Myth #1:  Big dogs won’t use carts. Twenty-one years ago, when our 80 lb. Doberman became paralyzed in the rear, that’s what we were told too.  And in fact, the carts that were available 21 years ago did NOT work well for big dogs, which was why Ed designed his dog wheelchair differently – supporting  the dog on the skeleton instead of the soft tissue.  We have built carts for dogs up to 240 lbs., as well a couple of alpacas, a few goats, a couple of sheep, and a pot-bellied pig.

Max, a 175 lb, Mastiff who measured 39" tall at the shoulder, next to Sweet Pea, a 40 lb. pitbull .

Myth #2:  Dogs won’t rehabilitate if you give them a cart = The Lazy Dog Myth.   We have never met a dog who would rather use a wheelchair than walk without one.  We have seen innumerable numbers of dogs, particularly those who have spinal compressions due to disc issues, torn acl’s and those immobilized due to FCE’s,  rehabilitate while using a dog wheelchair.    One key issue is making sure that the dog is supported in a normal weightbearing stance, with its feet on the floor.  In order to motivate a dog to use its legs, it’s crucial to activate whatever reflexes it may have and build upon them.  Even if a dog uses stirrups to keep its feet from dragging, we recommend that the stirrups to be adjusted so that as the dog moves its legs, its toes come into contact with the rear crossbar, which provides feedback to whatever reflexes the paretic dog may have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWRvFyQm00g

Myth #3:  Old dogs can’t use dog wheelchairs.  The oldest dog for whom we ever built a cart was a cattle dog that was 22 years old, but we routinely build carts for dogs who are 14, 15, and 16 years old.  Being old and unable to get up and go outside to toilet is probably one of the main reasons old dogs are euthanized.  But if a dog is not in pain, and not sick – mobility challenges should not be death sentence.  Many old dogs just have problems getting up – and for those we recommend the Helpemup Harness.   We routinely recommend neutral balanced carts for geriatric dogs – this style of cart feels weightless on the dog’s body and adds no load to the forelimbs, while supporting the rear legs completely.

18 year old Bizzy is back to standing and sniffing and poking around the yard in a neutral balanced dog wheelchair, and a Helpemup Harness.

Myth #4:  Dogs can’t get any exercise if they are in a wheelchair.  Take a look at these photos and video.  Try keeping up with these dogs with a towel or sling!

Blueberry, a paralyzed Great Dane, races with the ponies on the farm with his Eddie's Wheels dog wheelchair

Visit our youtube channel to see hundreds of videos of happy dogs in their wheels: Youtube Channel

Roosevelt pops a wheelie to get over obstacles during his off-road run in the woods.

Eddie’s Wheels is the inventor of the front wheel cart – we built our first one twelve years ago for a dog living in rescue who was born with deformed forelimbs. Front wheel carts constitute a significant percentage of our business, as we are the only canine wheelchair company that makes a simple 2-wheeled device that allows dogs to sit, sniff and play in their wheels.    We also adopted a pair of chi-weiners, Willa and Webster, who were born without any front legs a couple of year ago.  These little guys have taught us so much about the finer points of balancing a dog in a front wheel cart, and teaching dogs  how to drive it.

Willa sniffs while Webster sits in their front wheel carts.

Front wheel carts are also used by dogs who are missing a front leg due to amputation.  The hopping gait of a three legged dog takes a huge toll on a dog’s body over time.   Tripods can often run more easily than they can walk and turn into sprinters, but as they age, arthritis in the elbow and carpus of the remaining front leg sets in.  The lumbar spine suffers, and the rear legs, having compensated for years, become painful and arthritic as well.  Convincing a young healthy tripod to use a front wheel cart can be a challenge, but once they get used to using the wheels, the long term benefits become obvious.   They actually return to the normal gait of a four legged dog – moving each leg independently and letting the wheels carry a share of the load on the front legs.

Tank, at over 100 lbs., just couldn't manage on three legs. Notice the square rear yoke to make the cart weightless on his already arthritic hips.

Roosevelt, a border collie with deformed forelimbs – watch his video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NKBXeGjI4s

These professional collaborations result in more happy pets getting the mobility aids they need to cope with their disabilities.  Veterinarians enjoy the emotional benefits of knowing that even if surgical outcomes are not what was hoped for, that pets can continue to live long and happy lives with the assistance of a cart.

We were heartened  to read this wonderful blog written by Dr. Mark Troxel, neuro-surgeon at Mass Veterinary Referral Hospital on the IVG  Hospitals website:  http://www.ivghospitals.com/specialty-services/born-to-ride/.   We ‘re proud to say that Mass Referral has been sending their neuro and ortho clients to us exclusively for many years.  We’ve worked closely with their doctors and rehab specialists to provide positive outcomes for their handicapped pets.

Fenway, a black lab who suffered an FCE, spent several years rolling in his Eddie's Wheels

Louie, a mini-dachshund, coming home from back surgery , tries out a set of wheels

Tika's owners can manually assist her using this harness when she's not in her cart.

Just about any dog who might need a wheelchair also needs help moving around the house, getting in and out a car, navigating stairs – and for these short trips, a manual assist is necessary.  It’s not unusual for us to see dogs here being carried in with a towel wrapped around their bellies with the owner struggling to keep up a dog hell-bent on sniffing every spot on the lawn before choosing just the right spot to add his own scent.  Twenty-one years ago, when our first dog Buddha, an 80 lb. Doberman became paralyzed, I carried her back end around with the help of an LL Bean firewood carrier.  An inexpensive variation of this concept would be to cut open the sides of a cloth shopping bag, and sling the dog’s mid-section – a homemade sling that works just fine as long as your dog is female.

Males, will  of course, urinate on a sling that covers the belly.  Manual assists that make an accommodation for males by slinging each leg separately have the drawback of chafing in the delicate tissue of the groin.

The Help-em-up Harness solves this problem by supporting the dog on a pelvic pad, with accommodation for male dogs.  It also puts a handle over the shoulders and another over the rump, allowing the owner to evenly lift the entire dog, if necessary, in a balanced position.  The harness is easy to use and logical.  There is lots of adjustability, allowing the owner to make it so that the handles do not interfere with the cart.

What’s great about this harness is that it can stay on your dog all day long, eliminating looking for that sling you were using before your dog decided to drag itself to another room in the house.  The harness makes it a snap to lift the dog’s rear legs into our cart.

Like Eddie’s Wheels, the Help-em-up Harness was the brainchild of a professional designer who made something for himself and his own dog, and then decided that other people would benefit from his invention.  Like Eddie Grinnell, Carey Zimmerman constantly strives to improve his product and provides excellent customer service.  That’s why the Help-em-up Harness is the only manual assist we actually sell – and sell them we do -to most of our clients who have medium to giant size dogs who need a little help from their best friends – YOU!

Looking down at the assembly area at Eddie's Wheels

Here at Eddie’s Wheels, we are very proud of the fact that we build every cart from scratch at our workshop in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.  This picturesque New England village also boasts the longest operating knife-making factory in the United States (www.lamsonsharp.com).  Faced with competition on the marketplace with “made in China” , one size fits all, dog wheelchairs, we remain committed to manufacturing our products right here, with a crew of  trained assemblers, machinists, and customer service personnel.  In all we support 16 households in our community, providing decent jobs with flex-time and medical and dental  benefits.  Everyone who works at Eddie’s Wheels helps take care of our three disabled dogs – Sweet Pea, Willa and Webster.   So we can honestly say, that everyone involved here spends time with disabled pets, and takes pride in knowing that their work here directly impacts the lives of pets  and their caretakers.

Eddie spec's each cart and designs every saddle based on the unique measurements of your dog while Patsu keeps an eye on him.

The first week of the fabrication of your custom cart entails designing the custom frame built to your dog’s dimensions, getting it to the welder and back, padding the saddle and letting the glues set, and making all the custom parts for your cart.  That might entail custom axles for counterbalanced carts,   making a counterweight for an amputee, or making custom modifications to the frame to compensate for individual anomalies, like fatty lipomas.    At the same time, standard parts, such as blocks that hold the cart together are being made on the CNC machine,  sewn parts – chest straps, harnesses, belly straps and stirrups are being sewn.

Hayley drills out axle holes to right dimension.Hayley puts the frame on the stand for assembly

Chelsea, assisted by the shop kitty, makes the custom sewn parts of Eddie's Wheels carts.

Axles are added to the frame and the wheels mounted to right height for your pet.

Some of our employees have been with us from the beginning of Eddie’s Wheels.  Hayley and Nina, the mainstays of our assembly crew carry on the traditions of our company for excellence of craftsmanship and attention to detail, and pass them on to our new employees.  Nina Rossi also designs our brochures, logos and advertising,  and has a line of Eddie’s Wheels inspired artworks available  online and at her funky gallery in Turners Falls.

Our CNC machine makes all our custom hardware for Eddie's Wheels.

People come here from all over to have us meet and assess their four-leggeds for wheelchairs.  This has filtered down into the local economy with several pet-friendly lodgings becoming available for our far-away customers.

We never imagined that Eddie’s Wheels would grow as it has, exporting dog wheelchairs all over the world, and becoming an important part of our local economy.   It’s a bit humbling to have garnered the attention we have over the years, appearing in 2008 on the Today Show, and being plastered all over the AP wire that same year.   We continue to expand our product line, based upon the needs of our individual clients and the professional veterinary rehab community.    Our clinical equipment, quad carts and front wheel carts have set a new industry standard.    Who knew what our dog Buddha had in store for us, 21 years ago, when Ed built his dog wheelchair for her!

See how Eddie supports the dog on its skeleton, on the pelvic floor in the rear, and the yoke over the shoulders blades Other brands have girth straps that encircle the spine behind the shoulders, putting pressure on core muscles and straining delicate spinal columns.

K9Cart East saddle consists of cording encased in closed cell foam. Note the powder on the padding, in an effort to ease the pain of chapped skin.

Eddie's Wheels welded padded saddle supports the dog between the legs on its pelvic floor.

Our vets had warned us that the most challenging part of caring for a paralyzed dog in a wheelchair was that most dogs developed pressure sores and decubital ulcers from the carts that were available 21 years ago from the K9 Cart Company.    Their design then, as now, consisted of leg loops that suspended the dog by the soft tissues of the groin.  This is a design that has been copied by most dog wheelchair manufacturers as it is relatively easy to do without having to have sophisticated manufacturing process, and can be done using parts available through hardware stores and supply houses.

Eddie had a machine shop at his disposal and was a skilled welder as well.  He looked at a canine skeleton and decided that the only way to eliminate the risk of pressure sores and chafing was to create a welded, padded saddle that would support the dog between the legs on its pelvic floor.  The saddle feels like bicycle seat to the dog, and the shape of the saddle  mirrors the size and shape of the dog’s legs and pelvis.   After 12 years in business, Eddie has designed over 1000 different saddles based on the dimensions of individual dogs.    Each one is handmade – solid aluminum rod (in 4 diameters based on the size of your dog) is shaped to your pet’s width and leg dimensions,  and welded to the frame of the cart.  Closed cell foam padding is glued to saddle so that it does not roll and move with your pet’s leg movements, providing a cushy support under your dog’s pelvic bones .  The foam padding is sanitary and the saddle is designed so that no urine or waste lands on the saddle area.

Having personally lived with three disabled dogs over the past 20 years who varied in size from 80 lbs to  12 lbs,  and all of whom were smooth-coated dogs with virtually no hair in the groin area, we can personally attest to the fact that we’ve had no skin issues,  and chafing despite all the dogs having been female and incontinent.   In fact, the only time we hear of skin issues with our clients is when dogs  post in the saddle, flexing their legs against stirrups as they walk – and in these cases, we recommend that owners allow dogs to use the cart as walkers and wearing booties if necessary.

Sweet Pea, our paralyzed pitbull, shows off her naked tummy and groin.

Corgis can be tested for the gene involved in degenerative myelopathy

If it were not for the existence of pure-bred dogs, there probably would not be enough demand for dog wheelchairs to support the half-dozen dog wheelchair companies in the U.S.    In a recent issue of All Animals, the magazine of the Humane Society of the United States, the cover article was about the increasing prevalence of inherited genetic disorders amongst pure bred dogs.

I remember the first time I met a boxer with degenerative myelopathy, the canine version of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  It was 2001, and this dog was a Westminster champion, the epitome of the boxer breed, and he was falling down, dragging and scissoring his legs.  His owner agonized about whether to provide him with a dog wheelchair, or just euthanize him and not let anyone know that he was sick. After all, he had put out to stud for years.  In 2001, there was no proof that this was an inherited disease.  And it was unheard of in boxers! But this was his companion dog, as well as his show dog.  He wanted a cart so that his dog could regain his dignity, independence and enjoy a good quality of life for the time he had left.

His dog loved his cart, and the owner knew that he had done the right thing both for himself and his dog.  Then he decided that he needed to share his experience with his colleagues on the show circuit.  He took his prize stud to a  dog show, in his wheelchair, and was shocked at the response.  No one wanted to acknowledge the truth about this dog’s health.  The breeders’ attitude was that this was something to be ashamed of, that it was poor taste to exhibit this dog,  and after all, he was 8 years old, time to move on and get a new dog!

As of now, 2011, over 100 breeds of dogs have been found to carry the genetic mutation responsible for degenerative myelopathy.  These include corgis, German Shepards, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Bernese Mt. Dogs, standard poodles, wire haired fox terriers, pugs, yellow labs, Chesapeke Bay Retrievers.

Spanky, a boxer with DM, in his spiffy variable axle Eddie's Wheels dog wheelchair

Times are changing!  Breed clubs are sponsoring the genetic research at the University of Missouri Vet School, and responsible breeders are testing their dogs for DM gene.  Visitwww.caninegeneticdiseases.net/DM/ancmntDM.htm  for information, and ask, before you buy a purebred dog, if the dog has been tested for DM.

IVDD is common in miniature dachshunds.  I have a database over 10 years old with all the ages, weights and measurements of dachshunds who have become paralyzed due to IVDD.   My purely anecdotal impression is that the dogs most likely to become paralyzed are between 4-7 years of age and between 10 -15 lbs.  The youngest dachshund for whom we built a cart was 2 years old and X-rays showed calcifications of several discs.

Disabled dachshunds can live long and healthy lives despite paralysis using our dog wheelchairs.  Because our carts are warranteed for life of the dog, it is not uncommon for our dachsie clients to use their carts for over 10 years.

Duff, a standard wire haired dachshund, has been using an Eddie's Wheels dog wheelchair for over years.

Kody, paralyzed in all four legs, gets towed in an Eddie's Wheels quad cart.

In the past year we’ve noticed an increased demand for full quad carts for dogs.   Some of these dogs are in hospice, the quad providing full support for dogs in the end stages of degenerative myelopathy, such as Kody.  Kody is still mentally alert and wanting to go for walks with his sister.  However, his 2 year battle with DM had reached the stage where his front legs were too weak to support him.  His devoted family opted to provide him with a quad cart with a long tow handle, so that he can continue to be an active participant in their dog family.

We’ve also built a number of quad carts for dogs born with brain-damage that results in a loss of balance and coordination.  For these dogs, the quad cart is especially therapeutic, providing the consistent support they need to allow them to consciously and purposefully gain control of their bodies.

Molly Mae, a brain-damaged pomeranian, needed the stability of a full quad to maintain her balance and allow for purposeful movement.

Dogs recovering from Wobblers Syndrome often need a full quad to support them during a lengthy rehabilitation process following surgery or the sudden onset of quadriplegia.  Such was the case of Melbourne, a 10 year old Doberman, who came to us following cervical surgery.  Because he lived far away from any animal rehab facilities, the quad cart was the main tool his owner had to rehabilitate him.  Within minutes of being placed in the cart, and with the help of caregivers to re-orient and position him, Melbourne was able to start moving all four legs again.  After only a few months of using the cart, Melbourne has had a complete recovery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJE4ibS9To8

Neiko's all smiles in her cart that relieves the pain of hip dysplasia

The best  part of working at Eddie’s Wheels is meeting  those customers who travel to come here for us to meet, evaluate and measure their pets.   IWe see an average of a dozen disabled pets every week at our facility.  Shelburne Falls, our hometown, is a charming New England hilltown, nestled along the banks of the Deerfield River,  2 hours from Boston, 3 hours from New York City, and on the way to Vermont skiing.   It boasts of being among the top 100 best arts and crafts destinations in the country, with many fine art and craft galleries featuring the work of nationally known artisans.  We’ve also got some great restaurants.  Located right along the historic Mohawk Trail, a scenic by-way, we’re actually seeing folks who plan their weekend get-aways around a visit to Eddie’s Wheels.

But the main reason they’re coming is for us to personally meet, measure and try-out their pets in a dog  (or cat or bunny) wheelchair. Because we meet so many of our clients and care for our own disabled dogs, we have a wealth of experience to share to help them cope with the challenges of caring for their pet.    No matter how disabled their pet is, there is some  fear and skepticism that their pet might be the one who totally rejects using a cart.

A complete Eddie’s Wheels visit may include an evaluation, measurement and try-out in an existing cart – as we keep a stock of typical sized carts here for pets to try out.   Many folks book an appointment with Carole Groman, our resident animal massage therapist, who offers a teaching session with an informational packet, so that pet owners can continue to massage their pets at home.  As you can imagine, any animal with a disability is compensating for it, and massage helps to keep pets comfortable. Massaging your pet also provides the owner with important information about the progress of the pets’s physical condition.

Caring for a disabled pet creates a new and deeper connection and intimacy with your animal.  While the cart does restore your pet’s sense of independence, it also  re-enforces the bonds it has with its caregiver.

Recently a couple drove 4 hours from northwestern New Jersey to have us meet their dachshund, Toshi.   She had had surgery 3 months previous and still had the “zipper” down her spine.  She had reflexes, but no purposeful movement in her rear legs and was unable to stand on her own.  Their neurologist was against them getting a cart, and they were unwilling to pay hundreds of dollars a month for hydrotherapy. Their online research had convinced them that an Eddie’s Wheels cart would provide them and their dog with a better quality of life.

They booked lodging at our friend Pat Butterfield’s dog friendly B&B, Cavalier Cottage,  and made an appointment for a massage with Carole.  Since we know that many dachshunds who are prone to spinal injuries are roughly the same size as our old mascot, Daisy, we keep a couple of new dachshund carts in stock.  Toshi fit one of these carts like it was custombuilt  just for her.  She was taking off in it before we could buckle the chest strap.  We suspended her lifeless legs on the rolling stirrups and noticed some small reflexive motion in her rear legs – not an uncommon phenomenon.  After her massage we put her back in her cart ,and before long, saw her begin to purposefully use one of her rear legs to aid in her propulsion.   Everyone was ecstatic!  Watch Toshi go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWRvFyQm00g