Do-it-yourself (DIY) Dog Wheelchairs - Worth the Effort?

We are always at a loss as to how we should advice owners who have exhausted their resources paying for veterinary care and find the cookie jar empty when they need to buy a cart. There are several websites that advocate do-it-yourself (DIY) dog carts. As big fans for Home Depot and Lowe's, we certainly try the DIY angle ourselves often. But is a DIY cart a cost savings or a headache?

DIY websites?

It isn't hard to find a number of DIY websites for dog wheelchair designs. Several come up immediately in google, yahoo, or bing search engines. Although K-9 Cart Company East owns the first patent on dog wheelchairs, as long as you are building a dog wheelchair for your own use rather than starting up a business, you probably aren't violating copyright and patent law. Whew! But almost all these sites are variations of the same design despite what they say.

K-9 Cart Dog Wheelchairs on Today Show

Copyright MSNBC

We were thrilled to see Joyce featured on the Today show on January 13, 2010. There is a brief update of Turiz, the dog saved from Russia (shown in an older generation K-9 Cart dog wheelchair.) Also, watch a mixed breed dog flying around in a newer generation K-9 Cart dog wheelchair. Kudos to Joyce and Mike for their 10 years of effort to help disabled pets at Pets With Disabilities.

Should I purchase Pet Insurance?

As our own dog gets older and the pet insurance industry matures, we are asking ourselves whether pet insurance makes sense.  If you own a dog breed that has a high prevalence of certain diseases, such as intervertebral disc disease or degenerative myelopathy, purchasing pet insurance seems to make a lot of sense.  More than just veterinary care, e.g.,  surgery and hospitalization, pet insurance may also cover accessory items, such as handheld slings or dog wheelchairs.  Wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry about the cost of treatment when trying to decide what is best for Fido or Fluffy?

What does Pet insurance really pay?

But just like trying to decide on which health insurance policy to buy for yourself, it takes even more careful detective work to decipher what is really covered and what is not covered by pet insurance.  In this article, we polled some of the better know pet insurance companies and give you the low down on what your money really might buy.

What is Degenerative Myelopathy & Is a Dog Wheelchair the Answer?

Frequently owners tell us their older dog has hip dysplasia, degenerative joint disease (DJD, or  osteoarthritis (OA), and are looking for a wheelchair. After a few questions, we  realize that their dog may really be unisuffering from degenerative myelopathy.

What is Degenerative Myelopathy?

Degenerative myelopathy (DM) was recognized over 35 years ago. Initially, it was thought to only affect German Shepherd Dogs. However, it is now recognized to occur in many other dog breeds. The disease was originally called chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy, which is still the name it goes by in Europe and other countries outside the USA. Degenerative myelopathy has many features similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease in people. ALS, like DM, has an onset in middle age in humans just like what is seen in canine DM. Canine DM is a spinal cord disease, which microscopically appears as a degradation of axons, the long extension of the nerve cells, and myelin, the covering to nerve cells.

K-9 Cart East Introduces the Lightest Fully Adjustable Dog Wheelchair for Small Handicapped Pets

K-9 Cart East lightest dog wheelchair.

K-9 Cart Company East announces the release of their new ultra lightweight dog wheelchair for small dogs, cats, and other disabled pets making it even easier to get back their mobility.

September 15, 2009, Oxford Maryland – K-9 Cart Company East introduces a new ultra lightweight, veterinary-designed dog wheelchair weighing 1-2 lbs. that is custom-made of high tech materials for strength.  K-9 Cart Company East has been designing, building, and perfecting their dog carts for 45 years and now raises the industry standard by producing the lightest, fully adjustable custom dog wheelchair.  Now, small dogs and cats can become mobile in a state-of-the-art dog cart by k-9cart.com that is >20% lighter without sacrificing durability.