r/disableddogs

Hello! One month ago I adopted a almost 3 year old husky from Texas, whom I've named Hades. He was transported to Ohio. I was told he was healthy with no problems but upon arrival he had hyphema and over this past month he has gone blind. Ive brought him to the vet and er several times during this past month but it was in vain had he was offically diagnosed as permanently blind today.

He still has his eyes and we are in treatment to try and retain then for the time being. He is offically out of the cone i was told to keep him in over the last month. At this time I do not have the money to remove his eyes but I was told his pressures are lower enough it should be fine to leave them for now.

Anyway, im looking for some advice as both a new husky owner and now a owner to a blind dog. Ive previously had dogs growing up byt never just on my own. I have not had a blind animal before however I do have 3 special needs cats. They do have their claws.

I want to make sure Hades has a comfortable life while also not straining and making his eyes worse. Any advice on how best to train him around new people and dogs, at home or in general would be appreciated. I want to make sure he can still be active, run and play. He still likes to play fetch even if he cant see.

If anyone has any tech recommendations that would be beneficial to assist him would also be helpful.

Thank you!

Edit: Thank you everyone! I appreciate all the advice I've been given. Its been helpful in such an overwhelming situation. Hades first day without his cone on has been good! He seem to know his way around the house quite well already. We started new drops today and im starting vocal training with him. I have new puzzle, scent training and sound based toys on the way for him. Along with a clicker and dog whistle. Ill also be looking into some professional trainer for him. He is still in the process of learning English. (He was previously trained in Spanish.) And hes in the middle of service dog training. (This is on pause till he is more comfortable without his eyes) This sub has been very helpful and has helped provide some very high hopes he'll live a long happy life even without his eye sight.

Hi everyone!

This is Smokey. Long story short I rescued a homeless blind dog yesterday! I am already a mother of 1 (to one cute chubby pug) but I never mothered a disabled dog, let alone blind.

I’m here to take ANY advice for my new baby. He’s been taken to vet (luckily he is fine) but blind which I am taking him to a specialist as recommended by his vet. I will be buying items on Amazon in a few but I want to make sure I get the most essential things to provide comfort and lots of love.

Also is to normal to feel guilty like you’re not doing enough? I swear I’m here crying every 10 seconds 😩

Today a wonderful new "foster" dog moved in.
He was scheduled to be surrenderedto a shelter where euthanasia was a very possible outcome. As a senior with a missing limb, I didn't like the odds and agreed to take him. He's a total sweetheart! Very loving and vibrant personality. That being said, I'm feeling pretty unprepared. I'd love to hear from other folks who've taken care of a dogs that lost a limb. ANY suggestions or advice are much appreciated. For now. there are 3 things I could really use some help with though:

1. Is there any way to help him scratch an itch other than doing it for him??? He's constantly wiggling his stump or squirming around on the floor trying to scratch. I honestly thought he was having a seizure at first! Any products or other ways to help him do this?

2. He hasn't taken a HW preventative in 18 months, and we're in the Deep South. I'm hoping for the best, but realistically I'm preparing myself for the worst. I'm very low income, does anyone know of places I can seek reduced or fully covered heartworm treatment?

3. Mobility. Also looking for resources I can contact for loaner/discounted/donated wheelchairs for a missing hind leg.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your input!
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Our 7-year-old Dachshund, Andy, suddenly developed severe IVDD and lost most of the use of his back legs.
He was evaluated at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Grand Rapids and diagnosed with severe paraparesis from a likely herniated disc. Thankfully, Andy still has deep pain sensation and some voluntary movement in his back legs, which means he still has a strong chance of recovery.
Surgery was recommended to give Andy his best chance of walking again. We were quoted approximately $12,000–$16,000 for imaging, spinal surgery, hospitalization, and related care.
Our biggest fear is that Andy could worsen while we are trying to come up with the money. If he loses more neurological function or deep pain sensation, his prognosis could become much worse. We do not want finances to be the reason we miss the opportunity to get him the treatment he needs while his chances are still strong.
Because we could not immediately come up with $12,000–$16,000, Andy is currently being managed at home with strict crate rest, medications, bladder care, and close monitoring under BluePearl’s instructions. This does not mean the problem is resolved or that surgery is no longer needed. We are doing everything we can while trying to raise enough money to move forward with the recommended treatment.
Andy is a huge part of our family. Our two young kids absolutely adore him, and his 4-year-old son Pablo is here at home with him too. We just want to give him every chance we possibly can.
GoFundMe:
https://gofund.me/16d481b72
If you can donate, even a small amount helps us get closer. If you cannot donate, sharing Andy’s fundraiser could help get his story in front of someone who can.
Thank you for reading and for helping us give Andy the best chance possible.

She is at the door sniffing for someone inside the room

one week ago, me and Toki’s life changed as we knew it. a perfect little 5lb beautiful Yorkshire Terrier, feisty, and a 3rd shift supervisor! she is now totally withdrawn, quiet, confused and I’m a wreck! I’ve had her since birth, and she’s been my best friend for the last 8yrs. Today she hardly eats or drinks. The Vet said she’s not in any pain, but I find that hard to believe. helppppp!!! any advice.

My dog Yoshi (10 yo) has a spinal cord tumor. He had surgery, but unfortunately a second tumor was discovered a few months ago. At that point, we were given a very uncertain prognosis — anywhere from a few months to around a year and a half.

His mobility has progressively declined. About a month ago he could still walk a little on his back legs. Now he essentially can't use them. At home he sometimes drags himself using only his front legs. Outside I use a rear-support harness and carry his back end, and when I do that he moves with a surprising amount of energy — sometimes he practically runs with his front legs, wants to sniff everything, and seems genuinely excited to be outside.

He also has no control over his bladder or bowels anymore. He urinates and poops wherever he happens to be. I use diapers at home when possible, but he sometimes urinates and then drags himself through it. His back legs and thighs can end up soaked.

Honestly, it feels like I can't clean him fast enough. I clean him, change him, bathe him regularly, and then it happens again. Sometimes he whines when he needs something — if he's stuck in a position he can't get out of, needs to poop, wants me, or is uncomfortable in a wet diaper.

The difficult part is that mentally he is still completely Yoshi.

He loves food. He asks me for food constantly. He gets excited about treats. He wants attention. He enjoys going out. We regularly go sit at a café together and he seems genuinely happy to be there. He is interested in people, smells and what's happening around him.

My vet examined him today and doesn't think he's in significant pain. But he told me that, given the progression of the disease and how quickly his mobility has deteriorated, we're probably heading toward a very difficult stage. He told me that euthanasia is something I should start seriously considering and that he would support whatever decision I make.

I'm struggling because his body is failing him while mentally he still seems completely present and interested in life.

For those of you who have cared for dogs with paralysis or severe hind-leg disability: how did you distinguish between a dog who was disabled but still had a good life and a dog whose disability had become too much for them?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people whose dogs were still mentally happy, eating and interested in life when you had to make this decision.

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* I’m adding a picture of him from a little while ago because I think it shows what I mean when I say that mentally, he is still completely himself.

She climbed up there herself to check if Tomato's food bowl was empty.

I got some cute pics of me and my dog today and just want to share :) this is a fun trick but also useful in an emergency!

Important tip: dont carry your dog like this if they have a severe main body/back injury as it will make any spine or internal injuries worse. Use a stretcher and two people

What this is good for: paw laceration, ripped paw pads, broken ankle/lower leg, heat exhaustion, flooding or evacuation down stairs or other tight or dangerous environments. We use this position if we need to cross asphalt that is too hot for my dogs paws and we dont have shoes with us. Like crossing from the car across a parking lot to the park or a petstore etc.

If anyone's curious let me know and ill post a video of how we get into and out of this position and how I trained it.

Looking for some advice from anyone who has experience with deaf dogs, especially Frenchies.
I rescued a 3-year-old deaf Frenchie about two weeks ago, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to communicate with and train her. Would you recommend teaching her hand signals for commands like sit, stay, come, potty, etc.? If so, are there certain signals or training methods that have worked especially well for you?
I’d also really appreciate any general tips for helping a deaf rescue adjust, getting her attention without startling her, and keeping her safe.
She’s still settling in, so I want to make sure I’m setting her up for success. 🐾❤️

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my dog Huck has end stage glaucoma in his left eye and the vet believes it’s starting to progress in his healthy eye now. we’ve been using eye drops to help his eye pressures stay heathy but know we will soon have to have the left eye removed. i’m worried we’ll have to deal with the right eye soon after and am looking for support in that! i know dogs have way better senses and he will probably adapt pretty well, but he has some reactivity issues that we have been working on and i’m worried about no longer being able to see causing him to potentially regress. any advice on best training him to not rely on seeing things? i’m worried he won’t do well in public or at dog parks & really just want to make sure i’m putting him in the best positions to be safe and happy!

This is my old boy, Ace. He’s about 15 or so (not 100% sure on age as he was rescued eating pesticides on the side of a road in Taiwan about 9 years ago)

He had a stroke yesterday and I managed to get him to the vet within 2 hours of it happening and they confirmed it was a stroke (not sure if it’s ischemic or hemorrhagic). He couldn’t walk, he was swaying his head badly to the right and had a really bad nystagmus (eye tick) flicking to the left. He still ate his food, albeit messily but he was definitely hungry for it! He even wobbled and fell a few times outside and managed to pee on his own!

he seems to be a bit better today,
yesterday he couldn’t walk two paces without falling to wobbling over but today he walked about 4 meters from his bed to the couch to come be close to his humans without falling over!!
We know he’s super old and already has arthritis but he doesn’t seem to be in pain.. I don’t think he’s ready to leave us yet.

Does anyone have any advise on making his strokey retirement years as comfortable as possible? Anything we should do to help him? perhaps a recommendation on a sling for assisted walking?

Thank you! ❤️

I have a 45-pound elderly dog with weak back legs who sometimes struggles to hold her pee and poop. We live in an apartment and she once peed in the elevator, so I started putting a diaper on her right before we left our unit, then taking it off as soon as we got outside so she could pee freely (she usually makes it outside but not always).

I recently got her a wheelchair (Walkin' Wheels brand) and she can walk, poop, and pee in it. However, if I put the diaper on her, then put her in the wheelchair, it'll be harder to take the diaper off quickly once we get outside, and I don't want her peeing in the diaper too often (I want to avoid both possible skin irritation and increased laundry). I'm using the standard Walkin' Wheels leg rings, since I tried the rear harness they sell and I don't think it's a good fit for my dog.

Since all I need is temporary urine protection while she's in my apartment hallways and elevator, has anyone had success creating or buying some kind of urine catcher? I see that K9 Carts sells one (here). Or perhaps there's a way to get a diaper on/off quickly while she's still in the wheelchair?

Thanks!

Hi, my name is Thomas and im currently taking care of my neighbors 16yr old Shih Tzu while she’s getting medical treatment. Maxie loves laying in the park soaking in the sunlight but due to his age and his owners age he doesnt have the best mobility and barley walks.

If anyone has a pup stroller or cart it would help out a ton!!!!!! we live in east village but can travel for pick up if it saves money from buying one for a few weeks.