Watching Freddie transition from a fully-abled, playful pup to one who entirely relies on me to transport him has been incredibly difficult.
Freddie loved, and still loves, to be where I am. He followed me from place to place with the cutest little happy trots. I can still hear the sounds of his feet on our hard floors.
His fetch level was expert. Our backyard squirrels feared his speed and agility. If he wore a pedometer, his step count would break records.
It didn’t all happen at once; Freddie shifted from walking without issue to immobile over a period of almost a year. First, it was hind-leg sagging followed by a slight side-to-side sway. This progressed to it looking like Freddie had separate brains controlling his front and back legs, and his feet starting to slip and slide on our floors. Next, his back legs stopped wanting to walk, so he could still move around if Sid or I lifted his back end. A few months later, his front legs became affected, requiring our full help to move him.
When Freddie first started showing signs of walking challenges, I did everything I could to help him avoid sliding and falling. Our hallway floors are pretty slippery, so I laid yoga mats and carpet runners in linear pathways connecting our carpeted spaces. This helped for a bit, as did these anti-slide socks and shoes. Also, wrapping this vet wrap around his feet gave him some grip and protected his little feet when we took him outside.
I truly appreciate the vast array of helpful options the market offers today. It’s remarkable how many innovative products and solutions are now available. Over the past two years, we’ve explored several of these offerings, each with unique features and benefits. Here are some of the standouts that have significantly impacted our daily routines.
Backpack
A friend of mine raved about The Maxine One backpack. Plus, I kept seeing ads all over my social media. The pack looked well-designed and like an excellent option for taking Freddie on short errands where I didn’t want to transport his stroller or if I needed to be hands-free. So, after measuring Freddie, I purchased their newer pack for smaller dogs named The Maxine One S. Once I received the pack, I confirmed that it’s very well made. The bag structure supported Freddie’s body to keep him upright and even featured a head and neck support. These design highlights helped reassure me that Freddie would be both safe and comfortable.
But, as Freddie’s condition progressed this pack no longer serves an option for us. Over the past year, Freddie has
Dog Tote
I actually bought this Weekend Dog Tote when Freddie could still walk. We used it a few times, but Freddie preferred to be carried in our arms and to sit on our laps whenever we left the house. And, whatever Freddie wants, Freddie gets. 🤣 And, once Freddie couldn’t walk, the bag didn’t work for him because there wasn’t any bolstering or anything to help him remain upright. It’s super cute and well-made, and the company’s customer service was stellar.
Custom Quad Cart
A physical therapist referred us to Jenny and Ron at Doggon’ Wheels. They create custom two and four-wheel carts for dogs and more through an easy and friendly process. With Jenny’s guidance, Sid and I measured every bit of Freddie, and before we knew it, our quad cart was ready! With Doggon’ Wheels being based in San Francisco, we took a road trip with Freddie to pick up our cart and get an evaluation from Jenny, a physical therapist.
Our hope with the cart was for Freddie to have some agency in choosing where he wanted to go inside and outside our house. Plus, it could provide some much-needed exercise for our couch-bound boy. For the first few months, Freddie struggled to get the cart moving; unfortunately, this never improved. I’m confident that the cart is not at fault, as even another physical therapist we saw said the cart’s dimensions were perfect for Freddie. He seems unable to stretch his front arms out far enough to push off the ground to help him move. So, we use the cart to just get him into a “normal” dog standing position. He gets to put some weight on his front legs and enjoys being pushed around the house and our yard! Especially when any of his enemy squirrels are present.
Standard Quad Wheelchair
When we were struggling to help Freddie use his custom cart, I saw this four-wheel dog wheelchair go on sale, and I thought we should give it a try. Fred also struggled to get any momentum in this cart, though he did have two memorable moments where he took two or three steps, then pushed off and pulled his arms up behind him like he was flying. This aerodynamic movement is his preferred position when I push him around the yard to chase squirrels! Like his custom cart, this product seems sturdy and durable, and I’m sure it is helpful to many, many animals.
Wagon
I bought a wagon like this to help transport Freddie around our house. On days when I’m moving from room to room a lot, the wagon is so helpful! Before the wagon, I used to carry Freddie from space to space, as my pup, who used to follow me everywhere, doesn’t like to be left alone. This also required me to set up several beds or comfy surfaces in each room so I had a place to set Freddie where he was safe and wouldn’t roll into danger. The wagon helped us both so much! I set up an orthopedic bed in the bottom of the wagon and laid him on top of the bed with his blanket, a pillow, and some friends. Now I had a mobile bed for Freddie that I could easily wheel around our house! This would also be a great way to transport him outside the house if I didn’t have his strollers. I find the driveability of the wagon more complex than the strollers.
Strollers
I use one or both of Freddie’s strollers every single day. I’m SO thankful that these exist, and I can’t recommend the HPZ brand enough. The strollers are durable, easy to fold and unfold, and have plenty of pockets and storage areas.
I purchased my first stroller in September 2022. We got it before we took Freddie to his neurology appointment, where he was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy. This stroller provided a safe and comfortable space for Freddie to relax in before, during, and after his appointment. And, as much as I love holding Freddie, having a designated space for him freed up my arms for me to do things like pay. As time passed, I added more and more features to his ride that helped turn his stroller into his “limo.”
We decided to get Freddie another stroller because we saw one with a removable car seat feature. He has a larger car bed that we use when going for rides over 20 to 30 minutes, but for short rides, I prefer something that keeps him a little more secure. And, with the car seat feature, I can detach the seat/basket from the stroller frame and place it onto my backseat with Fred in it. A couple of clips later, Freddie is ready to ride! Detaching the car seat leaves a lightweight frame that is very easy to load into my car. Our first stroller’s weight made lifting it in and out of the car more challenging. Plus, this new stroller takes up less space in our car.
What we really need is an engineer, or other creative type, who can build Freddie a pully-based quad cart. He is SO strong in his front legs, and he can move them forward and backward with vigor! Unfortunately, these motions don’t result in cart movement. But, we think that he could move swiftly with the right system. I’ve reached out to our local university’s engineering programs with no response. I even contacted Mark Rober, and his people kindly responded, saying he’s not currently working on individual projects. If you have any ideas, please let me know!
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