A. 1) Yes, dogs do swim in their wheelchairs however this is not anything we promote but people let their dogs do it anyway and I let Ben in his wheelchair in the water but he only likes to wade in it to cool off). I have received several photos of dogs swimming in their wheelchairs, the tires allow it to float really well. This is something that no one should ever allow their pet to do on its own without supervision of course and it would be a good idea to be a strong swimmer in case you need to help your pet out.
2) Some dogs lay down in the wheelchairs though the chairs are not designed for this. The dogs that usually lay down are smaller dogs though larger dogs will rest their front legs up on an elevated surface the owner provides however I do not recommend this for any length of time as it does not allow the pet to fully rest and its easier for the pet to rest when out of the wheelchair.
3) I do recommend taking the wheelchair on and off, especially for larger breed dogs as the wheelchairs are not to stay on always.
Our wheelchairs are easy to use and if the pet has been given enough exercise when outside they are usually ready to get out when they come inside. Dogs that begin to show nuisance behavior (excessive barking, whining when you leave the room because they can not follow you due to their disability, inability to sleep through the night) usually do so out of boredom and lack of exercise. Clients usually see a major improvement within a short amount of time as the pet comes in from after using the wheelchair and is quite content and happy to rest on its bed. It is not unusual for me to receive letters thanking us for the owners finally being able to get a good nights sleep because the pet is tired enough to sleep through the night. Other benefits of course is that the additional exercise can help stimulate sluggish bowels to keep the pet more on schedule.
Q. How do you get an 80 lb. German Shepherd into the cart—by yourself? Also, she seems to ‘wad up’ in the cart—it seems to cut her into.
A. How you will put your shepherd into the cart depends on whether or not she can still stand some OR is completely down in the rear legs.
If she is completely down in the rear legs, put the harness on her first. Leave saddle attached to wheelchair, then put the wheelchair so that is down behind her, side arms touching ground, lift her hind legs up and guide them into each leg hole. Then clip the harness into place. There is a photo in the instruction packet you would have received from us of me doing this for an 85 pound shepherd so please refer to that photo for a visual to see where to grab her legs at and how the chair is positioned.
If she can stand, even momentarily, its much easier. Put the saddle and harness on, help her into standing position, bring chair up behind her, buckle saddle and harness onto frame.
From your descritpion it sounds like you need to have a fitting evaluation done and I'd be happy to help you with that- send in by regular mail or email photos of her in the wheelchair. One side shot taken straight on showing all of her and all of the wheelchair, another looking down over the top of her back. From there I can assist you in making any adjustment changes to the frame/straps so that we know that she is all set with the fitting.
Q. What's the difference between a quad cart and training wheels?
A. The Training wheels are not on castors. Castors, used on the front of a Quad cart, allow for a better turning radius as the wheel, like the front wheel of a shopping cart, can swivel completely around. Usually the training wheels are used for pets that have had an embolism and only one side of the body is affected and they need just a little help on that side to stabilize them. On a saddle sling cart the training wheel connects to the pets harness, a Quad Saddle sling Chair has a front support sling.
Adjusting the Saddle Sling cart: The height is adjustable on most wheelchairs in two locations, wheel placement and at the vertical posts. Saddle Sling carts use telescoping tubing. Simply remove the screws, slide up a notch then replace the screws. The length is adjustable at the side arms and telescoping tubing. The tools needed: Phillips screw driver and a crescent wrench (or a nut driver).
The length and height adjusts +/- on each side of the given measurements so that if the pet is taller in height/shorter in length etc than the measurements given to us, the wheelchair will adjust to accommodate the error in measurements.
Not-so-frequently asked Questions:
Q: Your site mentions that you've heard of assist devices for horses.
We've been afraid to consider one for our crippled Hanoverian Gelding,
Buster, because of horses' flight instincts--we're afraid the bumping
contraption will terrify him and he'll run himself into a fence. But
we're also afraid he will soon be unable to stand on his hind legs, and
the treatment for that is apparently to put him down. What have you
heard about horses' assist devices--wheelchairs or even splints?
Thanks very much.
Susan B. Kay, MD
A: We have made a wheelchair for an alpaca, we have not yet attempted a
wheelchair for a horse. It would have to be specially made and would be the
first. The main concern is how would you raise the horse up enough to get
it into the cart. Large animal hospitals have hoists and pulleys and large
slings to get animals up off the ground. Unless Susan is able to do
that(figure out a secure way of lifting the horses rear end into the air) we
wouldn't be able to help. And if she can figure it out, it would be very
expensive and take longer for us to build than normal. We are up to the
challenge, and are happy to provide mobility to animals large and small.
Thank you for your interest. See the Alpaca
~ Hayley @ Eddies Wheels
When you're done, go to the measurement chart to review the available options or to the key to cart pages on the this site.
