Ava Williams
With age, many dog owners face health problems in their dogs. One of these problems can be the lack of mobility due to diseases or acute injuries to bones, joints, and the musculoskeletal system. This raises the question of how to support or even encourage a dog’s mobility. One of several possibilities is the use of special carrying aids or walking aids.
When getting up becomes a pain
Diseases in the bones and joints are often not completely curable and require long-term therapy. One of the bone and joint diseases that occur very frequently in dogs is arthrosis, joint wear, and tear that occurs in many older and larger dogs.
But not only people are affected by the so-called spondylosis. This is a collective term for degenerative changes in the vertebral bodies of the spine. These are often ossifications that can be very painful with certain movements.
Hip dysplasia, also known as HD for short, is a widespread disease among German Shepherds and similar dog breeds. Hip dysplasia describes either congenital or acquired misalignment, ossification, or disorder of the hip joint, which can lead to severe pain for dogs and is just as severe as limitations in their ability to move.
Such diseases often lead to permanently limited mobility of the dog, despite operations, pain therapy, physiotherapy, and alternative medical treatments.
Controlled movement helps
If a dog has a chronic progressive joint disease such as arthrosis, there are supportive measures that a dog owner can carry out in addition to the actual therapy. This includes controlled movement. On the one hand, it helps to reduce excess weight – excess weight is an additional burden for the aching joints – on the other hand, controlled training promotes muscle strength and improves joint mobility.
Go for a walk with baby carriers
If a dog has difficulty standing on its own, has problems walking, refuses to walk, or buckles while walking, it needs our help. After all, every dog has to do its job at some point and controlled movement maintains muscle strength. The specialist trade, therefore, offers special aids that have a supportive effect on affected dogs.
Very small dogs can also simply be carried to the walkies. Small to medium-sized dogs can also be relieved with a dog buggy – a kind of stroller for dogs. This is simply taken for a walk and as soon as the dog is exhausted, it can be conveniently transported in the dog buggy.
Carrying aids are available for larger dogs. These are walking aids for dogs that are supported by humans. These are wider straps with an adjustable handle that can be buckled around the dog’s stomach, chest, front, or hind legs. When walking, the dog owner carries part of the weight, so that the dog is relieved and has more stability. Such harnesses can also make it easier to climb stairs or get into the car. The use of carrying aids is also useful for dogs that have had an operation and are still unsteady on their feet.
Assistance when climbing stairs
Stairs in the house can not only be a problem for senior dogs. Puppies or very short-legged, long dogs, such as Dachshunds or Bassets, should also avoid climbing stairs to prevent hip problems. If you don’t want to carry your dog up the steps in the house all the time, you can use a stair lift for dogs, for example, to ensure that the dog can be transported up any staircase in a stress-free and, above all, health-conscious manner. A stair lift is suitable for healthy, small dogs, but owners of old or already ill animals in particular appreciate the advantages that a dog lift offers.
A modern stair lift can be easily attached to any stair construction, there are also stair lifts that can go outside. This is very well suited if the dog is to be driven directly into its garden with the elevator. Lifts can also be attached to spiral staircases, so the dog can be transported effortlessly over narrow stairs.