Do you have old or injured pets at home? Senior pets may become weak and sickly. And when they do, many of them would need the assistance of dog wheelchairs to be able to move, hasten recovery, and improve their quality of life.
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What Are Dog Wheelchairs?
These specially designed wheelchairs for dogs can support weak hind limbs of injured pets. A dog wheelchair provides the necessary mobility support your senior or injured pets need to regain function and avoid progression of injury or disease.
How Dog Wheelchairs Help Injured And Senior Pets
Below are the best ways dog wheelchairs can help injured and senior pets:
- Assist With Mobility
Injured pets can use wheelchairs to get proper assistance with mobility. Dog wheelchairs are usually recommended for senior dogs or pets suffering from degenerative myelopathy, spinal trauma, hip dysplasia, rear amputees, and arthritis. They’re also used after surgery to rehabilitate the hip, knee, or spinal disc.
A dog wheelchair provides support. It allows your senior or injured pets to stand upright and exercise. Even pets that can still move and stand their back legs can still benefit from using a dog wheelchair.
The best features of high-quality dog wheelchairs can help pets that need mobility assistance such as the following:
- Fully adjustable wheelchair for small and large dogs
- Light rear support wheelchair for pets to easily use it around
- Simple measurements to obtain the right size of frame and wheel combination.
- The height, length, and width are easy to adjust for both small and dogs.
- Enhance Quality Of Life
Dog wheelchairs help enhance your cat’s or dog’s quality of life. A good-quality wheelchair can help your pet to walk and run. Older dogs may lose their strength with time, and using wheelchairs can help them enjoy their remaining years.
When your pets start moving, walking, and running again, you’ll observe a happier behavior than before, which prevents pet isolation. Your injured or old pets can exercise and play again with the help of pet wheelchairs.
- Prevent And Reduce Injury
A dog wheelchair can hold the back of your pet in alignment. It also helps avoid any further injury. So, how do you choose the best wheelchair for your pet? It can be overwhelming to select the right wheelchair to prevent and reduce injury to your pet.
You can use a simple test called the towel test to determine if your pet is a good wheelchair candidate. The level of support your pet needs depends on its medical and physical condition. Your dog needs a hind wheel dog wheelchair if they can work forward easily with your assistance. However, if the front legs of your pet splay outward during the towel test, it needs a 4-wheel wheelchair.
- Slow Disease Progression
With a pet wheelchair, you can help slow the progression of spinal diseases and other degenerative conditions, such as degenerative myelopathy. Dog wheelchairs help relieve stress on your pet’s spine and front legs.
Here are some ways a dog wheelchair can help slow disease progression and injury aggravation:
- Provides Rear Leg Support: A rear support wheelchair is ideal for a pet suffering from weakness or paralysis of the hind legs. It supports your pet from underneath which provides stability and balance. In this way, your pet can stand, walk, and run, and ultimately play again.
- Elevates Rear Paws: If your pet has completely paralyzed hind legs, using stirrups can elevate its rear paws safely from the ground, which prevents injury due to dragging or scraping feet.
- Provides Full Limb Support: A quad or four-wheel wheelchair is recommended for pets suffering from weakened limbs. Your dog’s front and back legs should be strong enough to steer and drive a quad wheelchair. Hence, a full support wheelchair is recommended for pets with progressing diseases such as degenerative myelopathy that worsen over time.
- Pets Adjust To Life On A Wheelchair
The transition phase of pets into a wheelchair can be easy and simple for most pets. Because dogs love moving, they can learn how to use a wheelchair quickly. You can make minor adjustments to your pet’s wheelchair if your dog seems not running with it properly.
Conclusion
Dog wheelchairs play an important role in helping injured and senior pets. A dog wheelchair has many features and benefits that can help support your pet’s legs and spine. In addition, it can slow down disease progression and prevent further injury. Investing in pet wheelchairs for your senior or injured pets is a good idea, promoting their overall health, safety, and well-being.
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Tom
Tom has always loved to write since he was little - he wanted to be either a writer or a veterinary doctor, but he ended up being a professional writer while most of his works are based on animals. He was born in San Francisco but later moved to Texas to continue his job as a writer. He graduated from the University of San Francisco where he studied biotechnology. He is happily married and a soon to be father!
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