Dog, the gorgeous and magnificent, patient and loving, is not doing very well. And so I'm writing to ask the vast Internets for some advice.
She has pretty severe rear-end weakness -- probably due to degerenative myelopathy. This diagnosis is largely my own, based on tons of reading and the ruling out of other things. She's not in any pain. The dog neurologist we saw told us that most disk injuries will respond positively to steroid therapy, but she showed no improvement after a month of steroids. (We elected not to go with his next step, a hugely-expensive diagnostic MRI, as the potential subsequent surgery was waaaay beyond our budget, and she would only be a candidate for surgery if in fact the problem was a disk problem rather than a degenerative nerve problem, which seemed unlikely anyway.) So, her symptoms are the weakness, constant, inadvertent crossing of her back legs while standing still, dragging of her feet when she walks, feet sliding out from under her on any slippery floor, stumbling/hopping/half dragging herself when she walks on grass or carpet. It's heart-wrenching, really.
We haven't taken her for proper walks in several months because if we walk on asphalt for even five minutes, she ends up with bloody toenails because she drags her feet so much that she scrapes the nails right down to the quick. But I am now making her a rear-end harness that will enable us to help hold up some of her back end weight. I experimented this week with just a leash wrapped around her body, and her front end is still so strong, and her desire so great, that she actually ran FASTER than I could keep up with, as long as she mostly could keep her back legs off the ground. So I think that she will be much happier if I can get her some exercise beyond the games we've been playing with her in the yard every day too. I only wish I'd thought of a harness, rather than makeshift towels and leashes, much sooner.
Here's where I need your help: I want to get her some boots, in the hopes that if she has something providing a little more traction for her back feet, she won't be quite so timid around the house. (Right now, she just stands in the doorway of the carpeted family room and whines for someone to come and help her walk across the tile.) Also, now that snow is coming, I am worried that she will be completely unable to stand up on slippery ground, and that will make taking her out to relieve herself nearly impossible. And I'm hoping that if we have sturdy boots plus a rear-end harness, she may be able to spend her last days as happier ones, frolicking along on some walks again.
But I have heard bad things about so many different dog boots that I don't know what to buy -- so I'm appealing to your combined wisdom in the hopes that someone out there will know something about dog boots. The two I've found that seem most promising in terms of being very sturdy around the toes and solid in the soles for outdoor use and traction are Ruffwear's "griptrex" boot or Neopaws' orthopedic boot. I'm worried that the Ruffwear looks too short, as if it might just pop right off. I'm bothered that the Neopaws boot says "not recommended for indoor use."
It may simply be the case that there won't be a good boot for both indoors and out, in which case I am much more concerned about having a good outdoor boot that will stay on, since there is simply no way she'll be able to manage walking on snow and ice without more traction this winter. Do you have any suggestions?
Can you help me make this lovely and loyal creature's last time around here happier?
12 comments:
Oooh, the poor thing! I don't have much experience with booties myself, but there are a heck of a lot of dog mushers around here who do. I'll pass on your post to one of the gals I know with dogs and she's sure to know of SOMEONE who could give you some helpful advice. Heck, I could even send you some, if they have them here and you can't get them there.
I doubt there are any booties that are guaranteed to stay on, but I bet whatever the Yukon Quest folks use could stand up to the level of activity your dog would be subjecting them to...
Assuming she's still around next summer (not sure how dire things are?) maybe it would be worth looking into a kind of skateboard contraption rather than a harness so you don't have to do so much heavy lifting???
Hang in there!
I would go with the Neopaws - and not just because they are half the price! I had a pair of the Ruffwear ones (for a different reason!) and they were great, but prone to come off when running. I realise that Dog isn't going to be sprinting around in them, but they are so short that I think they would come off with any friction from dragging.
Did you see that Neopaws also do 'summer shoes', which are much more lightweight and are recommended for indoor use?
Good luck.. and love to Dog.
oh, poor baby.
I wish I had some wisdom, but I don't.
Hi there,
I haven't visited for so long (due to life, death, and all points in between) - my loss entirely.
This is just heart-breaking; I wish I had some advice on this one unfortunately, all I can offer you is a virtual {{{hug}}}, sympathy and the wish that you find the answer quickly.
My thoughts are with you and your family...
S
Hi, my name is Jim. I just launched a company that makes dog boots. It's called Woof Hoofs. My heart goes out to you and I think my boots will do the job. Send me an email at jim@woofhoofs.com, give me your contact info and I will send you a set free of charge. By the way, they stay on. Take a look at my dog Baxter running full-speed with them on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SHhuceUftA. Contact me if you have any questions or go to the website: www.woofhoofs.com. Best regards, Jim
I don't even have a dog BUT I seem to remember there being some sort of partial wagon thing (a board with wheels that was attached to the pet with a harness?) that people used for dogs or cats that couldn't use their back legs or were paralyzed. I wish I could describe it more fully, but perhaps you can investigate on the web and see if it might be an option for you.
I had boots for an older dog, first to stop snow fromsticking between his paw pads and later I tried for traction. I never found anything that worked for my dog with a bad back end. If mine had not also had other serious health issues I might have bought a wee wagon/cart thingie that is just like a wheelchair for dogs. I know someone who got one for a pug and loved it, and when your dog goes to dog heaven you return it to the company. But a bog dog model might not work as well. Good luck.
We are going through something very similar with our dog, which is a pomeranian. She suddently lost the use of her hind legs. Took her to the vet, who could not find anything on the x-ray, but did put her on steroids and recommended we take her to MSU vet school for an MRI. MRI indicated she had three compressed discs which is basically inoperable due to lack of success. But during all of this process, they discovered she may have cushings disease, which is completely treatable. Symptoms were weakness in limbs, panting, excessive water drinking which led to excessive urination. She was on steroids for compressed discs, but it was not helping, because the more serious problem was cushings. She needs to be on different steroids but we can't do that until previous steroids are completely our her system. Google cushings in dogs. Our dog is 11 years old and I just want to her to be happy.
A friend of mine had similar concerns with her older, arthritic dog - that, and a horribly muddy backyard. I don't know the brand name of the boot she chose, but she told me it resembles a balloon - it's stretchy, rubberized, and stays on amazingly well.
I also have to second the idea of looking into a doggy-wheelchair - it certainly would be easier than a sling, but I'm not sure of the cost. If you can rent one, that might answer both problems - traction and mobility - in one shot.
Our dog has similar issues. She's a 109 lb Lab/Airdale Mix who is 14-15 years old. She was have the same issues your dog was having with walking as well as occasional incontinence but otherwise her happy self. Our vet had us put her on a weekly hormone replacement pill for the incontinence which really made a difference. Not only could she walk better but she was happier.
You may want to ask your vet to try it.
Sorry, no advice for the booties.
My parent's dog has almost identical problems, right down to the toenails bleeding. She's a Queensland Healer and still lovey and full of energy. She doesn't really seem to notice that her hind quarters don't work well. My mom has found that giving her doggy glucosamine (sp?) really makes a difference. If you want I can find out the exact thing my mom gives her...it's from Petsmart. The vet also gave her a prescription for doggy ibuprofen. As far as boots, I don't know, I've never had an experience with them. I would recommend stopping into your local Petsmart and talking to one of the trainers or the groomers there perhaps. The workers at the one we go to are SO helpful and have given us so many pointers.
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