Help! Carrying Senior Greyhound In And Out Of House

[Guest PhillyPups]

I have been in your position and it sukks. I was also afraid I was losing the battle with my beloved companion. My heart goes out to you.

[krissn333]

PM'd you.

[marion]

I understand you so very well, as I had the same problem with my beloved Ivy. He couldn't manage the three steps

to go outside the house. My luck was that he could use the kitchen door to outside but he wanted to go another three steps to the down area in the garden. He sometimes jumped them all at a time an badly fell. The most difficult thing

was to get him back up. I remember that several times we needed an hour to get back up with my help.

In his last days he fell so often and he had such a bad time as he just couldn't manage to get back on his legs by himself

that I decided the worst decision of my life...let him go.

The problem was, that he just didn't accept himself not to be able to do the same things he always did. He wanted to

go for walks hardly able to walk as his FOUR legs didn't work anymore. So I carried him with help of DH outside,

we walked a bit, when pooping he fell aside, couldn't get back on his legs, I helped him back. We did that for months

until it wasn't possible anymore.

I wish you the best, strength and some more ddays with your hound...

[silverfish]

Or, maybe you could do something like this: Foam Steps but make it into a ramp instead of steps (or make it into longer, shallower steps that would be easier to do).

 

 

I was wondering about this, too. Not so much making a ramp, but fixing the steps themselves so that they are so shallow they are almost non-existent. That way she might still 'see' them as steps, but use them like a ramp. What I mean is, adding a bit of height to each tread to make two steps out of each one - or even three steps out of each one.

 

I feel for you. No-one who has not had a truly freak-out 'don't touch my belly' dog can possibly understand how difficult it is. I have - my little Jack would literally jump into the air and spin around screaming when his belly (or anywhere much behind his shoulders really) was touched. It took a lot of work over a number of years but eventually if he saw you coming and you were dog-savvy, you could stroke his belly. Heaven knows what happened to that little dog...

 

I took him to a real greyhound-savvy kennel one time and at the end of our stay the very kind and enormously experienced owner offered to bath him for me. She said she'd never seen such a spooky dog in all her years as a pet greyhound owner, adoption agent and commercial boarding kennel owner.

 

I tell you all this just so you know I understand where you're coming from.

 

Anyway. He would NEVER let me pick him up, and yes, he would have been too much for me to carry on a daily basis. We did get him a ramp and he did use it under protest, in emergencies, but only if the rake was very, very shallow. I had to prop it up at the bottom and drive the van up to the front step so that it was hardly a slope at all.

 

I think if I were in your position, I'd be thinking I had a few choices. I could either do some intensive work with her to get her over her fears/dislike of being carried so that she could comfortably go in and out on her own. I could build some kind of arrangement to help her and put the work in to make sure she learned to use it. I could provide some kind of indoor area for her to use - but that would mean confining her to the house for the rest of her life which isn't so nice for her (or you). Or I could let her go.

 

The kind of ramp or steps which people have been discussing here may work very well for her, but she will take some teaching. You can't expect her to simply look at them and say 'Oh, this will do'. She's going to be suspicious and disinclined to use them. She's going to want to do things the way she's always done them. But you may be able to teach her using patience and encouragement and treats.

 

I understand that you're in a tough position financially, but unless you try building something, you'll never know if she would use it. It will be different to the folding ramp you bought - that one wobbles, and it creaks, and it's too short. If you build a nice solid wood ramp for her that is long enough to make the rake shallow, and make it absolutely slip-proof for her, and as noiseless as possible, I bet you'll be able to teach her to use it.

 

But only you know your dog. If you truly do not think you can manage something like that, then yes, I have to say that it is time to consider whether you're doing her a kindness by keeping her going.

 

Sorry for the novel. Good luck.

 

[Guest TexasGreytMom]

Our senior girl began having trouble with steps as well. DH built a ramp and we covered it with indoor/outdoor carpet (very low pile) and she loved it. In fact all the pups used it as opposed to the steps. The incline wasn't steep and it was comfortable for her. Just a thought.

 

I agree with Silverfish - our girl would have never walked on a creeky, wobbly ramp - no way. The ramp DH built was of wood and very simple construction - very sturdy.

Edited November 23, 2009 by TexasGreytMom

[Guest Energy11]

RAMPS ARE US here!

 

When we first moved here, I saw that none of our greys ages 7-9 could do those steep steps. DH bought some WIDE plywood, put small six inch slats on it, crosswise, to prevent slipping and then we carpeted it. Lowes had nice indoor/outdoor carpeting, that works wonderfully. A Handyman could make this easily, and probably cheaply. You could most likely use it later for the other dogs, as they got older, too.

 

Recently, I had DH and a handyman build a REAL ramp. It can handle a wheel chair, and it is not steep. I know we will be here two more years, (*just signed another lease), and with my dogs getting older, I wanted this ramp.

 

Also, now, my wheelchair bound MIL can come visit!

 

Yes, I'd do the ramp, and just be SURE it is wide and carpeted with slatst. I'd bet money, Tuna would use it!

 

Good Luck!

[Guest MyBoys]

Just a thought, how about one of those support wraps they use to help lift the dog??????

[Rickiesmom]

I found this picture on the web - it's similar to what I have.

 

 

ETA: the harness is shown here with the scales, but you can get only the harness. I keep one in the car for emergencies.

Edited November 23, 2009 by Rickiesmom

[DofSweetPotatos]

Sent you a PM too. Hoping we can get you help that you and Tuna need. :

[ozgirl2]

Hi S - I know you've been worried about Tuna...

 

I had a sling for Cody when her back legs werent' working well - I got it at Dr. Fosters & Smith - it's fleecy on the inside part and clips together up on her back, with handles so you can take all the pressure off. I also had my brother make a make-shift ramp into the house (it was only meant for a stopgap but she was around another 1.5 years & the ramp stayed!)

 

Good luck with it... if you want to try the sling, I can send it to you (IF I can find it...) Just PM me

[Guest gryhnd3]

I'm guessing because you mentioned a turn in the steps that this might not be possible, but my husband built a separate set of steps to sit on top of our deck steps, they are wider and more of a gradual incline, so where we had 3 steeper deck steps, we now have this set of steps that is maybe 7 or 8 steps, covered with outdoor carpet, with railing on each side, for the dogs. Our steps are wide enough that we can still go down the regular steps, to the side of where the dog steps are. Our female had LS and other mobility issues and it was a huge help for her, she just couldn't do regular steps, and now our oldest male is very wobbly and needs these steps also. He is very skittish and refused to use them for months but finally we managed to get him to use them. Even the dogs without mobility issues are using them most of the time. But...if you have a turn, it may a little harder to build something like this. (The system wouldn't let me send you a message, if you want a picture of the steps, let me know.)