Disabled Pets

[Sonn]

Does anyone else have a disabled pet?

I have two. 

My cat Tiger who was injured in an “accident” caused by a negligent pet sitter. He is incontinent due to a spinal injury. And has mild permanent brain damage. He copes pretty well other than bath time when he squalls like I am trying to kill him. Or when I try to diaper him and he turns into claws and teeth. He can’t really jump into windows or on top of cat towers any longer so he has trained himself to put his paw on my foot when he wants up.

Haven is my 15 year old dog. He was recently diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy after he started wobbling and lost the use of his tail. He has deteriorated quickly and now has very little use of his back legs. He is an extremely active dog and is not coping well at all. He attempts to drag himself through the house but because of his age his upper body isn’t all that strong any longer. So I have to carry him everywhere and that’s not easy with a 55lb dog. His vet is now suggesting a wheelchair but oh my money are they expensive. So for now it is a rear harness for outside (soon a full body harness for indoors) and my poor poor back. He also suffers from cancer and sundowners syndrome but the paralysis is by far the hardest to deal with.

It’s difficult and lately I’ve been running on 2-3 hours of sleep but I’d pretty much do anything for them.

[Sofia]

You are such a dedicated owner, I would not be able to function on 3 hours of sleep even if I wanted to. It breaks my heart to see people mistreating animals and I hope the pet sitter got some kind of consequence. Owners of disabled pets definitely need some more respect, people underestimate how much work and money it is. Once when I was helping out at a small shelter, a woman took a puppy with a cleft lip only to return him a week and a half later because she didn’t know how much work he would be

[Sonn]

The pet sitter was/is ultimately responsible for any and all past and future vet treatments he requires because of his injuries.

It is a ton of work. I can no longer just let my dog out to run around the yard while I do things outside. But I made him a promise to take care of him by bringing him into my home when he was a puppy and I sure am not going to break it 15 years later. So I strap on his rear harness and walk for hours on end until he wants to come back inside. We do therapy, swimming, lots of walking, lots of massages. And then I fight with him to take his medication and he pouts so I give him a treat and he takes a nap and we start all over when he wakes up.

Certain family members are like those kind of people. I watched one raise a dog from a puppy and when she got old (19 years old) and sick to the shelter she went. The stress caused her to not even survive a week in the shelter. I was too young at the time or I would have brought her home. And another ship her two off to a rescue while her son was at school when one lost an eye and the human had babies and it was “too much work.” Even though it was her sons dog from the time he was born.

I don’t understand it but that’s just me. Animals are pretty much my entire world and when one comes into my home they are here for life whether it is a few days or months or decades.

[Sofia]

You are truly dedicated. All your animals are truly blessed to have you.
I totally agree. Although I’ve only had two rabbits for less than a year, and I’m not an experienced animal owner, if I ever get an animal I will never give it up. Unless in an extremely unlikely situation where it’s simply better for the animal to be rehomed. It’s simply shocking the amount of animals that are given to shelters each year, or even worse, just dumped on the streets! In Ireland there aren’t any kill shelters, but in bigger countries like America if an animal isn’t adopted or fostered within a day, it gets put to sleep! People simply do not appreciate animals enough. I once read a quote “We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made.”— M.Facklam. and I thought It applied for all animals. You are responsible for the well being of a LIFE, you cannot just send it off when they’re not small and cute anymore, and become a bit more work. And don’t get me started on animals in factory farms, that have never even known affection…

[Sonn]

Sorry for taking so long to respond my dog has been having it rough.

I live in the US and I volunteer at 3 rescues/shelters. What breaks my heart the most is when people bring in their elderly pets and say “He/she is too old and we want a younger one.” The elderly pets are the saddest in the shelters. I am currently working with a rescue to set up a program that immediately pulls elderly pets from the shelter and puts them into a foster home.

My little town is overrun with stray pets. I watched someone dump a bunch of ducks out of a truck 2 days ago. I now have makeshift pond and some ducks in my backyard until I find someone who has a big pond for them.

You don’t know how many people have snubbed me and told me just to have my dog put to sleep because he is extra work. He’s my best friend! I’m not going to just give up on him!

Woo I did a research project on factory farms and got under more than a few people’s skin.

[Terra]

I don’t have anything helpful to add, but I do think you deserve a medal for your amazing good deeds and huge heart.

[Bam]

Son, you truly are a wonderful person. I don’t want to believe that people would want to exchange their old pet for a younger one. Those people shouldn’t get to have any pets, ever.

My dog has a back problem. She’s a GSD and not even 10 years old. Sometimes it’s bad and sometimes it’s pretty good. She is deteriorating though, and there is pain. It’s about disc degeneration and new bone formation in the spine. She gets anti inflammatory meds and cold laser.

Degenerative myelopathy was a differential to her condition. It’s common in GSDs. It’s horrible, the only “good” thing is that it’s not thought to be painful.

[Sofia]

I’m currently going on a road trip through the Balkans which is where I’m originally from. The countries here and notorious for being exceptionally cruel to animals. When a person commits a serious act of cruelty to an animal, they literally get a fine of only around 10 Euro. There are no shelters, there’s maybe one or two but they’re overcrowded and in bad conditions, and only for dogs too (a bunny would have no chance). The other day I was going through Bosnia and in the middle of nowhere we seen a dog on the road, she was pregnant and had a broken leg. I was so heartbroken knowing that I couldn’t do anything to help her since not only are there no shelters nearby, there’s barely any vets either. I really want to change things, maybe move here and start a shelter. And try to raise awareness about these issues. It’s not fair, animals are the most innocent beings on earth yet they’re the most mistreated. They get no say in whether they’re dumped on the streets or being slaughtered for food. I guess we just have to try as hard as we can to help them. What was the project on factory farms about? Sounds interesting and I’d love to do something similar maybe

[Sonn]

Again sorry for the late replies I was out of the country.

I didn’t want to believe people could be callous enough to just exchange a pet but I was proven wrong when I started volunteering at shelters.

I’ve heard GSD are prone to back issues some more than others.

My boy is doing hydrotherapy and is on a list of supplements a mile long. They do seem to help. Some days he can stand still in one spot other days he can’t stand at all. He’s also on a very specific diet. He hates it but I make up for it with lots of walks and lots of homemade treats.

I’m very glad he is not in pain but knowing the outcome of Degenerative Myelopathy is something I am struggling to come to terms with.

Right now he needs a wheelchair but they are EXPENSIVE! I’ve contacted a few organizations but they all have long waiting lists for a loaner one. And I’m not nearly handy enough to make one myself.

Boo I may be in the US but in my state animal cruelty is mostly swept under the rug. For literally the first time ever in my state someone is being prosecuted for torturing an animal. Most people get a small fine or community service and that’s that.

I know there are organizations like animal aid that try to work in areas that do not have vets, shelters, or basic animal care. But they are few and far between.

I live in the country where people see mass producing animals as an okay and everyday thing. They don’t think twice about where their food comes from. I did a 200 page paper on the effects factory farming not only had on the environment and humans but on the animals themselves. It was explicit and in your face. I made people face what happens when they support companies that use factory farming. People were not happy with me. But I got my point across and got an A and my paper is used in the course as teaching material.

[Daisy]

That’s some real dedication! Good on you!

I had a disabled bunny before. She had 3 legs (missing hind leg) with a chronically inflamated stump and no teeth. She coped very well even though she could only hop sideways. The only change we did was moving her from outside to inside because of her infection and we bathed her, injected penicillin orally fed pain meds frequently but those adjustments are very minor compared to what you’re going through with your dog!

[Sr. Melangell]

Well done Sonn, animals need care too just like humans, we don’t give up our friends because they are ill or disabled, we had an old Alsatian dog, he had Arthritis and I worked out when he wanted to go outside, I had to carry his back legs, a bit like what kids do doing the wheelbarrow race.

[Sonn]

Before I learned the towel trick with Haven I would do the wheelbarrow thing as well. But he has a rear harness for outside. I’m slowly saving enough to get him a wheelchair for outside.

He’s learning how to get around the house on his own by dragging his back end sideways. I’ve put down a bunch of rugs so he doesn’t slip and smack his face on the floors. But anytime I see he wants to move I put a rolled up towel under his waist and walk him through the house.

He’s super active so he goes out upwards of 15+ times a day sometimes just to walk around and that rear harness is definitely a workout on your arms and shoulders.

[Author]

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