by Dennis Hacker, D.V.M., DIPLOMATE, A.C.V.O. (Veterinary Ophthalmologist)
10324 San Pablo Ave.
El Cerrito, CA 94530
A blind dog needs something to tell him that he is approaching an obstacle. Blind people use a walking stick, other animals that are naturally blind use sound, whiskers, or some other form of early warning device. This hoop is a blind dog's 'walking stick.'
The Shopping List:
You will need to measure the dog in 3 places
A - From just behind front leg to neck (5 in. for dog pictured below)
B - From neck to tip of nose (8 in. for dog pictured below)
C - Chest just behind front legs
Parts required:
A - Aluminium strip of the correct size. For alternate materials, see the end of the article.
SIze: Add measurements A and B, multiply by 3. In this example: (5+8) X 3 or 39 in.
B - Leather Harness, to fit chest. Rremember that blind dogs tend to put on weight.
C - A "Pop Rivet" gun capable of 5mm (3/16-inch) rivets, 3 to 6 mm reach (1/8 to 1/4 inch)
D - 5mm (3/16 inch) rivets, 3 to 6 mm reach (1/8 to 1/4 inch)
E - Electric drill
F - 5mm twist drill (metal electric drill bit)
G - (not shown) Grinder or belt sander or file, plus some fine sand paper
Grind or file the corners off the aluminium strip to make them round and smooth. Use sandpaper to finish.
Put the harness on the blind dog and adjust for a comfortable fit. Measure the distance from centers of the vertical straps. This is where you will be attaching the aluminum hoop. In this example, it is 3 1/2 inches.
Drill four holes in the Aluminum strip. One hole in each end 1/3rd inch from the end, then another pair of holes 3 1/2 in. (in this example) in from the first from the first. Remember, use your measurements in place of the 3 1/2 in.
Drill the harness on lower part of neck vertical strips where you measured. This is where the aluminum strip will be attached that will warn a blind dog that he is about to bump his head.
Make a 45 degree angle bend in the aluminum Distance A from the ends. In this example, it was 5 in. Then gently bend middle as shown to make the hoop.
Make a gentle curve in the ends as shown
Rivet the hoop to the harness. In the front vertical harness straps only. This is so we can adjust the height before attaching the blind dog hoop to the back strap of the harness. Rivet goes from inside of harness, into leather, then into aluminium.
Now put harness on dog, lift hoop so when the dogs nose is level, the hoop is level with eyes and nose. Mark the back strapp of the harness through the hole you drilled in the the aluminium.
Rivet the back strap and the aluminum hoop from the inside.
The blind dog hoop harness is complete. Give your dog a little time to adjust to it. He may be a little confused at first.
Thanks to Bruce, who is not a blind dog, for modelling, and being patient! Here is the real master of the blind dog hoop, Pepe, trying it out
There are many different materials that can be used for the blind dog hoop and the harness.
Alternative for hoop:
Plastic oval electrical conduit (has to be gently heated to make a bend, I use an electric paint stripper gun),
Copper piping (requires special springs to stop tube collapsing while bending,
Any other lightweight, bendable material that will hold its shape.
Alternative for harness,
I made one from polypropylene webbing, machined it together, and had to use cup washers under rivets.
Some people have had trouble getting leather harnesses, so nylon is ok, as long as the weave is tight, and washers are behind the rivet heads to stop the rivet going through the material.
But I would recommend leather, it will last longer, and with wear will become soft. The only thing that may not be clear, is the end of the aluminium is rounded off to a "ice Popsicle" shape, and the hole is 8mm (1/3 inch) from the end. Then if dog wearing harness bends, that rounded end pushes into harness, not dog. That aluminium needs to be about 50 inches, by 1 inch, by 1/10 inch, for a Labrador. Also some people have used carpet-joining strips for the hoop, the type without grips, which is screwed to the floor. Make sure if you use this that the part that would have gone uppermost if it was used for carpets, is on the outside of the hoop. Sorry for metric sizes, 25 millimetre is 1 inch. The rivets are 3/16 inch, 1/8 to 1/4 reach (about 1 dollar for 15). To save buying a pop rivet gun, car mechanics carry these (especially body repairs), but I would recommend buying one because they are cheap, and repairs will be necessary, if your dog gets excited like my Pepe.
Reprinted with Permission from the Author:
Dennis Hacker, D.V.M., DIPLOMATE, A.C.V.O. (Veterinary Ophthalmologist)
10324 San Pablo Ave.
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510-559-1755
510-559-1757 Fax
e-mail: drhacker <at> animal-eye-specialists.com
web site: http://www.animal-eye-specialists.com
Dogs pee and poop standing up like a horse, and for dogs who are disabled, they are very happy to know that they are not going to land in their own waste any more. Some rare and very fastidious dogs may resist using the cart for toileting - those who might regard the cart as furniture, but with proper encouragement these dogs usually come around. The cart does make expressing the dog's bladder easy, as they are resting on their bladders in the cart. Some dogs piddle as they walk in the cart.
The most challenging carts to design are for intact males. We position the weld so that they are sitting between their testicles and their penis, on the pubic bone. The owner may need to manually arrange the position of the testicles so that they are not sitting on them, depending on their particular dog's physiognomy. We are of the opinion that the owners of such dogs are far more sensitive about their dog's comfort than the male dogs themselves - even those who appear to be squished, do not seem to be uncomfortable.
The male dachshund we work with has regrown his testicles since he was neutered, and his little balls are undamaged by being in contact with the saddle.
What if my pet is weak in the forelimbs? If your pet is weak in the front legs and just needs your assistance for short walks, or help going up or down stairs, you may want to consider a harness, sling, or rear end support leash. These are ideal for giving an older pet just the right amount of assistance.
Some smaller dogs can lie down while in their wheelchair, however, all pets must be taken out of the wheelchair to rest... Additionally, we recommend that you never leave your pet in the wheelchair unsupervised.
Short-legged dogs like dachsies, corgies, and bassetts can plop down on their front legs and be quite comfortable "lying down" in a cart. They don't have very far to go, and if you give them a cushion in a sunny spot in the room, you'll find them at rest in their wheels. However, non-dwarf breeds can't do this, and for them the cart is for exercsie only. As for one cartmaker’s claim (Dogmobile) that dogs can lie down in their carts, we have never met a dog who can operate the spring that releases the cart to a down position, nor does the cart rise at the dog's will.
How long will it take to build my pet's wheelchair?
Different manufacturers have different lead times depending on the complexity of the cart and the time of year.
Q. I have a 3lb female Min Pin. She is still at the vet recovering from a HBC accident. She received a concussion that possibly will leave paralysis in the front legs. I looked at your products, but only saw carts/wheelchairs for the rear legs. She is very tiny and I feel that conventional wheelchairs will be too heavy. Do you have any suggestions?
A. It would be best to get an evaluation from the vet to make sure that the rear legs are 100% functioning and strong before being able to determine what type of chair the dog is a candidate for.
This dog may end up being a candidate for a Quad Chair- we've done Quad Chairs for pets as small as ferrets. Its pretty rare for accidents to leave the front paralyzed with no neurological damage in the hind legs so that is why I question the rear leg strength and function.
If the rear legs are 100% normal in strength/function then a Front End Chair may be a possibility.
Q.Was your dog able to swim in the cart? And lay down? Do you have to put the cart on when the dog goes outside and then remove it for inside? Or does it stay on always?
Brenda Becker and Rosie, a 50#, 11 year old Black Lab (mostly) who has been struck with Degenerative Myelopathy and still loves swimming.
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.
When you're done, go to the dog wheelchair page to review
the available options
Video guide to buying Pet Boots and Dog Shoes.
We've had a lot of requests from people who want to better understand the differences between our dog boots. Kathy Conley of handicappedpets tells you everything you need to know in these short videos.
