This is my second time purchasing this item. My dog is recently paraplegic, initially late September of 2021. It was scary and heartbreaking. I had only had him for about 2 years, since the age of 3. He became paralyzed a few days before his birthday, of which he turned 5 years old. He's still very young. Before he became disabled, my dog was already quite timid and frantic- he was easily scared by basically any inanimate object that moved, especially boxes for some reason. I didn't have him as a pup so idk why. Anyway, I felt like putting him in a wheelchair would be impossible because of his fear of being "inside" of things.
The first time I bought this exact wheelchair, he hated it. He didn't know how to move. He kept rolling backward and trying to lay down. I kept trying but nothing seemed to work, so I returned it. Months go by and I would just walk him with a towel, but it got tiring. I kept looking for a wheelchair right for his size that would help him, but wheelchairs are very expensive!
I ended up reordering this one, except this time with the supporting strap in the middle. I had to adjust it many times, but I finally found a nice balance for him. When I would take him out for a walk, he'd run off in full sprint but when it came time for him to move on his own without a leash, it was like he couldn't. He was frozen, would not move, and would lay down. I figured out why- it's because of the strap that goes UNDERNEATH his arms (armpits)! It brought him discomfort and made him feel like he couldn't move his arms properly. In the pictures I have provided, you can see that I tuck that strap to the side. He moves perfectly now on his own and he loves going outside and walking.
If your dog does not like this chair initially, please try to readjust and see how they like some straps being on/off. That was the main issue for me and my dog goes full speed in this thing on his own!! He was already a fast boy on 4 legs and he's just as fast now on 2 and wheels!!!
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