----------



## Melensdad

irongoat said:


> I have one laying around the house here from our dog that passed away.  You might consider booties for the rear feet. The rear feet are going to drag and grind the toenails off till they bleed. We used booties out of Toronto. They worked great.  Love the photos of your buddy



Her wheelchair has stirrups for her back feet so they don't drag.  

But she is getting to the point where I'm not even sure if the wheelchair is worth the effort for her anymore.


----------



## Melensdad

Nice day today.  No snow.  Warm temps.  Had some stuff to work on outside so I put Misha into her wheelchair.  First time she's been in the chair in the past couple of months ... _she can't use it inside the house because it hits furniture and walls_ ... and we've had snow and rain so the ground has been either covered or wet lately so she's been in her harness without the wheelchair when she goes out. 

Anyway it was a pretty successful day for her.  She tipped the chair and herself onto its side being excited/careless and she backed into a bush and got stuck.  But she also did some exploring and a little wandering.  

Since she was just on the grass I didn't bother to hook up the rear leg supports that keep her back legs from dragging.  If she was spending time walking down the road I would have hooked up her legs so they didn't get sores.


----------



## squerly

A couple of months ago my GSD suddenly lost the use of his rear legs.  (Link here)  As in Misha’s case, pressure on his spine was causing a disconnect between his brain and his rear legs.  We’re a couple of months into rehab and I most definitely understand the additional effort needed to keep a normal standard of life for our pups.   You’re doing a good job MD.


----------



## Melensdad

squerly said:


> A couple of months ago my GSD suddenly lost the use of his rear legs.  (Link here)  As in Misha’s case, pressure on his spine was causing a disconnect between his brain and his rear legs.  We’re a couple of months into rehab and I most definitely understand the additional effort needed to keep a normal standard of life for our pups.   *You’re doing a good job MD.*



Not sure how much longer we can last.

Misha has another bladder infection.  She gets them because she can't stand up so when she leaks, which she does, she lays in her urine.  We take her out to relieve herself often, but without full control over her rear end, she will leak.  And she will continue to get these infections.

And its taking a physical toll on us too.  Lack of sleep for me.  Muscle pulls.  My right arm (my dominant side) is in near constant pain, and I regularly pull muscles in my back.  Its hard to lift and move an 85# dog, even when she has the use of her front legs.  

We love her and don't want to put her down but we know its going to happen.  I suspect before Easter?


----------



## EastTexFrank

MD, I'm sorry to hear that but there comes a time when we just have to let go.  Only you can tell when that time is.


----------



## Melensdad

Well Misha and I are up at 3:15am.  

This is not unusual lately.  She wakes up a couple times in the middle of the night and starts barking.  Some nights she sleeps all the way through the night, some nights she is up at midnight, 3am and then again at 6am.   Typically she needs to go to the bathroom or just went to the bathroom.  She sleeps on disposable absorbent mats, but sometimes floods them.

We are clearly at that time when she is only alive because I have not made the decision to put her to sleep.  Brain is totally alert, body is now a wreck as the disease seems to be progressing up her spine. It won't be much longer. She does have good days, loves attention, but this can't continue more than a few more weeks.  

My mind knows this, my heart doesn't want to let go.


----------



## Doc

That is so sad Bob.  When they are alert and fine in that regard but other parts of the body failing one never knows when the right time is to let go.   Best wishes for you and Misha.


----------



## pirate_girl




----------



## jpr62902

I hate reading this thread.  I went through the same thing with Bert 10 years ago and it's just heart wrenching.  Whatever you do, just know that you've done everything you could so that Misha could live a wonderful life.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Sorry to hear.


----------



## 300 H and H

Sorry Bob...

 It still hurts me that I don't have my Husky Shilo any more.. It has been about a month now. Hard thing to do to put him down, but as the same time his quality of life didn't suffer for long. 

 The cancer in my German short hair is active once again. I am afraid that soon I will have to make another hard choice..

 But through all of this, I can still say having them is still a blessing. There are lessons about life and love, and pain and suffering here. This is a part of life we wish were not so. Life doesn't last forever. All good things shall pass.. and life is one of those.

 When the time is right, you will know.

 Regards, Kirk


----------



## Melensdad

Made an appointment for Saturday to take Misha in to have her put to sleep.  Not sure if we will keep it, but it is for the best if we do.  Quality of life is minimal.  Only enjoyment she has now is when I sit on the floor and rub her head _(which I do a lot)._


----------



## bczoom

I'm so sorry to hear this Bob.


----------



## squerly

This is very sad to hear Bob.


----------



## Jim_S RIP

I'm so sorry about Misha


----------



## pixie

Sorry that you and Misha are going thru this. You have done the best a person could do for her.
I'm sad for you.


----------



## Melensdad

Well, of course the vet is closed, and Misha now has developed a bladder infection.  So she is very uncomfortable and needs to constantly urinate.  And she is urinating blood.

So her last night alive she will likely be somewhat miserable, which sucks!

I do have, and did give her a double dose of some strong antibiotics that the vet had previously prescribed for this exact problem.  Its just that I don't know how quickly it will kick in.  She got the meds about 2:30 this afternoon.  Hopefully very quick.  She has had this issue numerous times before, which is why I have the meds.  Its caused by the fact that she sleeps on disposable mats because she 'leaks' at when she naps and the bladder infections is aided by the fact that she is diabetic because the infections tend to grow rapidly in a high sugar bloodstream.

We've seen these infections several times.  They come on with virtually no warning.  One day all seems fine.  A few hours later she is urinating blood!  

She just flooded the patio about 15 minutes ago with a blood/urine mix, then she pooped.  Now she seems to be sitting comfortable next to my rocking chair.  So maybe, just maybe the double-dose of antibiotics are starting to kick in?  I'd hate for her to have a totally miserable last night on this earth.  

Not looking forward to tomorrow's appointment, but was hoping to spoil her with love during the last evening & morning she has with us.


----------



## OhioTC18 RIP

Bob, will the vet consider a home visit? Mine did and it was so much easier on him and us, being where "everyone" was comfortable.


----------



## Melensdad

Well I'm happy to report that she is far more comfortable.  The whining/crying is virtually stopped.  Apparently the antibiotics are already working   Its been about 4 hours since I gave them to her and she has now had about 30-40 fairly comfortable minutes, drank some water, seems to be enjoying sitting next to me outside on the patio.  So at this point I am hopeful that she will have a decent evening/night/morning.  





OhioTC18 said:


> Bob, will the vet consider a home visit? Mine did and it was so much easier on him and us, being where "everyone" was comfortable.



Not this vet, he is on the other side of our county and small animal only.  

Our prior vet, also a good deal away, had a big animal practice and she would drive out to the surrounding farms, so it wouldn't be an issue for her to come here, but we haven't used her services in 2 years.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

Melensdad said:


> Well, of course the vet is closed, and Misha now has developed a bladder infection. So she is very uncomfortable and needs to constantly urinate. And she is urinating blood.
> 
> So her last night alive she will likely be somewhat miserable, which sucks!
> 
> I do have, and did give her a double dose of some strong antibiotics that the vet had previously prescribed for this exact problem. Its just that I don't know how quickly it will kick in. She got the meds about 2:30 this afternoon. Hopefully very quick. She has had this issue numerous times before, which is why I have the meds. Its caused by the fact that she sleeps on disposable mats because she 'leaks' at when she naps and the bladder infections is aided by the fact that she is diabetic because the infections tend to grow rapidly in a high sugar bloodstream.
> 
> We've seen these infections several times. They come on with virtually no warning. One day all seems fine. A few hours later she is urinating blood!
> 
> She just flooded the patio about 15 minutes ago with a blood/urine mix, then she pooped. Now she seems to be sitting comfortable next to my rocking chair. So maybe, just maybe the double-dose of antibiotics are starting to kick in? I'd hate for her to have a totally miserable last night on this earth.
> 
> Not looking forward to tomorrow's appointment, but was hoping to spoil her with love during the last evening & morning she has with us.


that's a shame I remember when I could see the time was near for my old lab mix. I hate to see some one go through that they are really like children, the exception being much more eager to please than a teen. my old dog died trying to play and be my buddy up to the end. I firmly believe had one of my daughters not brought Boss dog home to take his place he would have stuck around a little longer so I would not have been with out my big dog.


----------



## Melensdad

Another hour has passed and she definitely seems to be more comfortable.  She and I are still outside.  She's now sitting in the grass next to the patio.  She is still urinating blood.  But its not a constant leak.  Nor is it an every-5-minute urge to go.  She drank another bowl of water.  Had a good urination stream when she needed to be moved, still quite a bit of blood, but didn't seem to have any discomfort or grief.  

Now even more hopeful that she will have a peaceful night.  

No interest in food or treats.


----------



## Jim_S RIP

I hope she continues to have a comfortable evening.

Give her a hug from me.

Jim


----------



## Melensdad

Well she woke me up at 11:30, needed to go outside to do her business.  She did urinate blood again.  Drank water and urinated normally so it flushed the blood through?

About 1am she was hungry so I gave her some food.  Urinated a little more with some blood, but she didn't have the urgent need and seemed comfortable.  

About 2:30am I gave her another dose of antibiotics_ (roughly 12 hours after the dose I gave her this afternoon)_.  When the earlier dose kicked in she became much more comfortable.  My goal is to keep her as comfortable as possible.

Now its almost 3:30am and she is outside laying in the grass.  

I'm getting pretty tired, I hope she goes back to sleep soon.  She's been up the whole time.  Had some snacks, dozed for a little while _(maybe 15 or 20 minutes?)_ but she never actually fell back to sleep.

In between all that she had some snacks, got some ear rubs, and generally just seemed to like having me laying on the floor next to her.  

She is not uncomfortable.  Just not sleeping!


----------



## EastTexFrank

I'm sorry to hear about her troubles.  I can't offer any advice but you (both) have my heartfelt sympathy.


----------



## Melensdad

Well it is over.


----------



## Jim_S RIP

Bob, you did everything you could to make her last day comfortable.

Jim


----------



## Adillo303

It hurts like nothing else. My sympathies and thoughts. Just went through this X 2


----------



## OhioTC18 RIP

Sorry to hear that Bob. But she no longer will feel any pain and can use her legs again. I know it's hard, been through it several times.


----------



## squerly

So sorry Bob.


----------



## pirate_girl

Rest In Peace, Misha.

We all know you had a good life.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Sorry for your loss.  She's in a better place now and no longer in pain.


----------



## EastTexFrank

Bob, that's probably the hardest decision you will ever have to make in your life.  Console yourself with the fact that Misha is pain free and in a good place.


----------



## Doc

Ahhhh, so sorry Bob.


----------



## 300 H and H

I know were your at Bob...

Tough day. More to come. Eventually with some time, it will become less painful, as life takes the center stage once again.. The both of you enjoyed her life with your family. She was truly a very lucky dog to have had you for her master. If she could, I am sure she would tell you so...

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of my husky dog, Shilo. But I also know that there was nothing in his future but pain and suffering, from a problem that can not be fixed.. And there is that tough choice again..

Sorry for your loss. Dogs are a mirracle from heaven I believe. To connect with one and live with them is truly a wonderful thing..

 Best regards, Kirk


----------



## Melensdad

Just want to say THANK YOU to everyone.  

This was a pretty tough weekend.  Saturday was total crap.  After we left the vet's office we stopped off at Walmart to buy a rake ... a lady bashed in the rear side door of my Touareg while she was backing out of a parking space.  So yea me.  Just the icing on the crap cake.

On the bright side the lovely Mrs_Bob wants to adopt a pair of Akitas from the Midwest Akita Rescue Society as soon as we return home from our hike across Spain.  So in August we hope to have some new companions in our home.

M.A.R.S. has some bonded pairs in foster care now, not sure that either pair would be available when we come back, but we would gladly adopt what they have when we return:  http://www.akitas.org/index.html


----------

