What are the best boots, and your opinion on 'dog walking frames'.

MrsElle

MrsElle

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 November 2008
Messages
6,183
Location
Back Where My Heart Is :)
Visit site
Lola is on Metacam now, and her arthritis is a little better. Obviously her neurological problems are never going to get better but she is brighter in herself.

The back end going still occurs and she is clawless on her back feet due to dragging. We were looking at boots for her as we are worried now her claws are gone she is going to scrape her flesh. Can anyone recommend any as there seem so many different ones out there. She won't wear them in the house or pottering in the garden, just when we are out on walks.

I have also been looking at these:

http://www.dogmobile-online.com/dogwalker.aspx

I think the idea is that it acts as a stabliser, almost like a childs bike stablisers do. It seems that if they do collapse it holds them up but while their legs are still working gives them support and stability.

What do you reckon?
 
Last edited:
Im not too sure i like the frames.
I have seen one once on a rotti,that kept on falling over with it...i thought it was cruel,and probably only being kept alive for the owners selfish reasons
 
You obviously love your dog and I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but if your dog keeps having to drag her back end so her claws are worn away you should be putting her to sleep in my opinion. Let her go with dignity.
 
I have unfortunately lost several dogs to CDRM but would not use a walking frame . I do know of people who have used them and their dogs seem to have been okay going out in them, but personally when my dogs reach the stage where they are not able to walk unaided then that is when I make the decision to pts. I have not used boots either because I have always said goodbye before they start to make their feet sore.
As I said it is a personal decision, only you can decide if your girl has sufficient quality of life for such aids to give her longer.
 
She isn't dragging her back end, her back feet sometimes, but not always get dragged, wearing out the claws. She can run with the other dogs, albeit with a swinging wobbly motion and she has fallen over a few times when her back end has given way.

She is, despite this, a happy and contented dog who isn't in any pain. If we felt she was in pain or miserable we would have her pts - I am not someone who keeps an animal alive for selfish reasons, I do what is best for Lola, not what is best for me.

If you could have seen her howling with excitement in the car on the way to the beach tonight and seen her practically dragging OH from the car park (until told to behave!) in her eagerness to get on the sand you would see that 90% of the time she is absolutely fine.

All we want her to do is to be able to walk further than her mobility currently allows as her wobbly-ness and foot dragging occurs more when her legs are tired.

We will know when the time is right, until then we will do everything we can to give her the best quality of life we possibly can.
 
MrsElle, I'm sure you've read my posts about Chlo recently.

I am absolutely, 100% certain you will do the right thing for your dog. If you are telling me she still has a quality of life, a BIG quality of life, then I believe you.

I would, however, just try and take a step back and be CERTAIN. If you're certain, then I would perhaps speak to your vets about boots because they may well have a good recommendation.

Personally I think that if you are genuinely considering those wheels, its gone too far honey.

Will keep all my fingers and toes crossed for you. Sure you'll make the right decision. xxx
 
foxy1 said:
She has no claws on her back feet because she has worn them away by dragging.
That must be very painful.
Click to expand...

The vet says not. CDRM is a neurological condition which leads to paralysis. She is suffering from loss of feeling and sensation in her feet, hence the dragging. We are working with the vet on this one, we were considering having Lola pts a few weeks ago but the vet reassured us that she is not in any pain and she is happy in herself.

I asked opinion on boots and walkers and wasn't expecting critisism on how we are managing Lola's condition with advice from the vet. We, and our vet know Lola and know how bad her condition is. We are happy that at the moment she is happy but would like for her to be able to go on longer walks with the other dogs as she hates being left alone and gets destructive. We are having to cut our walks short as we walk as much as Lola can. This means the other dogs don't walk as much as they could do with, but Lola's health is more important at the moment.

As soon as we feel that Lola doesn't have a quality of life, ie if she becomes incontinent or can't get up properly etc we will have her pts. Until then we will do all we can to make her comfortable and happy.
 
Cedars said:
MrsElle, I'm sure you've read my posts about Chlo recently.

I am absolutely, 100% certain you will do the right thing for your dog. If you are telling me she still has a quality of life, a BIG quality of life, then I believe you.

I would, however, just try and take a step back and be CERTAIN. If you're certain, then I would perhaps speak to your vets about boots because they may well have a good recommendation.

Personally I think that if you are genuinely considering those wheels, its gone too far honey.

Will keep all my fingers and toes crossed for you. Sure you'll make the right decision. xxx
Click to expand...

Thanks Cedars, I will go and have a look at your posts, don't venture into here that often!

She does still have a great quality of life, the little (or large!) madam knocked me over on the beach today after having a mad five minutes and jumping up at me! If she had been a human toddler she would have been running about squealing at the top her voice, that is how giddy she was! I blame the wind!

I would never use those wheels that support the dogs back legs totally when the dog can't stand for itself. A dog in one of those contraptions should have been pts in my opinion. The frame I was looking at enables the dog to carry on walking but offers a bit of support, but I see what you mean.

We take each day as it comes, and as I said, today she was a bit mental and very active, although she did go over when she turned sharply, she jumped straight back up and trotted off after the other dogs :D
 
Although I can imagine she loves her beach walks, sand is quite abrasive so that may be why she is wearing her claws down when she still has reasonable mobility. I know it is hard but it probably is best to reduce her walks, Buffy used to love going for walks but after the initial excitement soon started to lag. I did 2 walks for the last couple of months of her life, a token short one for her and a longer proper walk for Evie. Buff had lots of other treats like trips in the car, killed my back lifting her in and out but worth it.
 
Only you know how Lola is bearing up. My dad's gsd had CDRM and if i'm honest he left it too long before he pts. His other gsd has got it now, she's 14 so a real good age and I fear he will leave her too long again. She struggles to get up, she manages to potter around the house and garden but certainly couldn't go for a walk. I would hate to see her in one of those carts or any other dog. Perhaps you just need to cut back on her walks. I'm sure you can sort it out so that the other dogs get the longer walks they need. When our old dog had heart failure, we couldn't walk him with the other dogs, but he was okay. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
The vet said beach walks and paddles in the sea in particular would be good for her feet - bathing in natural salt water as it were! The vet suggested she walk as often and as far as she wants to, and she always, always wants to go out. This, I guess, is for her mental health, if we restricted her when she wanted to go she would be so miserable.

At the moment she we are taking her lead. We walk as far as she wants to, we go when she wants to, ie not first thing as she is a tad stiff with the arthritis after being laid down all night. We know she has a degenerative disease and that we might not have her for much longer. My big worry at the moment is how she will winter. She lives out with the other dogs and although she likes being indoors with us, at night she howls and howls and eats things - it was the curtains a couple of weeks ago :( She is happiest outside with the other dogs but I do worry about her.

We might have her for weeks or months, but we will make damned sure that she is happy and painfree until the time she is pts.
 
Hello,
A friend of mine has these wheels for her GSD. Not sure what is wrong with him. When I heard her talk about it I was like that is wrong he should be pts. Then I met her when i was out hacking. He seemed to really enjoy being out and about in it (my horse was a bit confused with the dog with wheels!) I don't think i would get one personally but I htink it worked for my friend and her dog
 
Agree with your decision re going for the boots but avoiding the walking frame.

Have a look at some boots by a company called ruff wear - they are fab and we use them for the neurology/spinal surgery patients at work, they've got a really good grip on the sole and tend to stay on well.

Good luck.
 
Vizslak said:
PM Oberon on here, she has boots on her cdrm sufferer. She posted pics the other day of them at beach.
Click to expand...
yes.gif


I got my boots from eBay from here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/19464-Wal...pplies_Dogs&hash=item5d30729f8e#ht_2221wt_905 . They work just fine, although I plan to replace them each month as we walk on the beach every day and they get washed every day, so they're wearing out already.

I also bought a cart from eBay for £77 when I first got the diagnosis. I don't care how people feel about that. The fact is that Xara still enjoys her walks, but micro-instability is tiring for her and I see is as giving an old lady a zimmer frame for stability.

I tried her in it and she wasn't thrilled but I asked her to walk around the living room a bit and she was getting the idea. Then she hit a piece of furniture and went over.

She just led there, unable to get up and looked at me. She is a proud, dignified dog and that look cut right through me. I took her out of the cart and I won't touch it again.

I would never condemn anyone for trying to make their dog's life easier. But it's not the right choice for us.

As a compromise, when I get paid next week, I plan on getting a luggage cart to chain up on the sea wall and use it for the walk home, when she is tired. Either myself, a bike or Salem (my younger dog) can pull it for extra exercise.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290605893...WAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_483wt_989

I have seen the videos on YouTube that horrified me and made me cry. I know where the future is heading and I know at what point to call it a day.

But (if Xara finds such acceptable), I will buy ANY piece of kit to make what little time she has left easier. Walkies to the beach has always been her happiest time, while she can still enjoy that, she still has time left.

xarabeachball4.jpg
 
My GSD had somthing wrong with her back legs it was about 6 years ago and i cant think what it was. She didnt pick her back feet up and wore her nails away and would come home bleeding, at this point she wasnt unhappy and had not started to loose bladder or bowl control so we brought her some booties, they typically lasted 2 walks a pair before the wore through them, I sewed leather patches on them to mmmmake them last a bit longer. She let us know clearly when she had had enough.
 
Zarablue it was probably CDRM which is what we are all talking about, it is quite common in older GSDs, sadly and is a neurological condition for which there is no cure yet.

Oberon, your story is why I would never consider a cart and made me well up a bit x
 
I've been really good and not burst into tears on a walk for a whole week, but I broke again today.

To compare, you can see the two videos.
This is her last August
[YOUTUBE]MYPQ6u2fl8E&NR=1[/YOUTUBE]

and now, today
[YOUTUBE]c0ydKufb8sY[/YOUTUBE]

The difference is obvious:(

So, so cheer myself up I took some pics of the scenery on our beloved Blackpool beach.
xarablackpoolbeach26sept.jpg


beachtexture.jpg


dogsbeachtexture26sept.jpg
 
Thanks for all the info Oberon, not sure about those things that lift their feet but have ordered some of those boots for her. The vet had talked about vet wrapping her feet but boots will probably be quicker and easier!

Here is a video of Lola, taken a few weeks ago. She can be walking and her back end just goes, sometimes totally, sometimes just a little. OH was putting her front legs onto the back of the car to enable him to then lift her back end in. I just cried, it was pitiful to see :(

http://youtu.be/tfXyyaMMm64

Would the walking frame thing not work on the beach when Xara has space to go in straight lines and large turning circles? I wouldn't have considered using one indoors or even in the garden, but was thinking of one for the beach due to the expanse and lack of obsticles.
 
Our beach is pebbles, pools, sinking mud and rough, unlevel sand.

I was planning on just using it for the pavement walk back from the beach when she is tired. Approx five minutes only.

I don't disagree with carts if it's appropriate for the dog.

But it isn't the right thing for Xara.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top