# Anyone have/had a dog in a doggie wheelchair? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 1, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-had-a-dog-in-a-doggie-wheelchair/776044 "2017-01-01T14:21:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-had-a-dog-in-a-doggie-wheelchair/776044/1 "2017-01-01T14:21:01Z")
My little Dachshund mix has some issues with his spine that I worry may cause problems when he gets older. Right now he’s 3 and has a slight limp from time to time, but since Dachschund’s can live well into their teens, I fear it will only get worse. It started last year when he was acting a little “off” one day (had several poop accidents, acted like he was in pain, etc) and it progressed to me taking him to the ER vet later that night when he lost function in his back half. Vet took x-rays, diagnosed Intrevertable Disc Diseased (common in sausage shaped dogs) and proscribed bed rest, pain pills and steroids. How did your dog adjust to a wheelchair and did it help at all? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-had-a-dog-in-a-doggie-wheelchair/776044/2 "2017-01-01T15:38:39Z")
No dogs but I’ve known a few cats through West Side Cats to use the wheel-back-leg frames. One was terrific and pretty much behaved like a normal cat. One seemed to adapt a little less/slower. These were cases where the animals needed them basically all the time; your case seems more like off and on at least at first until his condition gets worse. And we are talking cats and dogs ---- so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-had-a-dog-in-a-doggie-wheelchair/776044/3 "2017-01-01T16:54:53Z")
This is from Burpo’s wife… Type in [Gunnar’s Wheels](https://www.facebook.com/Gunnars-wheels-1155089164561706/?ref=br_rs) on facebook. It’s made public, so you can contact him. He has started a non-profit a couple months back and has already helped many dogs. [This is his main page](https://www.facebook.com/pg/Gunnars-wheels-1155089164561706/about/?ref=page_internal). He is very responsive to e-mails. I know the dog who was his first recipient. They adjust very well. You will be able to see all the testimonies on his FB page. Good Luck! ETA: Now you see why I married her. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-had-a-dog-in-a-doggie-wheelchair/776044/4 "2017-01-01T18:24:06Z")
Used to know a spaniel with rear paralysis, who raced all over the owner’s front yard dragging his (leathered underneath) rear legs like a rudder. Happy, happy little dog. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-had-a-dog-in-a-doggie-wheelchair/776044/5 "2017-01-03T06:03:54Z")
I follow this blog called Gone Hiking [http://gonehikin.blogspot.com/](http://gonehikin.blogspot.com/), the lady has a beautiful German Shepard named Shawnee who goes hiking in a dog wheelchair. I think Shawnee is around 16. She does great in her wheelchair, even gets over downed trees, but has to wear booties on her back paws because she drags her feet sometimes. She doesn’t use it all the time. She has a blog of her own too, [http://shawneetheshep.blogspot.com/](http://shawneetheshep.blogspot.com/) which probably has more info about the wheelchair but she speaks in doggie talk.