[triarmarm]

I'm sorry to hear that. Here's a good news though, dogs are really amazing creatures. They can adapt and live a normal life even if some of their legs were disabled. I know the news is overwhelming so you have to take it slowly. Start with thinking what to prioritize. If you're short on the cash, ask your vet what you need to buy first and what you can do away with for the time being.

Since your dog's hind legs are paralyzed, has the veterinarian mentioned whether her legs will still be able to get better? By the way, you never mentioned what she had. Is it due to inflammation? Hip dysplasia? Paralysis? Stroke?

In some cases, massaging the area (physical therapy) done 3-4x a day might just be the thing to get her up an walking.

[Soulofpostar]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear this.

I don't have any direct experience with this with dogs, so I'm not sure how much I can help.

My best advice is to take it slow. You're overwhelmed at this point and it's a lot to take in. First of all, what products is your vet recommending? Chances are, you probably don't need all of them. You may need medicines for her physical well-being, but beyond that, you'll be able to pick and choose what's really necessary for you. You might need the wheelchair itself, but you may not, for example, need to get special ramps if your house has an entrance/exit for your dog to use. You may end up needing diapers, too, if they won't be able to control their bathroom needs any more, but it might not end up being as different as you'd expect.

[voodoosdv]

Does anyone have experience with taking care of a handicapped dog? In the last week I just found out that my dog is going to need a wheelchair since her hind legs are semi paralyzed. It's a bit overwhelming news and I'm not quite sure where to start. I've read through some articles online and talked to vet and they've told me that I need to do a bunch of things and buy a lot of products.

[voodoosdv]

That you for the tips. My dog has intervertebral disc disease. It's in the grade 2 phase at the moment which means that she is severely paraparetic (weak/wobbly) but still has good voluntary motion in her hind limbs but she can't get up without assistance. At least that was the diagnostic.

But for an update, I have been giving her medicine and some form of bath therapy for the past few weeks and she has shown signs of great improvement. She is more stable on her feet so I'm positive that she can recover, it'll just take a lot of time and patience. And she is able to control her bathroom needs so that's a good thing. I'm still considering the wheelchair though. It'll be handy to have just in case.